| aggregate |
a sum, combination, or composite of separable elements. |
| amortize |
to deduct (expenditures) by fixed amounts over a period of time. |
| austere |
having only what is needed; very simple or plain. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient; insubordinate; rebellious. |
| disencumber |
to remove burdens or hindrances from. |
| erratic |
not expected or predicted; not regular. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| libertine |
acting without restraint; dissolute; amoral. |
| obtrusive |
aggressive and self-assertive, or inclined to be so. |
| obviate |
to prevent or eliminate in advance; render unnecessary or irrelevant. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| solipsism |
the self-centered habit of interpreting and judging all things exclusively according to one's own concepts of meaning and value. |