| apprehensive |
feeling fearful about future events. |
| baleful |
threatening harm; full of malice; ominous. |
| bibulous |
addicted to alcohol; alcoholic. |
| denigrate |
to deny the worth of; sneer at; belittle. |
| effluvium |
an outflow of usually invisible, foul-smelling vapor or gas. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| expatiate |
to discuss something at great length; describe in great detail. |
| flummox |
(informal) to confuse or puzzle. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| obtrude |
to thrust or force (oneself, one's concerns, or one's opinions) on another or others without being asked. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| triage |
a system of determining priority of medical treatment, on the basis of need, chances of survival, and the like, to victims on a battlefield or in a hospital emergency ward. |