| abut |
to adjoin or press against; be next to; border on. |
| aggregate |
a sum, combination, or composite of separable elements. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| exponent |
one that expounds or interprets. |
| flout |
to show scorn or contempt for, especially by openly or deliberately disobeying. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| macrocosm |
a large unit or entity that represents on a large scale one of its smaller components. |
| meretricious |
appealing or attracting in a cheap, showy, or shallow way. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| 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. |
| unscathed |
not hurt or harmed; completely uninjured. |