| affectation |
falseness or superficiality of appearance or behavior; pretense. |
| connoisseur |
a person with the experience, expertise, and sense of appreciation to make informed judgments in a fine art or in matters of taste. |
| demoralize |
to weaken or destroy the confidence, courage, spirit, or morale of. |
| embellishment |
a beautifying decoration or addition. |
| exemplify |
to serve as an illustration of. |
| lackadaisical |
lacking energy, determination, or enthusiasm; listless or lazy. |
| metabolism |
the processes in plants and animals by which food is changed into energy or used to make cells and tissues. |
| nihilism |
the belief that existence has no meaning or purpose. |
| perfectionist |
one who tends not to be satisfied with less than flawless performance from herself or himself. |
| protégé |
a person under the care or sponsorship of an influential patron. |
| tacit |
suggested, implied, or understood, without being expressed in words. |
| titanic |
having enormous size, strength, or power; colossal; huge. |
| tome |
a large thick book, often one of a multivolume scholarly work. |
| universality |
the quality, character, or condition of being universal. |
| wasteland |
land where there are no living things or where nothing will grow. |