Oscar Wilde: Essays Glossary

Oscar Wilde: Essays Glossary

crudities

The quality of something being crude, undignified, or primitive.

reductio ad absurdum

A philosophical term which is used to disprove a premise by showing its absurd or paradoxical nature.

laborious

Involving labour or hard work.

provincialism

The way of life practised in communities outside of a city, typically those in the countryside.

imitative

The quality of imitating something else.

anachronism

Something belonging to a period other than the one it exists in, particularly an older time period.

centration

To focus or center on one particular side of an issue, potentially neglecting other important aspects.

cognizance

To have awareness or knowledge.

anodyne

Something that alleviates or extinguishes pain.

dolorous

The quality of being sad or mournful.

Fabianist

Someone who follows the ideas of the radical socialist Fabian society.

crinoline

A stiff undergarment used in the Victorian times to give fullness to a woman's skirt.

ennui

Boredom or dissatisfaction.

metaphysics

Philosophy that focuses on the nature of reality and perception.

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