English Final Vocab 7-13
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140 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 allay | to calm or pacify, set to rest; to lessen or relieve |
| bestial | beastlike; beastly, brutal; subhuman in intelligence and sensibility |
| convivial | festive, sociable, having fun together, genial |
| coterie | a circle of acquaintances; a close-knit, often exclusive, group of people with a common interest |
| counterpart | a person or thing closely resembling or corresponding to another; a complement |
| demur | to object or take exception to; (n) an objection |
| effrontery | shameless boldness, impudence |
| embellish | to decorate, adorn, touch up; to improve by adding details |
| ephemeral | lasting only a short time, short-lived |
| felicitous | appropriate, apt, well chosen; marked by well-being or good fortune, happy |
| furtive | done slyly or stealthily, sneaky, secret, shifty; stolen |
| garish | glaring; tastelessly showy or over decorated in a vulgar or offensive way |
| illusory | misleading, deceptive; lacking in or not based on reality |
| indigent | needy, impoverished |
| inordinate | far to great, exceeding reasonable limits, excessive |
| jettison | to cast overboard, get rid of as unnecessary or burdensome |
| misanthrope | a person who hates or despises people |
| pertinacious | very persistent; holding firmly to a course of action or a set of beliefs; hard to get rid of, refusing to be put off or denied |
| picayune | of little value or importance, paltry, measly; concerned with trifling matters, small-minded |
| raiment | clothing, garments |
| allege | to assert without proof or confirmation |
| arrant | thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant |
| badinage | light and playful conversation |
| conciliate | to overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease, pacify; to reconcile, make consistent |
| countermand | to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first |
| echelon | one of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a step like formation or arrangement |
| exacerbate | to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful |
| fatuous | stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way |
| irrefutable | impossible to disprove; beyond argument |
| juggernaut | a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path |
| lackadaisical | lacking spirit or interest, halfhearted |
| litany | a prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternating with responses from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list |
| macabre | grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject |
| paucity | an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth |
| portend | to indicate beforehand that something is about to happen; to give advance warning of |
| raze | to tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out |
| recant | to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract |
| saturate | to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity; to satisfy fully |
| saturnine | of a gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood |
| slough | to cast off, discard; to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud; (n) a mire; a state of depression |
| acclamation | a shout of welcome; an overwhelming verbal vote of approval |
| bucolic | characteristic of the countryside, rural; relating to shepherds and cowherds, pastoral |
| calumniate | to slander; to accuse falsely and maliciously |
| chary | extremely cautious, hesitant, or slow (to); reserved, diffident |
| collusion | secret agreement or cooperation |
| dilettante | a dabbler in the arts; one who engages in an activity in an amateurish, trifling way |
| imperturbable | not easily excited; emotionally steady |
| increment | an enlargement, increase, addition |
| mandate | an authoritative command, formal order, authorization; (v) to issue such an order |
| paltry | trifling, insignificant; mean, despicable |
| paroxysm | a sudden outburst; a spasm, convulsion |
| pedantry | a pretentious display of knowledge; overly rigid attention to rules and details |
| peregrination | the act of traveling; an excursion, especially on foot or to a foreign country |
| redolent | fragment, smelling strongly; tending to arouse memories or create an aura |
| refulgent | shining, radiant, resplendent |
| shibboleth | a word, expression, or custom that distinguishes a particular group of persons from all others; a commonplace saying or truism |
| tyro | a beginner, novice; one with little or no background or skill |
| unremitting | not stopping, maintained steadily, never letting up, relentless |
| vacillate | to swing indecisively from one idea or course of action to another; to waver weakly in mind or will |
| vituperative | harshly abusive, severely scolding |
| Askance | with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval |
| Attenuate | to make thin or slender; to weaken or lessen in force |
| benign | gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect |
| cavil | (v.) to find fault in a petty way, carp; (n.) a trivial objection or criticism |
| Charlatan | one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, imposter, or quack |
| decimate | to kill or destroy a large part of |
| foible | a weak point, failing, minor flaw |
| forgo | to do without, abstain from, give up |
| fraught | full of or loaded with; accompanied by |
| inure | to toughen, harden; to render used to something by long subjection or exposure |
| luminous | emitting or reflecting light, glowing; illuminating |
| obsequious | marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons |
| obtuse | blunt, not coming to a point; slow or a dull in understanding; measuring between 90 and 180; not causing a sharp impression |
| oscillate | to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver |
| penitent | regretful for one's sins or mistakes; one who is sorry for wrong doing |
| peremptory | having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial, or refusal; offensively self assured |
| rebuff | to snub, to repel, drive away |
| reconnoiter | to engage in reconnaissance; to make a preliminary inspection |
| Shambles | a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; mess |
| Sporadic | occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order |
| abrogate | to repeal, cancel, declare null and void |
| ambient | completely surrounding, encompassing |
| asperity | roughness, severity: bitterness or tartness |
| burnish | to make smooth or glossy by rubbing, polish; gloss, brightness, luster |
| cabal | a small group working in secret |
| delectable | delightful, highly enjoyable; deliciously flavored, savory; an appealing or appetizing food or dish |
| deprecate | to express mild disapproval; to belittle |
| detritus | loose bits and pieces of material resulting from disintegration or wearing away; fragments that result from any destruction |
| ebullient | overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement; boiling, bubbling |
| eclectic | drawn from different sources; one whose beliefs are drawn from various sources |
| flaccid | limp, not firm; lacking vigor or effectiveness |
| impecunious | having little or no money |
| inexorable | inflexible, beyond influence; relentless, unyielding |
| moribund | dying, on the way out |
| necromancer | one who claims to reveal or influence the future through magic, especially communication with the dead; in general, a magician or wizard |
| onerous | burdensome; involving hardship or difficulty |
| rife | common, prevalent, widespread, happening often; full, abounding; plentiful, abundant, replete |
| rudiments | the parts of any subject or discipline that are learned first; the earliest stages of anything |
| sequester | to set apart, separate for a special purpose; to take possession of and hold in custody |
| winnow | to get rid of something unwanted, delete; to sift through to obtain what is desirable; to remove the chaff from the wheat by blowing air on it; to blow on, fan |
| aesthetic | pertaining to beauty; sensitive or responsive to beauty |
| defunct | no longer in existence or functioning, dead |
| discomfit | to frustrate, thwart, or defeat; to confuse, perplex, or embarrass |
| espouse | to take up and support; to become attached to, adopt; to marry |
| fetish | an object believed to have magical powers; an object of unreasoning devotion or reverence |
| gregarious | living together in a herd or group; sociable, seeking the company of others |
| hapless | marked by a persistent absence of good luck |
| impeccable | faultless, beyond criticism or blame |
| importune | to trouble with demands; to beg for insistently |
| interpolate | to insert between other parts or things; to present as an addition or correction |
| irreparable | incapable of being repaired or rectified |
| laconic | concise, using few words |
| languish | to become weak, feeble, or dull; to droop; to be depressed or dispirited; to suffer neglect" |
| mendacious | given to lying or deception; untrue |
| nadir | "the lowest point |
| omnipresent | present in all places at all times |
| perfunctory | done in a superficial or halfhearted manner; without interest or enthusiasm |
| plaintive | expressive of sorrow or woe, melancholy |
| requite | to make suitable repayment, as for a kindness, service, or favor; to make retaliation, as for an injury or wrong; to reciprocate |
| tantamount | equivalent, having the same meaning, value, or effect |
| abstruse | extremely difficult to understand |
| affront | an open or intentional insult; a slight; to insult to one's face; to face in defiance, confront |
| canard | a false rumor, fabricated story |
| captious | excessively ready to find fault; given to petty criticism; intended to trap, confuse, or show up |
| cognizant | aware, knowledgeable, informed; having jurisdiction |
| contrite | regretful for some misdeed or sin; plagued by a sense of guilt; thoroughly penitent |
| cynosure | the center of attraction, attention, or interest; something that serves to guide or direct |
| decorous | well behaved, dignified, socially proper |
| deign | to think it appropriate or suitable to one's dignity to do something; to condescend |
| desiccated | thoroughly dried out; divested of spirit or vitality; arid and uninteresting |
| efficacy | the power to produce a desired result |
| engender | to bring into existence, give rise to, produce; to come into existence, assume form |
| ethereal | light, airy, delicate; highly refined; suggesting what is heavenly (rather than earthbound) |
| façade | the front or face of a building; a surface appearance (as opposed to what may lie behind) |
| ghoulish | revolting in an unnatural or morbid way; suggestive of someone who robs graves or otherwise preys on the dead |
| incongruous | not in keeping, unsuitable, incompatible |
| machination | a crafty, scheming, or underhanded action designed to accomplish some (usually evil) end |
| mesmerize | to hypnotize, entrance; to fascinate, enthrall, bewitch |
| opprobrium | disgrace arising from shameful conduct; contempt, reproach |
| putative | generally regarded as such; reputed; hypothesized, inferred |
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