| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| acclivity |
a rising slope. |
| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| alluvium |
sand, soil, gravel, or the like deposited by moving water, as along a river bed. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| determinism |
the belief or teaching that every effect, including human thoughts and actions, is completely and predictably brought about by preceding causes and that, therefore, free will does not exist. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| idyllic |
charmingly simple and natural, as a scene or experience; suggestive of peaceful countryside. |
| imbricate |
overlapping in an even sequence, as roof tiles or fish scales. |
| impute |
to ascribe or attribute to a source or cause. |
| inanition |
a state of exhaustion caused by a lack of nourishment. |
| meretricious |
appealing or attracting in a cheap, showy, or shallow way. |
| salacious |
excited by lust; lecherous. |
| welter |
to roll about or wallow, as in mud or the open sea. |