| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| arrant |
complete; unmitigated; downright. |
| belie |
to give a false impression of. |
| bilge |
the rounded part of a ship's hull between the bottom and the sides. |
| chary |
not dispensing freely. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| flak |
(informal) irritating opposition, criticism, or dissent. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| obfuscate |
to make (something) seem or be difficult to understand; obscure or darken. |
| proselytize |
to convert or try actively to convert (others) to one's own beliefs or religion. |
| requite |
to retaliate for; strike back on account of. |
| scion |
an offspring or heir. |
| sequester |
to remove into protection and isolation; seclude. |
| unadulterated |
unmixed with or undiluted by additives or extraneous elements; pure; complete. |