| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| beatify |
to admire or exalt as superior. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| cognizant |
aware; informed (usually followed by "of"). |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| emote |
to express or simulate feelings, especially in an exaggerated or theatrical manner. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| expiation |
the act or the means of making amends, as for a sin or crime. |
| hackneyed |
made trite or commonplace by overuse, as an expression or phrase. |
| inadvertent |
not planned or intended; unintentional. |
| lien |
a legal claim on a piece of property when the current owner is in default on a debt or obligation. |
| parsimonious |
excessively frugal; stingy. |
| sanctimony |
a pretense of righteousness or piety; feigned devotion or holiness. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |