show
image

If you have an affiliation with a group or another person, you are officially involved or connected with them.

Something that is amorphous has no clear shape, boundaries, or structure.

If one thing is analogous to another, a comparison can be made between the two because they are similar in some way.

Atavism is the reappearance of a genetic feature that has been missing for generations; it can also refer to a manner or style that resurfaces after a period of absence.

Candor is the quality of being honest and open in speech or action.

Consanguinity is the state of being related to someone else by blood or having a similar close relationship to them.

A credulous person is very ready to believe what people tell them; therefore, they can be easily tricked or cheated.

When you depict something, you illustrate it with a picture or image and/or describe it using words.

An effigy is a crude likeness or statue of a person, often of someone who is disliked.

Empirical evidence or study is based on real experience or scientific experiments rather than on unproven theories.

If you describe something as ersatz, you dislike it because it is artificial or fake—and is used in place of a higher quality item.

A facade is a false outward appearance or way of behaving that hides what someone or something is really like.

A feint is the act of pretending to make a movement in one direction while actually moving in the other, especially to trick an opponent; a feint can also be a deceptive act meant to turn attention away from one’s true purpose.

A gestalt refers to a complete unit of something or a set regarded as a whole, the quality or essence of which is different than the sum of its individual parts.

Things that are homologous are similar in structure, function, or value; these qualities may suggest or indicate a common ancestor or origin.

Something that is hypothetical is based on possible situations or events rather than actual ones.

An illustrative example serves to explain or describe something, often by providing pictures.

A metaphor is a word or phrase that is used to describe a different thing to highlight a likeness or association between the two; for example, if someone is very fast, you might say they are a rocket, or you might say a kind person has a heart of gold.

Something that is notional exists only as an idea or in theory—not in reality.

If someone is objective, they base their opinions on facts rather than personal feelings or beliefs.

A patina is a smooth, shiny film or surface that gradually develops on things—such as wood, leather, and metal utensils—that have seen a lot of use.

The propinquity of a thing is its nearness in location, relationship, or similarity to another thing.

A semblance is an outward appearance of what is wanted or expected but is not exactly as hoped for.

Something that is specious seems to be good, sound, or correct but is actually wrong or fake.

To be tentative is to be hesitant or uncertain about something; an agreement or decision of this kind is likely to have changes before it reaches its final form.

A veneer is a thin layer, such as a thin sheet of expensive wood over a cheaper type of wood that gives a false appearance of higher quality; a person can also put forth a false front or veneer.

The veracity of something is its truthfulness.

Verisimilitude is something’s authenticity or appearance of being real or true.

The verity of something is the truth or reality of it.