| agnostic |
one who believes it is impossible to know anything about the existence or nonexistence of God or about the essential nature of things beyond the material universe. |
| apostate |
a person who abandons his or her religious faith, principles, cause, or the like. |
| emaciate |
to waste away the flesh of, usually by starvation or disease; make extremely thin. |
| fractious |
inclined to be irritable and quarrelsome; cranky. |
| inclusive |
comprising or covering a great deal; comprehensive. |
| indigence |
lack of means to live; poverty. |
| ostracize |
to exclude or shun, by general agreement of the group imposing the exclusion. |
| paraphrase |
a restatement of a passage or text in somewhat different words so as to simplify, clarify, or amplify. |
| patronize |
to act in an offensively superior manner toward. |
| permissive |
allowing much, often excessive, freedom of behavior; lenient. |
| pertain |
to relate to or have to do with something. |
| reaffirm |
to verify by asserting again. |
| reminiscence |
something that is remembered; memory or impression. |
| salutary |
having or intended to have a beneficial effect. |
| utilitarian |
of, concerning, or aiming at usefulness. |