| belabor |
to continue excessive efforts on or excessive discussion of. |
| cavalier |
carefree and offhand; nonchalant. |
| coddle |
to simmer in water that is almost at the boiling point. |
| condign |
well-deserved or fitting, especially of punishment or reprimand. |
| determinism |
the belief or teaching that every effect, including human thoughts and actions, is completely and predictably brought about by preceding causes and that, therefore, free will does not exist. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| hirsute |
covered with hair or stiff hairs; hairy or shaggy. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| incredulous |
not able to believe something. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| intersperse |
to place or scatter among other things. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |