Relish (r
l
sh)
n. - An appetite for something; a strong appreciation or liking: a relish for luxury.
- Hearty enjoyment; zest. See Synonyms at zest.
- Something that lends pleasure or zest.
- A spicy or savory condiment or appetizer, such as chutney or olives.
- A condiment of chopped sweet pickle.
- The flavor of a food, especially when appetizing. See Synonyms at taste.
- A trace or suggestion of a pleasurable quality.
v. rel·ished, rel·ish·ing, rel·ish·es v. tr. - To take keen or zestful pleasure in.
- To enjoy the flavor of.
- To give spice or flavor to.
v. intr.
To have a pleasing or distinctive taste.
syl·lo·gism (s
l
-j
z
m)
n. - Logic. A form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion; for example, All humans are mortal, the major premise, I am a human, the minor premise, therefore, I am mortal, the conclusion.
- Reasoning from the general to the specific; deduction.
- A subtle or specious piece of reasoning.
ni·hil·ism (n
-l
z
m, n
-)
n. - Philosophy.
- An extreme form of skepticism that denies all existence.
- A doctrine holding that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated.
- Rejection of all distinctions in moral or religious value and a willingness to repudiate all previous theories of morality or religious belief.
- The belief that destruction of existing political or social institutions is necessary for future improvement.
- also Nihilism A diffuse, revolutionary movement of mid 19th-century Russia that scorned authority and tradition and believed in reason, materialism, and radical change in society and government through terrorism and assassination.
- Psychiatry. A delusion, experienced in some mental disorders, that the world or one's mind, body, or self does not exist.
con·form·i·ty (k
n-fôr
m
-t
)
n. pl. con·form·i·ties - Similarity in form or character; agreement: I acted in conformity with my principles.
- Action or behavior in correspondence with socially accepted standards, conventions, rules, or laws: conformity to university regulations.
- Geology. The relationship between adjacent layers of sedimentary rock.
pro·phet·ic (pr
-f
t
k) also
pro·phet·i·cal (-
-k
l)
adj. - Of, belonging to, or characteristic of a prophet or prophecy: prophetic books.
- Foretelling events as if by divine inspiration: casual words that proved prophetic.
a·vant-garde (ä
vänt-gärd
,
v
änt-)
n. - A group active in the invention and application of new techniques in a given field, especially in the arts.
adj. - Of, relating to, or being part of an innovative group, especially one in the arts: avant-garde painters; an avant-garde theater piece.
neu·rot·ic (n
-r
t
k, ny
-)
adj. - Of, relating to, or affected with a neurosis. No longer in scientific use.
- Informal. Overanxious: neurotic about punctuality.
n. - A person suffering from a neurosis. No longer in scientific use.
- Informal. A person prone to excessive anxiety and emotional upset.
neu·roti·cal·ly adv. neu·rot·ic (n-rtk, ny-)
adj. Of, relating to, derived from, or affected with a neurosis.
n. A person suffering from a neurosis.
ec·cen·tric (
k-s
n
tr
k,
k-)
adj. - Departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern. See Synonyms at strange.
- Deviating from a circular form or path, as in an elliptical orbit.
- Not situated at or in the geometric center.
- Having the axis located elsewhere than at the geometric center.
n. - One that deviates markedly from an established norm, especially a person of odd or unconventional behavior.
- Physics. A disk or wheel having its axis of revolution displaced from its center so that it is capable of imparting reciprocating motion.
ec·cen·tric (k-sntrk, k-)
adj.
- Departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern.
- Situated or proceeding away from the center.
n. - A person of odd or unconventional behavior.
eccen·trici·ty (
k
s
n-tr
s
-t
)
n. non·sen·si·cal (n
n-s
n
s
-k
l)
adj. - Lacking intelligible meaning: a nonsensical jumble of words.
- Foolish; absurd: nonsensical ideas.
non·sensi·cali·ty (-k
l
-t
) or
non·sensi·cal·ness (-k
l-n
s)
n.non·sensi·cal·ly adv.de·rog·a·to·ry (d
-r
g
-tôr
, -t
r
)
adj. - Disparaging; belittling: a derogatory comment.
- Tending to detract or diminish.
commendatory term: the opposite of derogatory term.