| baneful |
causing or leading to death, destruction, or ruin; harmful or deadly. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| colloquialism |
a word or phrase typically used in conversational, informal, or regional speech or writing, hence sometimes considered inappropriate in formal writing. |
| demarcate |
to set apart or separate, as if with boundaries. |
| deracinate |
to pull up by or as if by the roots; uproot; isolate; exile. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| gossamer |
delicately fine, gauzelike, or filmy. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| incredulous |
not able to believe something. |
| louche |
of questionable decency, morality, or taste; shady; disreputable. |
| obtrude |
to thrust or force (oneself, one's concerns, or one's opinions) on another or others without being asked. |
| sartorial |
of or pertaining to tailors or tailored clothing, especially men's clothing. |
| savor |
to give an impression; hint (usually followed by "of"). |
| transpose |
to exchange the position or order of (two things). |