| acclivity |
a rising slope. |
| barrage |
a great number of things coming one after another very quickly. |
| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| blandishment |
(often plural) flattering or coaxing remarks or stratagems intended to persuade. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| crass |
lacking in sensitivity or refinement; crude. |
| equipoise |
a state of balance or equal weight, importance, or the like; equilibrium. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| gullible |
believing almost anything; easily tricked. |
| lambent |
glowing softly. |
| laureate |
one honored for achievement in a particular field or by a particular award, especially in the arts or sciences. |
| linguistics |
(used with a singular verb) the scientific and historical study of the form and structure of human language. |
| ostentation |
a showy display to impress others. |
| salacious |
excited by lust; lecherous. |