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abash
cause to be embarrassed; cause to feel self-conscious
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aberrant
markedly different from an accepted norm
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abet
assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing
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abysmal
resembling an abyss in depth; so deep as to be unmeasurable
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activism
a policy of taking direct and militant action to achieve a political or social goal
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adjudicate
put on trial or hear a case and sit as the judge at the trial of
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affect
have an effect upon
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agnostic
a person who claims that they cannot have true knowledge about the existence of God (but does not deny that God might exist)
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amorous
inclined toward or displaying love
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anathema
a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by excommunication
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asunder
into parts or pieces
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auspices
kindly endorsement and guidance
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auspicious
auguring favorable circumstances and good luck
-
avant-garde
radically new or original
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baneful
deadly or sinister
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barricado
block off with barricades
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behest
an authoritative command or request
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beleaguer
annoy persistently
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bemoan
regret strongly
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bemuse
cause to be confused emotionally
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bereft
sorrowful through loss or deprivation
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besiege
surround so as to force to give up
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besmirch
smear so as to make dirty or stained
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bewail
regret strongly
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bewitch
cast a spell over someone or something; put a hex on someone or something
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bigot
a prejudiced person who is intolerant of any opinions differing from his own
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brace
a support that steadies or strengthens something else
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brood
hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing
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byword
a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
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cache
a hidden storage space (for money or provisions or weapons)
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caisson
a chest to hold ammunition
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calamity
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
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calumniate
charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
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cant
a slope in the turn of a road or track; the outside is higher than the inside in order to reduce the effects of centrifugal force
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chronicle
a record or narrative description of past events
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circumspect
heedful of potential consequences
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citadel
a stronghold into which people could go for shelter during a battle
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cloak
a loose outer garment
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coffer
a chest especially for storing valuables
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collier
someone who works in a coal mine
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compendium
a publication containing a variety of works
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conclave
a confidential or secret meeting
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connote
express or state indirectly
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conquistador
an adventurer (especially one who led the Spanish conquest of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century)
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consummate
having or revealing supreme mastery or skill
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contrary
exact opposition
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cordon
a series of sentinels or of military posts enclosing or guarding some place or thing
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corollary
(logic) an inference that follows directly from the proof of another proposition
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corporal
affecting or characteristic of the body as opposed to the mind or spirit
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countenance
the appearance conveyed by a person's face
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curative
tending to cure or restore to health
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curvature
the property possessed by the curving of a line or surface
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dame
a woman of refinement
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daub
an unskillful painting
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daunt
cause to lose courage
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decorum
propriety in manners and conduct
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denigrate
charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
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deplore
express strong disapproval of
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derisive
abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule
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dictum
an authoritative declaration
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din
a loud harsh or strident noise
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dint
interchangeable with `means' in the expression `by means of'
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disdainful
having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
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dominion
dominance or power through legal authority
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doublet
a man's close-fitting jacket; worn during the Renaissance
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dowager
a widow holding property received from her deceased husband
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duplicity
acting in bad faith; deception by pretending to entertain one set of intentions while acting under the influence of another
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ebullient
joyously unrestrained
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effect
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
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efficacious
marked by qualities giving the power to produce an intended effect
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eminent
standing above others in quality or position
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enfilade
gunfire directed along the length rather than the breadth of a formation
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enmity
a state of deep-seated ill-will
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epithet
descriptive word or phrase
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extol
praise, glorify, or honor
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exude
release (a liquid) in drops or small quantities
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factious
dissenting (especially dissenting with the majority opinion)
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fain
having made preparations
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fervent
characterized by intense emotion
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forbearance
a delay in enforcing rights or claims or privileges; refraining from acting
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forefront
the part in the front or nearest the viewer
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forlorn
marked by or showing hopelessness
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friction
the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another
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fulminate
cause to explode violently and with loud noise
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fulsome
unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
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galleon
a large square-rigged sailing ship with three or more masts; used by the Spanish for commerce and war from the 15th to 18th centuries
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garboil
a state of commotion and noise and confusion
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godforsaken
located in a dismal or remote area; desolate
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gulf
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
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holocaust
an act of mass destruction and loss of life (especially in war or by fire)
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hue
the quality of a color as determined by its dominant wavelength
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ignominiously
in a dishonorable manner or to a dishonorable degree
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immortal
not subject to death
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imperious
having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
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imprecation
the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult)
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insidious
working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
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inure
cause to accept or become hardened to; habituate
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inveigh
complain bitterly
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inviolable
incapable of being transgressed or dishonored
-
ironic
characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected and what actually is
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jeremiad
a long and mournful complaint
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joiner
a person who likes to join groups
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labyrinth
complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost
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lacuna
an ornamental sunken panel in a ceiling or dome
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lament
a cry of sorrow and grief
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landlubber
an inexperienced sailor; a sailor on the first voyage
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languish
become feeble
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lapidary
a skilled worker who cuts and engraves precious stones
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league
an association of states or organizations or individuals for common action
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macabre
shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
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malevolence
wishing evil to others
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manifest
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
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manifold
many and varied; having many features or forms
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minion
a servile or fawning dependant
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mitigate
lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
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modicum
a small or moderate or token amount
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mysticism
a religion based on mystical communion with an ultimate reality
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nadir
an extreme state of adversity; the lowest point of anything
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obscure
not clearly understood or expressed
-
occultism
a belief in supernatural powers and the possibility of bringing them under human control
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ominous
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
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organic
being or relating to or derived from or having properties characteristic of living organisms
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palisade
fortification consisting of a strong fence made of stakes driven into the ground
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paramount
having superior power and influence
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penurious
excessively unwilling to spend
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penurious
excessively unwilling to spend
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perfunctory
hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
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pernicious
exceedingly harmful
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pillory
a wooden instrument of punishment on a post with holes for the wrists and neck; offenders were locked in and so exposed to public scorn
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placable
easily calmed or pacified
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poignant
keenly distressing to the mind or feelings
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poltergeist
a ghost that announces its presence with rapping and the creation of disorder
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pragmatic
concerned with practical matters
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pretentious
making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction
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preternatural
existing outside of or not in accordance with nature
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privateer
a privately owned warship commissioned to prey on the commercial shipping or warships of an enemy nation
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privation
act of depriving someone of food or money or rights
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profound
situated at or extending to great depth; too deep to have been sounded or plumbed
-
provident
providing carefully for the future
-
purge
rid of impurities
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puritan
someone who adheres to strict religious principles; someone opposed to sensual pleasures
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rapture
a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
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redound
have an effect for good or ill
-
repast
the food served and eaten at one time
-
resolve
find the solution
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roil
make turbid by stirring up the sediments of
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roughhewn
of stone or timber; shaped roughly without finishing
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ruction
the act of making a noisy disturbance
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salutary
tending to promote physical well-being; beneficial to health
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schism
division of a group into opposing factions
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scud
run or move very quickly or hastily
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shallon
small evergreen shrub of Pacific coast of North America having edible dark purple grape-sized berries
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shipwright
a carpenter who helps build and launch wooden vessels
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singular
being a single and separate person or thing
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sloth
a disinclination to work or exert yourself
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smithereens
a collection of small fragments considered as a whole
-
solace
comfort in disappointment or misery
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specter
a ghostly appearing figure
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spellbound
having your attention fixated as though by a spell
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stead
the post or function properly or customarily occupied or served by another
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stultify
deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless
-
stupefied
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
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subside
sink to a lower level or form a depression
-
succor
assistance in time of difficulty
-
succumb
consent reluctantly
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suppression
forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority
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swashbuckler
a reckless impetuous irresponsible person
-
synthesis
the combination of ideas into a complex whole
-
temerity
fearless daring
-
totalitarian
characterized by a government in which the political authority exercises absolute and centralized control
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transgress
act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
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transmute
change or alter in form, appearance, or nature
-
tumult
a state of commotion and noise and confusion
-
urchin
poor and often mischievous city child
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vainglorious
feeling self-importance
-
vanguard
the leading units moving at the head of an army
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vaunt
show off
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veritable
not counterfeit or copied
-
vex
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
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victual
any substance that can be used as food
-
vilify
spread negative information about
-
virulence
extreme harmfulness (as the capacity of a microorganism to cause disease)
-
vista
the visual percept of a region
-
vituperate
spread negative information about
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vouchsafe
grant in a condescending manner
-
wastrel
someone who dissipates resources self-indulgently
-
watershed
a ridge of land that separates two adjacent river systems
-
wattle
a fleshy wrinkled and often brightly colored fold of skin hanging from the neck or throat of certain birds (chickens and turkeys) or lizards
-
weal
a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions
-
willy-nilly
in a random manner
-
winnow
the act of separating grain from chaff
-
woeful
affected by or full of grief or woe
-
zest
a tart spicy quality