| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| compunction |
uneasiness about the propriety or suitability of an action; qualm. |
| denigrate |
to deny the worth of; sneer at; belittle. |
| disheveled |
not neat; messy. |
| flummox |
(informal) to confuse or puzzle. |
| forswear |
to give up or renounce, often with an oath or pledge. |
| kismet |
destiny, fortune, or fate. |
| laconic |
using very few words; succinct; terse. |
| malingerer |
one who pretends to be ill or injured, especially in order to avoid work or duty. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| reprise |
repetition of a musical phrase or theme in an identical or slightly altered way. |
| splenetic |
ill-tempered or spiteful. |
| topography |
the shape of the earth's surface across an area or region. The topography of an area includes the size and location of hills and dips in the land. |
| trabeated |
using horizontal beams or lintels as supports instead of arches. |