The Sense of an Ending

The Sense of an Ending Glossary

adolescence

the period during which a person develops, through puberty, into an adult

clique

a small group of people who share common characteristics or interests

eccentricities

unconventional or strange tendencies or characteristics

embellish

make a story more interesting by adding or exaggerating details

inadequacy

the state of not being good enough or lacking something

malleability

capability of something to be easily transformed or influenced

mitigate

to make the effects of something less severe

nostalgia

a longing for or attraction to the past

reconcile

to settle differences between people and restore friendliness

sly

cunning and deceitful

Albert Camus

Nobel Prize-winning Algerian-born French philosopher and novelist associated with absurdism

meritocratic

relating to the belief that power should be distributed according to individual worthiness

anarchistic

relating to a belief in the abolition of hierarchies in society in favor of voluntary cooperation

Weltanschauung

German term for a particular view of life, literally meaning "world perception"

Sturm und Drang

German term for turbulent emotion, literally meaning "storm and stress"

noxious

harmful or very unpleasant

integer

a whole number; a thing complete in itself

estuary

the mouth of a large river where a stream meets the tide

libertine

a person who lacks moral principles, particularly in regards to sex

absurdism

the belief that existence is meaningless and chaotic, and that philosophically interesting conflict arises when the human desire for meaning meets the world's purposelessness

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