| divergence |
the act of separating and moving or leading in different directions. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| hirsute |
covered with hair or stiff hairs; hairy or shaggy. |
| incursion |
a raid or sudden invasion. |
| indulgent |
gratifying, or being inclined to gratify or yield to others' wishes, especially rather than enforcing discipline or strictness. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| misanthrope |
someone who hates or distrusts humanity. |
| obfuscate |
to make (something) seem or be difficult to understand; obscure or darken. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| opiate |
something that induces relaxation, calm, or stupor. |
| 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. |