| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| baneful |
causing or leading to death, destruction, or ruin; harmful or deadly. |
| bereft |
deprived or stripped of something. |
| consummate |
of the highest order or degree. |
| emote |
to express or simulate feelings, especially in an exaggerated or theatrical manner. |
| exponent |
one that expounds or interprets. |
| halcyon |
tranquil; peaceful; calm. |
| laudatory |
expressing praise. |
| panegyric |
a formal speech or piece of writing devoted to publicly praising a person or thing. |
| parlous |
full of dangers or risks; perilous. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| recurve |
to bend or curve back or backward, as the ends of certain shooting bows. |
| risible |
provoking laughter; laughable or funny. |
| spurn |
to reject, refuse, or treat with scorn; disdain; despise. |