| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| blandishment |
(often plural) flattering or coaxing remarks or stratagems intended to persuade. |
| compunction |
uneasiness about the propriety or suitability of an action; qualm. |
| conduction |
the transmission or transfer, as of heat, electrical charges, or nervous impulses, through a medium. |
| contumely |
contemptuous insolence; rudeness. |
| denigrate |
to deny the worth of; sneer at; belittle. |
| exponent |
one that expounds or interprets. |
| foible |
a minor flaw or weakness in personality, character, or behavior. |
| glean |
to gather or discover (facts, information, or the like) a little at a time. |
| indomitable |
too strong to be subdued or discouraged; unconquerable. |
| quiescence |
a state of inaction, rest, or stillness; dormancy. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| shunt |
to turn or move aside or out of the way; divert. |