| extenuating | to make or try to make seem less serious, esp. by making excuses |
| inherent | existing in someone or something as a permanent element |
| cursory | quick, fleeting |
| pensive | dreamily or wistfully thought |
| preamble | an introductory statement; preface |
| sedulous | diligent in character; persevering |
| proclivity | natural or habitual inclination or tendency |
| subterfuge | an artifice used to evade a rule, escape a consequence |
| compassion | a feeling of deep sympathy or sorrow for someone |
| conjecture | the formation of an opinion or theory |
| obsession | the domination fo ones's thoughts by ideas, etc. |
| demise | death, downfall |
| composite | made up of several elements |
| recourse | access of resort to a person for help or protection |
| propensity | a natural inclination or tedency |
| dispassionate | free from or unnaffected by passion; impartial; calm |
| superstition | an irrational belief in the ominous significance of a particular thing |
| preponderance | superior in weight, power, numbers, influence, etc. |
| perpendicular | vertical, straight up and down, forming a 90 degree angle |
| eventuality | a possible event, circumstance, or occurence |
| disposition | a prevailing tendency of one's spirits; physical inclination or tendency |