| brandish |
to wave or shake (something such as a weapon) in a threatening or agitated manner. |
| caustic |
bitingly critical. |
| disavow |
to deny having (knowledge, intention, or the like). |
| foray |
a quick raid or sudden advance, usually military and often to take forage or plunder. |
| glib |
speaking or prone to speak easily and fluently, especially in a careless or thoughtless manner, with little concern for the truth. |
| intractable |
not easily controlled, managed, or persuaded. |
| jubilation |
a feeling of great joy, pride, and happiness; exultation. |
| macabre |
of, pertaining to, depicting, or evoking death or the horrors of death; gruesome; ghastly. |
| permeate |
to pass or diffuse through; penetrate. |
| populist |
a person, especially a political leader, who represents, or claims to represent, the interests and concerns of the common people rather than the privileged, the politically powerful, or the intelligentsia. |
| retard |
to cause (growth, development, or the like) to be slow or incomplete; stunt. |
| stymie |
throw an obstacle in the way of (something or someone); impede; thwart. |
| truism |
a self-evident statement; platitude. |
| usurp |
to take and hold (a right, position, office, or the like) illegally, wrongfully, or by force. |
| vestige |
a visible trace or sign of something no longer present or existing. |