| academicism |
in the arts, rigid adherence to accepted and traditional forms. |
| atonement |
the act of making reparation for a sin, crime, error, or the like. |
| banal |
lacking originality or liveliness; disappointingly ordinary; commonplace; trite. |
| boorish |
rude; ill-mannered; crude. |
| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| distraught |
mentally or emotionally unbalanced; crazed. |
| fledge |
to grow flight feathers. |
| impediment |
an obstacle or hindrance. |
| kibbutz |
an Israeli farming settlement whose ownership is shared by those who live and work there. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| otiose |
having no purpose or use; unnecessary or futile. |
| pretentious |
assuming or marked by an air of importance or superiority that is unwarranted. |
| recurve |
to bend or curve back or backward, as the ends of certain shooting bows. |
| 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. |
| tyro |
one who is beginning to learn a business, trade, sport, or the like; novice; neophyte. |