| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| atavism |
the recurrence or reappearance of a particular trait, style, attitude, or behavior that seemed to have disappeared, or that which has recurred or reappeared after such an absence. |
| blithe |
indifferent or casual; unconcerned. |
| brash |
rudely self-assertive; bold; impudent. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| Draconian |
(often lower case) harshly cruel or rigorous. |
| epistemology |
the branch of philosophy dealing with the origin, nature, and limits of human knowledge. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| heinous |
extremely wicked or despicable; atrocious. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| malaise |
a state or condition of feeling generally unwell, mentally depressed, sluggish, or uneasy. |
| unscathed |
not hurt or harmed; completely uninjured. |
| untoward |
unexpected and unfortunate. |