Shared Flashcard Set

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Vocab
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345
Other
10th Grade
07/28/2010

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Term
abdicate
Definition
give up a position
Term
Abate
Definition
reduce or lessen
Term
3.aberration
Definition
something unusual, different from the norm
Term
4.abhor
Definition
to really hate
Term
5.abstain
Definition
to refrain from doing something
Term
6.adversity
Definition
hardship, misfortune
Term
7.aesthetic
Definition
pertaining to beauty
Term
8.amicable:
Definition
agreeable
Term
9.anachronistic
Definition
out of the context of time, out of date
Term
10.arid
Definition
very dry
Term
11.asylum
Definition
sanctuary, place of safety
Term
abjure
Definition
(v.) to reject, renounce (To prove his honesty, the president abjured the evil policies of his wicked predecessor.)
Term
abrogate
Definition
(v.) to abolish, usually by authority (The Bill of Rights assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press.)
Term
acerbic
Definition
(adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste (Jill became extremely acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends.)
Term
acrimony
Definition
(n.) bitterness, discord (Though they vowed that no girl would ever come between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from overwhelming their friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa.)
Term
acumen
Definition
(n.) keen insight (Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure out in minutes problems that took other students hours.)
Term
adumbrate
Definition
(v.) to sketch out in a vague way (The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do.)
Term
alacrity
Definition
(n.) eagerness, speed (For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother whenever he could, so when his mother asked him to set the table, he did so with alacrity.)
Term
anathema
Definition
(n.) a cursed, detested person (I never want to see that murderer. He is an anathema to me.)
Term
antipathy
Definition
(n.) a strong dislike, repugnance (I know you love me, but because you are a liar and a thief, I feel nothing but antipathy for you.)
Term
approbation
Definition
(n.) praise (The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation.)
Term
arrogate
Definition
(v.) to take without justification (The king arrogated the right to order executions to himself exclusively.)
Term
ascetic
Definition
(adj.) practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious (The priest lives an ascetic life devoid of television, savory foods, and other pleasures.)
Term
aspersion
Definition
(n.) a curse, expression of ill-will (The rival politicians repeatedly cast aspersions on each others’ integrity.)
Term
assiduous
Definition
(adj.) hard-working, diligent (The construction workers erected the skyscraper during two years of assiduous labor.)
Term
benevolent
Definition
friendly, helpful
Term
13.bias
Definition
a prejudice towards something or against something
Term
boisterous
Definition
enthusiastic, loud
Term
15.brazen
Definition
bold
Term
16.brusque
Definition
short, rude
Term
blandish
Definition
(v.) to coax by using flattery (Rachel’s assistant tried to blandish her into accepting the deal.)
Term
boon
Definition
(n.) a gift or blessing (The good weather has been a boon for many businesses located near the beach.)
Term
buffet
Definition
1. (v.) to strike with force (The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to capsize them.)
2. (n.) an arrangement of food set out on a table (Rather than sitting around a table, the guests took food from our buffet and ate standing up.)
burnish
Term
burnish
Definition
(v.) to polish, shine (His mother asked him to burnish the silverware before setting the table.)
Term
buttress
Definition
1. (v.) to support, hold up (The column buttresses the roof above the statue.)
2. (n.) something that offers support (The buttress supports the roof above the statues.)
Term
camaraderie
Definition
togetherness, trust, group dynamic of trust
Term
18.canny
Definition
careful
Term
19.capacious
Definition
very large, spacious
Term
20.capitulate
Definition
surrender
Term
21.clairvoyant
Definition
can predict the future
Term
22.collaborate
Definition
work together
Term
23.compassion
Definition
sympathy
Term
24.compromise
Definition
meeting in the middle, settling differences
Term
25.condescending
Definition
patronizing
Term
26.conditional
Definition
contingent upon something else, contingent upon
Term
27.conformist
Definition
someone who follows the majority
Term
28.convergence
Definition
coming together
Term
cacophony
Definition
(n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound (The elementary school orchestra created a cacophony at the recital.)
Term
cajole
Definition
(v.) to urge, coax (Fred’s buddies cajoled him into attending the bachelor party.)
Term
calumny
Definition
(n.) an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies (The local official’s calumny ended up ruining his opponent’s prospect of winning the election.)
Term
capricious
Definition
(adj.) subject to whim, fickle (The young girl’s capricious tendencies made it difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals.)
Term
clemency
Definition
(n.) mercy (After he forgot their anniversary, Martin could only beg Maria for clemency.)
Term
cogent
Definition
(adj.) intellectually convincing (Irene’s arguments in favor of abstinence were so cogent that I could not resist them.)
Term
concomitant
Definition
(adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion (His dislike of hard work carried with it a concomitant lack of funds.)
Term
conflagration
Definition
(n.) great fire (The conflagration consumed the entire building.)
Term
contrite
Definition
(adj.) penitent, eager to be forgiven (Blake’s contrite behavior made it impossible to stay angry at him.)
Term
conundrum
Definition
n.) puzzle, problem (Interpreting Jane’s behavior was a constant conundrum.)
Term
credulity
Definition
n.) readiness to believe (His credulity made him an easy target for con men.)
Term
cupidity
Definition
(n.) greed, strong desire (His cupidity made him enter the abandoned gold mine despite the obvious dangers.)
Term
cursory
Definition
(adj.) brief to the point of being superficial (Late for the meeting, she cast a cursory glance at the agenda.)
Term
deleterious
Definition
harmful
Term
demagogue
Definition
rabble-rousing leader
Term
digression
Definition
straying from main point
Term
diligent
Definition
hard-working, dedicated
Term
discredit
Definition
dishonor someone, prove something untrue
Term
disdain
Definition
to regard with scorn
Term
divergent
Definition
moving apart, going in different directions
Term
empathy
Definition
feeling someone else’s feeling
Term
emulate
Definition
following someone else's example
Term
enervating
Definition
tiring
Term
ephemeral
Definition
fleeting, temporary
Term
evanescent
Definition
not lasting long
Term
exemplary
Definition
outstanding
Term
extenuating
Definition
something that makes the situation not as bad
Term
florid
Definition
ornate
Term
forbearance
Definition
patience, restraint
Term
fortitude
Definition
strength
Term
fortuitous
Definition
lucky
Term
foster
Definition
promote, aid
Term
fraught
Definition
fraught: filled with
Term
frugal
Definition
thrifty
Term
decry
Definition
(v.) to criticize openly (The kind video rental clerk decried the policy of charging customers late fees.)
Term
defile
Definition
(v.) to make unclean, impure (She defiled the calm of the religious building by playing her banjo.)
Term
demure
Definition
(adj.) quiet, modest, reserved (Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained demure.)
Term
deprecate
Definition
(v.) to belittle, depreciate (Always over-modest, he deprecated his contribution to the local charity.)
Term
deride
Definition
(v.) to laugh at mockingly, scorn (The bullies derided the foreign student’s accent.)
Term
desecrate
Definition
(v.) to violate the sacredness of a thing or place (They feared that the construction of a golf course would desecrate the preserved wilderness.)
Term
desiccated
Definition
(adj.) dried up, dehydrated (The skin of the desiccated mummy looked like old paper.)
Term
diaphanous
Definition
(adj.) light, airy, transparent (Sunlight poured in through the diaphanous curtains, brightening the room.)
Term
diffident
Definition
(adj.) shy, quiet, modest (While eating dinner with the adults, the diffident youth did not speak for fear of seeming presumptuous.)
Term
discursive
Definition
(adj.) rambling, lacking order (The professor’s discursive lectures seemed to be about every subject except the one initially described.)
Term
dissemble
Definition
(v.) to conceal, fake (Not wanting to appear heartlessly greedy, she dissembled and hid her intention to sell her ailing father’s stamp collection.)
Term
dither
Definition
(v.) to be indecisive (Not wanting to offend either friend, he dithered about which of the two birthday parties he should attend.)
Term
ebullient
Definition
(adj.) extremely lively, enthusiastic (She became ebullient upon receiving an acceptance letter from her first-choice college.)
Term
effrontery
Definition
(n.) impudence, nerve, insolence (When I told my aunt that she was boring, my mother scolded me for my effrontery.)
Term
effulgent
Definition
(adj.) radiant, splendorous (The golden palace was effulgent.)
Term
egregious
Definition
(adj.) extremely bad (The student who threw sloppy joes across the cafeteria was punished for his egregious behavior.)
Term
ephemeral
Definition
(adj.) short-lived, fleeting (She promised she’d love me forever, but her “forever” was only ephemeral: she left me after one week.)
Term
eschew
Definition
(v.) to shun, avoid (George hates the color green so much that he eschews all green food.)
Term
evince
Definition
(v.) to show, reveal (Christopher’s hand-wringing and nail-biting evince how nervous he is about the upcoming English test.)
Term
exculpate
Definition
(v.) to free from guilt or blame, exonerate (My discovery of the ring behind the dresser exculpated me from the charge of having stolen it.)
Term
execrable
Definition
(adj.) loathsome, detestable (Her pudding is so execrable that it makes me sick.)
Term
exigent
Definition
(adj.) urgent, critical (The patient has an exigent need for medication, or else he will lose his sight.)
Term
expiate
Definition
(v.) to make amends for, atone (To expiate my selfishness, I gave all my profits to charity.)
Term
expunge
Definition
(v.) to obliterate, eradicate (Fearful of an IRS investigation, Paul tried to expunge all incriminating evidence from his tax files.)
Term
extant
Definition
(adj.) existing, not destroyed or lost (My mother’s extant love letters to my father are in the attic trunk.)
Term
extol
Definition
(v.) to praise, revere (Violet extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-loving brother.)
Term
fallacious
Definition
(adj.) incorrect, misleading (Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumption that I smoked.)
Term
fastidious
Definition
(adj.) meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards (Mark is so fastidious that he is never able to finish a project because it always seems imperfect to him.)
Term
fatuous
Definition
(adj.) silly, foolish (He considers himself a serious poet, but in truth, he only writes fatuous limericks.)
Term
fecund
Definition
(adj.) fruitful, fertile (The fecund tree bore enough apples to last us through the entire season.)
Term
feral
Definition
(adj.) wild, savage (That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it.)
Term
fetid
Definition
(adj.) having a foul odor (I can tell from the fetid smell in your refrigerator that your milk has spoiled.)
Term
florid
Definition
(adj.) flowery, ornate (The writer’s florid prose belongs on a sentimental Hallmark card.)
Term
fractious
Definition
(adj.) troublesome or irritable (Although the child insisted he wasn’t tired, his fractious behavior—especially his decision to crush his cheese and crackers all over the floor—convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to bed.)
Term
garrulous
Definition
(adj.) talkative, wordy (Some talk-show hosts are so garrulous that their guests can’t get a word in edgewise.)
Term
grandiloquence
Definition
(n.) lofty, pompous language (The student thought her grandiloquence would make her sound smart, but neither the class nor the teacher bought it.)
Term
gregarious
Definition
(adj.) drawn to the company of others, sociable (Well, if you’re not gregarious, I don’t know why you would want to go to a singles party!)
Term
hackneyed
Definition
clichéd
Term
haughty
Definition
being arrogant, talking down to people
Term
hedonist
Definition
person who acts in pursuit of pleasure
Term
hypothesis
Definition
unproven theory, educated guess
Term
hackneyed
Definition
(adj.) unoriginal, trite (A girl can only hear “I love you” so many times before it begins to sound hackneyed and meaningless.)
Term
hapless
Definition
(adj.) unlucky (My poor, hapless family never seems to pick a sunny week to go on vacation.)
Term
harangue
Definition
1. (n.) a ranting speech (Everyone had heard the teacher’s harangue about gum chewing in class before.)
2. (v.) to give such a speech (But this time the teacher harangued the class about the importance of brushing your teeth after chewing gum.)
Term
hegemony
Definition
(n.) domination over others (Britain’s hegemony over its colonies was threatened once nationalist sentiment began to spread around the world.)
Term
impetuous
Definition
rash, impulsive
Term
impute
Definition
to assign or attribute to someone
Term
inconsequential
Definition
without consequence, trivial, doesn't matter
Term
inevitable
Definition
unavoidable, definitely going to happen
Term
intrepid
Definition
fearless
Term
intuitive
Definition
knowing something by instinct
Term
jubilation
Definition
extreme happiness, joy
Term
iconoclast
Definition
(n.) one who attacks common beliefs or institutions (Jane goes to one protest after another, but she seems to be an iconoclast rather than an activist with a progressive agenda.)
Term
ignominious
Definition
(adj.) humiliating, disgracing (It was really ignominious to be kicked out of the dorm for having an illegal gas stove in my room.)
Term
impassive
Definition
(adj.) stoic, not susceptible to suffering (Stop being so impassive; it’s healthy to cry every now and then.)
Term
imperious
Definition
(adj.) commanding, domineering (The imperious nature of your manner led me to dislike you at once.)
Term
impertinent
Definition
(adj.) rude, insolent (Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don’t wish to dignify them with an answer.)
Term
impervious
Definition
(adj.) impenetrable, incapable of being affected (Because of their thick layer of fur, many seals are almost impervious to the cold.)
Term
impetuous
Definition
(adj.) rash; hastily done (Hilda’s hasty slaying of the king was an impetuous, thoughtless action.)
Term
impinge
Definition
1. (v.) to impact, affect, make an impression (The hail impinged the roof, leaving large dents.)
2. (v.) to encroach, infringe (I apologize for impinging upon you like this, but I really need to use your bathroom. Now.)
Term
implacable
Definition
(adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated (Watch out: Once you shun Grandma’s cooking, she is totally implacable.)
Term
impudent
Definition
(adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent (The impudent young man looked the princess up and down and told her she was hot even though she hadn’t asked him.)
Term
inchoate
Definition
(adj.) unformed or formless, in a beginning stage (The country’s government is still inchoate and, because it has no great tradition, quite unstable.)
Term
incontrovertible
Definition
(adj.) indisputable (Only stubborn Tina would attempt to disprove the incontrovertible laws of physics.)
Term
indefatigable
Definition
(adj.) incapable of defeat, failure, decay (Even after traveling 62 miles, the indefatigable runner kept on moving.)
Term
ineffable
Definition
(adj.) unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words (It is said that the experience of playing with a dolphin is ineffable and can only be understood through direct encounter.)
Term
inexorable
Definition
(adj.) incapable of being persuaded or placated (Although I begged for hours, Mom was inexorable and refused to let me stay out all night after the prom.)
Term
ingenuous
Definition
(adj.) not devious; innocent and candid (He must have writers, but his speeches seem so ingenuous it’s hard to believe he’s not speaking from his own heart.)
Term
inimical
Definition
(adj.) hostile (I don’t see how I could ever work for a company that was so cold and inimical to me during my interviews.)
Term
iniquity
Definition
(n.) wickedness or sin (“Your iniquity,” said the priest to the practical jokester, “will be forgiven.”)
Term
insidious
Definition
(adj.) appealing but imperceptibly harmful, seductive (Lisa’s insidious chocolate cake tastes so good but makes you feel so sick later on!)
Term
intransigent
Definition
(adj.) refusing to compromise, often on an extreme opinion (The intransigent child said he would have 12 scoops of ice cream or he would bang his head against the wall until his mother fainted from fear.)
Term
inure
Definition
(v.) to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation (Twenty years in the salt mines inured the man to the discomforts of dirt and grime.)
Term
invective
Definition
(n.) an angry verbal attack (My mother’s irrational invective against the way I dress only made me decide to dye my hair green.)
Term
inveterate
Definition
(adj.) stubbornly established by habit (I’m the first to admit that I’m an inveterate coffee drinker—I drink four cups a day.)
Term
lobbyist
Definition
person who takes one side or the other, and persuades government officials
Term
longevity
Definition
long (particularly long life)
Term
mundane
Definition
boring, ordinary
Term
nonchalant
Definition
casual, calm, at ease
Term
opulent
Definition
wealthy
Term
orator
Definition
speaker
Term
ostentatious
Definition
flaunting wealth
Term
parched
Definition
freed from water, dried up
Term
perfidious:
Definition
disloyal
Term
pragmatic
Definition
practical
Term
precocious
Definition
gifted/talented beyond one's years
Term
pretentious
Definition
being self important, thinking you are better than others
Term
procrastinate
Definition
to delay, often unnecessarily
Term
prosaic
Definition
ordinary
Term
prosperity
Definition
wealth
Term
provocative
Definition
causes a fuss, inflammatory, likely to get people riled up
Term
prudent
Definition
careful, wise
Term
jubilant
Definition
(adj.) extremely joyful, happy (The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried the woman from the flaming building.)
Term
juxtaposition
Definition
(n.) the act of placing two things next to each other for implicit comparison (The interior designer admired my juxtaposition of the yellow couch and green table.)
Term
laconic
Definition
(adj.) terse in speech or writing (The author’s laconic style has won him many followers who dislike wordiness.)
Term
languid
Definition
(adj.) sluggish from fatigue or weakness (In the summer months, the great heat makes people languid and lazy.)
Term
largess
Definition
(n.) the generous giving of lavish gifts (My boss demonstrated great largess by giving me a new car.)
Term
latent
Definition
(adj.) hidden, but capable of being exposed (Sigmund’s dream represented his latent paranoid obsession with other people’s shoes.)
Term
legerdemain
Definition
(n.) deception, slight-of-hand (Smuggling the French plants through customs by claiming that they were fake was a remarkable bit of legerdemain.)
Term
licentious
Definition
(adj.) displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints (Marilee has always been fascinated by the licentious private lives of politicians.)
Term
limpid
Definition
(adj.) clear, transparent (Mr. Johnson’s limpid writing style greatly pleased readers who disliked complicated novels.)
Term
maelstrom
Definition
(n.) a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects (Little did the explorers know that as they turned the next bend of the calm river a vicious maelstrom would catch their boat.)
Term
magnanimous
Definition
(adj.) noble, generous (Although I had already broken most of her dishes, Jacqueline was magnanimous enough to continue letting me use them.)
Term
malediction
Definition
(n.) a curse (When I was arrested for speeding, I screamed maledictions against the policeman and the entire police department.)
Term
malevolent
Definition
(adj.) wanting harm to befall others (The malevolent old man sat in the park all day, tripping unsuspecting passersby with his cane.)
Term
manifold
Definition
(adj.) diverse, varied (The popularity of Dante’s Inferno is partly due to the fact that the work allows for manifold interpretations.)
Term
maudlin
Definition
(adj.) weakly sentimental (Although many people enjoy romantic comedies, I usually find them maudlin and shallow.)
Term
mawkish
Definition
(adj.) characterized by sick sentimentality (Although some nineteenth- century critics viewed Dickens’s writing as mawkish, contemporary readers have found great emotional depth in his works.)
Term
mendacious
Definition
(adj.) having a lying, false character (The mendacious content of the tabloid magazines is at least entertaining.)
Term
mercurial
Definition
(adj.) characterized by rapid change or temperamentality (Though he was widely respected for his mathematical proofs, the mercurial genius was impossible to live with.)
Term
modicum
Definition
(n.) a small amount of something (Refusing to display even a modicum of sensitivity, Henrietta announced her boss’s affair in front of the entire office.)
Term
morass
Definition
(n.) a wet swampy bog; figuratively, something that traps and confuses (When Theresa lost her job, she could not get out of her financial morass.)
Term
multifarious
Definition
(adj.) having great diversity or variety (This Swiss Army knife has multifarious functions and capabilities. Among other things, it can act as a knife, a saw, a toothpick, and a slingshot.)
Term
munificence
Definition
(n.) generosity in giving (The royal family’s munificence made everyone else in their country rich.)
Term
myriad
Definition
(adj.) consisting of a very great number (It was difficult to decide what to do Friday night because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.)
Term
nadir
Definition
(n.) the lowest point of something (My day was boring, but the nadir came when I accidentally spilled a bowl of spaghetti on my head.)
Term
nascent
Definition
(adj.) in the process of being born or coming into existence (Unfortunately, my brilliant paper was only in its nascent form on the morning that it was due.)
Term
nefarious
Definition
(adj.) heinously villainous (Although Dr. Meanman’s nefarious plot to melt the polar icecaps was terrifying, it was so impractical that nobody really worried about it.)
Term
neophyte
Definition
(n.) someone who is young or inexperienced (As a neophyte in the literary world, Malik had trouble finding a publisher for his first novel.)
Term
obdurate
Definition
(adj.) unyielding to persuasion or moral influences (The obdurate old man refused to take pity on the kittens.)
Term
obfuscate
Definition
(v.) to render incomprehensible (The detective did not want to answer the newspaperman’s questions, so he obfuscated the truth.)
Term
oblique
Definition
(adj.) diverging from a straight line or course, not straightforward (Martin’s oblique language confused those who listened to him.)
Term
obsequious
Definition
(adj.) excessively compliant or submissive (Mark acted like Janet’s servant, obeying her every request in an obsequious manner.)
Term
obstreperous
Definition
(adj.) noisy, unruly (Billy’s obstreperous behavior prompted the librarian to ask him to leave the reading room.)
Term
obtuse
Definition
(adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect (Political opponents warned that the prime minister’s obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war.)
Term
odious
Definition
(adj.) instilling hatred or intense displeasure (Mark was assigned the odious task of cleaning the cat’s litter box.)
Term
officious
Definition
(adj.) offering one’s services when they are neither wanted nor needed (Brenda resented Allan’s officious behavior when he selected colors that might best improve her artwork.)
Term
ostensible
Definition
(adj.) appearing as such, seemingly (Jack’s ostensible reason for driving was that airfare was too expensive, but in reality, he was afraid of flying.)
Term
palliate
Definition
(v.) to reduce the severity of (The doctor trusted that the new medication would palliate her patient’s discomfort.)
Term
pallid
Definition
(adj.) lacking color (Dr. Van Helsing feared that Lucy’s pallid complexion was due to an unexplained loss of blood.)
Term
panacea
Definition
(n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties (Doctors wish there was a single panacea for every disease, but sadly there is not.)
Term
paragon
Definition
(n.) a model of excellence or perfection (The mythical Helen of Troy was considered a paragon of female beauty.)
Term
pariah
Definition
(n.) an outcast (Following the discovery of his plagiarism, Professor Hurley was made a pariah in all academic circles.)
Term
parsimony
Definition
(n.) frugality, stinginess (Many relatives believed that my aunt’s wealth resulted from her parsimony.)
Term
pathos
Definition
(n.) an emotion of sympathy (Martha filled with pathos upon discovering the scrawny, shivering kitten at her door.)
Term
paucity
Definition
(adj.) derogatory, uncomplimentary (The evening’s headline news covered an international scandal caused by a pejorative statement the famous senator had made in reference to a foreign leader.)
Term
pellucid
Definition
(adj.) easily intelligible, clear (Wishing his book to be pellucid to the common man, Albert Camus avoided using complicated grammar when composing The Stranger.)
Term
penurious
Definition
(adj.) miserly, stingy (Stella complained that her husband’s penurious ways made it impossible to live the lifestyle she felt she deserved.)
Term
perfidious
Definition
(adj.) disloyal, unfaithful (After the official was caught selling government secrets to enemy agents, he was executed for his perfidious ways.)
Term
perfunctory
Definition
(adj.) showing little interest or enthusiasm (The radio broadcaster announced the news of the massacre in a surprisingly perfunctory manner.)
Term
pernicious
Definition
(adj.) extremely destructive or harmful (The new government feared that the Communist sympathizers would have a pernicious influence on the nation’s stability.)
Term
perspicacity
Definition
(adj.) shrewdness, perceptiveness (The detective was too humble to acknowledge that his perspicacity was the reason for his professional success.)
Term
pertinacious
Definition
(adj.) stubbornly persistent (Harry’s parents were frustrated with his pertinacious insistence that a monster lived in his closet. Then they opened the closet door and were eaten.)
Term
petulance
Definition
(n.) rudeness, irritability (The nanny resigned after she could no longer tolerate the child’s petulance.)
Term
pithy
Definition
(adj.) concisely meaningful (My father’s long-winded explanation was a stark contrast to his usually pithy statements.)
Term
platitude
Definition
(n.) an uninspired remark, cliché (After reading over her paper, Helene concluded that what she thought were profound insights were actually just platitudes.)
Term
plethora
Definition
(n.) an abundance, excess (The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled almost three feet high.)
Term
polemic
Definition
(n.) an aggressive argument against a specific opinion (My brother launched into a polemic against my arguments that capitalism was an unjust economic system.)
Term
portent
Definition
(n.) an omen (When a black cat crossed my sister’s path while she was walking to school, she took it as a portent that she would do badly on her spelling test.)
Term
precocious
Definition
(adj.) advanced, developing ahead of time (Derek was so academically precocious that by the time he was 10 years old, he was already in the ninth grade.)
Term
prescient
Definition
(adj.) to have foreknowledge of events (Questioning the fortune cookie’s prediction, Ray went in search of the old hermit who was rumored to be prescient.)
Term
primeval
Definition
(adj.) original, ancient (The first primates to walk on two legs, called Australopithecus, were the primeval descendants of modern man.)
Term
probity
Definition
(n.) virtue, integrity (Because he was never viewed as a man of great probity, no one was surprised by Mr. Samson’s immoral behavior.)
Term
proclivity
Definition
(n.) a strong inclination toward something (In a sick twist of fate, Harold’s childhood proclivity for torturing small animals grew into a desire to become a surgeon.)
Term
promulgate
Definition
(v.) to proclaim, make known (The film professor promulgated that both in terms of sex appeal and political intrigue, Sean Connery’s James Bond was superior to Roger Moore’s.)
Term
propensity
Definition
(n.) an inclination, preference (Dermit has a propensity for dangerous activities such as bungee jumping.)
Term
propitious
Definition
(adj.) favorable (The dark storm clouds visible on the horizon suggested that the weather would not be propitious for sailing.)
Term
prosaic
Definition
(adj.) plain, lacking liveliness (Heather’s prosaic recital of the poem bored the audience.)
Term
proscribe
Definition
(v.) to condemn, outlaw (The town council voted to proscribe the sale of alcohol on weekends.)
Term
protean
Definition
(adj.) able to change shape; displaying great variety (Among Nigel’s protean talents was his ability to touch the tip of his nose with his tongue.)
Term
prurient
Definition
(adj.) eliciting or possessing an extraordinary interest in sex (David’s mother was shocked by the discovery of prurient reading material hidden beneath her son’s mattress.)
Term
puerile
Definition
(adj.) juvenile, immature (The judge demanded order after the lawyer’s puerile attempt to object by stomping his feet on the courtroom floor.)
Term
pugnacious
Definition
(adj.) quarrelsome, combative (Aaron’s pugnacious nature led him to start several barroom brawls each month.)
Term
pulchritude
Definition
(n.) physical beauty (Several of Shakespeare’s sonnets explore the pulchritude of a lovely young man.)
Term
punctilious
Definition
(adj.) eager to follow rules or conventions (Punctilious Bobby, hall monitor extraordinaire, insisted that his peers follow the rules.)
Term
querulous
Definition
querulous
Term
quagmire
Definition
(n.) a difficult situation (We’d all like to avoid the kind of military quagmire characterized by the Vietnam War.)
Term
querulous
Definition
(adj.) whiny, complaining (If deprived of his pacifier, young Brendan becomes querulous.)
Term
quixotic
Definition
(adj.) idealistic, impractical (Edward entertained a quixotic desire to fall in love at first sight in a laundromat.)
Term
rancorous
Definition
hateful, unpleasant
Term
reclusive
Definition
hermit, withdrawn
Term
reconciliation
Definition
coming back together after a disagreement
Term
renovation
Definition
being new, being redone
Term
restrained
Definition
controlled, not free
Term
reverence
Definition
deep respect
Term
sagacity
Definition
wisdom
Term
rancor
Definition
(n.) deep, bitter resentment (When Eileen challenged me to a fight, I could see the rancor in her eyes.)
Term
rebuke
Definition
(v.) to scold, criticize (When the cops showed up at Sarah’s party, they rebuked her for disturbing the peace.)
Term
recalcitrant
Definition
(adj.) defiant, unapologetic (Even when scolded, the recalcitrant young girl simply stomped her foot and refused to finish her lima beans.)
Term
rectitude
Definition
(n.) uprightness, extreme morality (The priest’s rectitude gave him the moral authority to counsel his parishioners.)
Term
replete
Definition
(adj.) full, abundant (The unedited version was replete with naughty words.)
Term
reprobate
Definition
(adj.) evil, unprincipled (The reprobate criminal sat sneering in the cell.)
Term
reprove
Definition
(v.) to scold, rebuke (Lara reproved her son for sticking each and every one of his fingers into the strawberry pie.)
Term
repudiate
Definition
(v.) to reject, refuse to accept (Kwame made a strong case for an extension of his curfew, but his mother repudiated it with a few biting words.)
Term
rescind
Definition
(v.) to take back, repeal (The company rescinded its offer of employment after discovering that Jane’s resume was full of lies.)
Term
restive
Definition
(adj.) resistant, stubborn, impatient (The restive audience pelted the band with mud and yelled nasty comments.)
Term
ribald
Definition
(adj.) coarsely, crudely humorous (While some giggled at the ribald joke involving a parson’s daughter, most sighed and rolled their eyes.)
Term
rife
Definition
(adj.) abundant (Surprisingly, the famous novelist’s writing was rife with spelling errors.)
Term
ruse
Definition
(n.) a trick (Oliver concocted an elaborate ruse for sneaking out of the house to meet his girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed.)
Term
sagacity
Definition
wisdom
Term
scrutinize
Definition
to look at carefully
Term
spontaneous
Definition
being impulsive, acting without thinking
Term
spurious
Definition
false, untrue
Term
submissive
Definition
mild, meek
Term
substantiate
Definition
to confirm, prove
Term
subtle
Definition
shy, small, not showy
Term
superficial
Definition
shallow
Term
superfluous
Definition
superfluous
Term
surreptitious
Definition
secret
Term
sacrosanct
Definition
(adj.) holy, something that should not be criticized (In the United States, the Constitution is often thought of as a sacrosanct document.)
Term
sagacity
Definition
(n.) shrewdness, soundness of perspective (With remarkable sagacity, the wise old man predicted and thwarted his children’s plan to ship him off to a nursing home.)
Term
salient
Definition
(adj.) significant, conspicuous (One of the salient differences between Alison and Nancy is that Alison is a foot taller.)
Term
sanctimonious
Definition
(adj.) giving a hypocritical appearance of piety (The sanctimonious Bertrand delivered stern lectures on the Ten Commandments to anyone who would listen, but thought nothing of stealing cars to make some cash on the side.)
Term
sanguine
Definition
(adj.) optimistic, cheery (Polly reacted to any bad news with a sanguine smile and the chirpy cry, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”)
Term
scurrilous
Definition
(adj.) vulgar, coarse (When Bruno heard the scurrilous accusation being made about him, he could not believe it because he always tried to be nice to everyone.)
Term
serendipity
Definition
(n.) luck, finding good things without looking for them (In an amazing bit of serendipity, penniless Paula found a $20 bill in the subway station.)
Term
servile
Definition
(adj.) subservient (The servile porter crept around the hotel lobby, bowing and quaking before the guests.)
Term
solicitous
Definition
(adj.) concerned, attentive (Jim, laid up in bed with a nasty virus, enjoyed the solicitous attentions of his mother, who brought him soup and extra blankets.)
Term
solipsistic
Definition
(adj.) believing that oneself is all that exists (Colette’s solipsistic attitude completely ignored the plight of the homeless people on the street.)
Term
somnolent
Definition
(adj.) sleepy, drowsy (The somnolent student kept falling asleep and waking up with a jerk.)
Term
spurious
Definition
(adj.) false but designed to seem plausible (Using a spurious argument, John convinced the others that he had won the board game on a technicality.)
Term
staid
Definition
(adj.) sedate, serious, self-restrained (The staid butler never changed his expression no matter what happened.)
Term
stolid
Definition
(adj.) expressing little sensibility, unemotional (Charles’s stolid reaction to his wife’s funeral differed from the passion he showed at the time of her death.)
Term
stupefy
Definition
(v.) to astonish, make insensible (Veronica’s audacity and ungratefulness stupefied her best friend, Heather.)
Term
surfeit
Definition
(n.) an overabundant supply or indulgence (After partaking of the surfeit of tacos and tamales at the All-You-Can-Eat Taco Tamale Lunch Special, Beth felt rather sick.)
Term
surmise
Definition
(v.) to infer with little evidence (After speaking to only one of the students, the teacher was able to surmise what had caused the fight.)
Term
surreptitious
Definition
(adj.) stealthy (The surreptitious CIA agents were able to get in and out of the house without anyone noticing.)
Term
sycophant
Definition
(n.) one who flatters for self-gain (Some see the people in the cabinet as the president’s closest advisors, but others see them as sycophants.)
Term
tactful
Definition
polite
Term
tenacious
Definition
persistent stubborn
Term
transient
Definition
persistent stubborn
Term
tacit
Definition
(adj.) expressed without words (I interpreted my parents’ refusal to talk as a tacit acceptance of my request.)
Term
taciturn
Definition
(adj.) not inclined to talk (Though Jane never seems to stop talking, her brother is quite taciturn.)
Term
tantamount
Definition
(adj.) equivalent in value or significance (When it comes to sports, fearing your opponent is tantamount to losing.)
Term
temerity
Definition
(n.) audacity, recklessness (Tom and Huck entered the scary cave armed with nothing but their own temerity.)
Term
tenuous
Definition
(adj.) having little substance or strength (Your argument is very tenuous, since it relies so much on speculation and hearsay.)
Term
timorous
Definition
(adj.) timid, fearful (When dealing with the unknown, timorous Tallulah almost always broke into tears.)
Term
torpid
Definition
(adj.) lethargic, dormant, lacking motion (The torpid whale floated, wallowing in the water for hours.)
Term
tractable
Definition
(adj.) easily controlled (The horse was so tractable, Myra didn’t even need a bridle.)
Term
transient
Definition
(adj.) passing through briefly; passing into and out of existence (Because virtually everyone in Palm Beach is a tourist, the population of the town is quite transient.)
Term
transmute
Definition
(v.) to change or alter in form (Ancient alchemists believed that it was possible to transmute lead into gold.)
Term
trenchant
Definition
(adj.) effective, articulate, clear-cut (The directions that accompanied my new cell phone were trenchant and easy to follow.)
Term
truculent
Definition
(adj.) ready to fight, cruel (This club doesn’t really attract the dangerous types, so why was that bouncer being so truculent?)
Term
turgid
Definition
(adj.) swollen, excessively embellished in style or language (The haughty writer did not realize how we all really felt about his turgid prose.)
Term
turpitude
Definition
(n.) depravity, moral corruption (Sir Marcus’s chivalry often contrasted with the turpitude he exhibited with the ladies at the tavern.)
Term
ubiquitous
Definition
(adj.) existing everywhere, widespread (It seems that everyone in the United States has a television. The technology is ubiquitous here.)
Term
umbrage
Definition
(n.) resentment, offense (He called me a lily-livered coward, and I took umbrage at the insult.)
Term
unctuous
Definition
(adj.) smooth or greasy in texture, appearance, manner (The unctuous receptionist seemed untrustworthy, as if she was only being helpful because she thought we might give her a big tip.)
Term
undulate
Definition
(v.) to move in waves (As the storm began to brew, the placid ocean began to undulate to an increasing degree.)
Term
upbraid
Definition
(v.) to criticize or scold severely (The last thing Lindsay wanted was for Lisa to upbraid her again about missing the rent payment.)
Term
usurp
Definition
(v.) to seize by force, take possession of without right (The rogue army general tried to usurp control of the government, but he failed because most of the army backed the legally elected president.)
Term
venerable
Definition
respectable because of its age
Term
vindicate
Definition
to free from blame
Term
wary
Definition
careful, watchful
Term
vacillate
Definition
(v.) to fluctuate, hesitate (I prefer a definite answer, but my boss kept vacillating between the distinct options available to us.)
Term
vacuous
Definition
(adj.) lack of content or ideas, stupid (Beyoncé realized that the lyrics she had just penned were completely vacuous and tried to add more substance.)
Term
vapid
Definition
(adj.) lacking liveliness, dull (The professor’s comments about the poem were surprisingly vapid and dull.)
Term
variegated
Definition
(adj.) diversified, distinctly marked (Each wire in the engineering exam was variegated by color so that the students could figure out which one was which.)
Term
venerate
Definition
(v.) to regard with respect or to honor (The tribute to John Lennon sought to venerate his music, his words, and his legend.)
Term
veracity
Definition
(n.) truthfulness, accuracy (With several agencies regulating the reports, it was difficult for Latifah to argue against its veracity.)
Term
verdant
Definition
(adj.) green in tint or color (The verdant leaves on the trees made the world look emerald.)
Term
vex
Definition
(v.) to confuse or annoy (My little brother vexes me by poking me in the ribs for hours on end.)
Term
vicarious
Definition
(adj.) experiencing through another (All of my lame friends learned to be social through vicarious involvement in my amazing experiences.)
Term
vicissitude
Definition
(n.) event that occurs by chance (The vicissitudes of daily life prevent me from predicting what might happen from one day to the next.)
Term
vilify
Definition
(v.) to lower in importance, defame (After the Watergate scandal, almost any story written about President Nixon sought to vilify him and criticize his behavior.)
Term
viscous
Definition
(adj.) not free flowing, syrupy (The viscous syrup took three minutes to pour out of the bottle.)
Term
vitriolic
Definition
(adj.) having a caustic quality (When angry, the woman would spew vitriolic insults.)
Term
vituperate
Definition
(v.) to berate (Jack ran away as soon as his father found out, knowing he would be vituperated for his unseemly behavior.)
Term
wanton
Definition
(adj.) undisciplined, lewd, lustful (Vicky’s wanton demeanor often made the frat guys next door very excited.)
Term
winsome
Definition
(adj.) charming, pleasing (After such a long, frustrating day, I was grateful for Chris’s winsome attitude and childish naivete.)
Term
wistful
Definition
(adj.) full of yearning; musingly sad (Since her pet rabbit died, Edda missed it terribly and was wistful all day long.)
Term
wizened
Definition
(adj.) dry, shrunken, wrinkled (Agatha’s grandmother, Stephanie, had the most wizened countenance, full of leathery wrinkles.)
Term
zenith
Definition
(n.) the highest point, culminating point (I was too nice to tell Nelly that she had reached the absolute zenith of her career with that one hit of hers.)
Term
zephyr
Definition
(n.) a gentle breeze (If not for the zephyrs that were blowing and cooling us, our room would’ve been unbearably hot.)
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