| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| aplomb |
great self-confidence, composure, or poise. |
| baneful |
causing or leading to death, destruction, or ruin; harmful or deadly. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| conjoin |
to combine for a common purpose. |
| convoluted |
complex; intricate. |
| dearth |
a shortage or scarcity of something; lack. |
| feckless |
weak or incompetent; ineffective. |
| knurled |
having small ridges. |
| lien |
a legal claim on a piece of property when the current owner is in default on a debt or obligation. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| oppugn |
to oppose, contradict, criticize, or call into question. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |
| raffish |
carelessly unconventional or disreputable, sometimes appealingly so. |
| relict |
a plant, animal, or geological feature that has survived in a considerably changed environment. |