| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| boudoir |
a woman's private sitting room or bedroom. |
| condone |
to pardon, disregard, or overlook voluntarily or without condemning. |
| élan |
enthusiasm or vigor. |
| forswear |
to give up or renounce, often with an oath or pledge. |
| hirsute |
covered with hair or stiff hairs; hairy or shaggy. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| malaise |
a state or condition of feeling generally unwell, mentally depressed, sluggish, or uneasy. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| requite |
to retaliate for; strike back on account of. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |
| spurn |
to reject, refuse, or treat with scorn; disdain; despise. |
| welter |
to roll about or wallow, as in mud or the open sea. |