Sophomore Vocab
About this set
Created by:
aviguana on May 31, 2011
Subjects:
english, sadlier-oxford, level h
Description:
Sadlier-Oxford Level H Units 1-8
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160 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 aberration | (n.) a departure from what is proper, right, expected, or normal; a lapse from a sound mental state |
| ad hoc | (adj.) for this specific purpose; improvised; with respect to this |
| bane | (n.) the source or cause of fatal injury, death, destruction, or ruin; death or ruin itself; poison |
| bathos | (n.) the intrusion of commonplace or trite material into a context whose tone is lofty or elevated; grossly insincere or exaggerated sentimentality; the lowest phase, nadir; an anticlimax, comedown |
| cantankerous | (adj.) ill-tempered, quarrelsome; difficult to get along or deal with |
| casuistry | (n.) the determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by the application of general ethical principles; specious argument |
| de facto | (adj.) actually existing or in effect, although not legally required or sanctioned; (adv.) in reality, actually |
| depredation | (n.) the act of preying upon or plundering |
| empathy | (n.) a sympathetic understanding of or identification with the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of someone or something else |
| harbinger | (n.) a forerunner, herald; (v.) to herald the approach of |
| hedonism | (n) the belief that the attainment of pleasure is life's chief aim; devotion to or pursuit of pleasure |
| lackluster | (adj.) lacking brilliance or vitality; dull |
| malcontent | (adj.) discontented with or in open defiance of prevailing conditions; (n.) such a person |
| mellifluous | (adj.) flowing sweetly or smoothly; honeyed |
| nepotism | (n.) undue favoritism to or excessive patronage of one's relatives |
| pander | (v.) to cater to or provide satisfaction for the low tastes or vices of others; (n.) a person who does this |
| peccadillo | (n.) a minor sin or offense; a trifling fault or shortcoming |
| pièce de résistance | (n) the principal dish of a meal; the principal event, incident, or item; an outstanding accomplishment |
| remand | (v.) to send or order back; in law, to send back to jail or to a lower court |
| syndrome | (n.) a group of symptoms or signs that collectively characterize or indicate a disease, disorder, abnormality, etc. |
| abeyance | (n.) A state of suspension or temporary inaction, or set aside. |
| ambivalent | (adj.) having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something. |
| beleaguer | (v.) to set upon from all sides; to surround with an army; to trouble, harass. |
| carte blanche | (n.) full freedom or authority to act at one's own discretion. |
| cataclysm | (n.) a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge. |
| debauch | (v.) to corrupt morally, seduce; to indulge in dissipation; (n.) an act or occasion of dissipation or vice |
| éclat | (n.) dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance (of performance or achievement) |
| fastidious | (adj.) overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted. |
| gambol | (v.) to jump or skip about playfully |
| imbue | (v.) to soak or stain throughly; to fill the mind |
| inchoate | (adj.)just beginning; not fully shaped or formed |
| lampoon | (n.) , a malicious satire; (v.) to satirize, ridicule |
| malleable | (adj.) capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced |
| nemesis | (n.) an agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival |
| opt | (v.) to make a choice or decision |
| philistine | (adj.) lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements; such a person |
| picaresque | (adj.) involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers |
| queasy | (adj.) nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness; troubled |
| refractory | (adj.) stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure |
| savoir-faire | (n.) the ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence |
| abortive | (adj) failing to accomplish an intended aim or purpose; only partially or imperfectly developed |
| bruit | (v) to spread news, reports, or unsubstantiated rumors |
| contumelious | (adj) insolent or rude in speech or behavior; insultingly abusive; humiliating |
| dictum | (n) a short saying; an authoritative statement |
| ensconce | (v) to settle comfortably and firmly in position; to put or hide in a safe place |
| iconoclastic | (adj) attacking or seeking to overthrow popular or traditional beliefs, ideas, or institutions |
| in medias res | (adv) in or into the middle of a plot; into the middle of things |
| internecine | (adj) mutually destructive; characterized by great slaughter and bloodshed |
| maladroit | (adj) lacking skill or dexterity; lacking tact, perception, or judgment |
| maudlin | (adj) excessively or effusively sentimental |
| modulate | (v) to change or vary the intensity or pitch; to temper or soften; to regulate, adjust |
| portentous | (adj) foreshadowing an event to come; causing wonder or awe; self consciously weighty, pompous |
| prescience | (n) knowledge of events or actions before they happen; foresight |
| quid pro quo | (n) something given in exchange or return for something else |
| salubrious | (adj) conducive to health or well-being; wholesome |
| saturnalian | (adj) characterized by riotous or unrestrained revelry or licentiousness |
| touchstone | (n) a means of testing worth or genuineness |
| traumatic | (adj) so shocking to the emotions as to cause lasting and substantial psychological damage |
| vitiate | (v) to weaken, debase, or corrupt; to impair the quality or value of |
| waggish | (adj) fond of making jokes; characteristic of a joker; playfully humorous or droll |
| aficionado | (n.) an enthusiastic and usually expert follower or fan |
| browbeat | (v.) to intimidate by a stern or overbearing manner; to bully |
| commensurate | (adj.) equal in size, extent, duration, or importance; proportionate; measurable by the same standards |
| diaphanous | (adj.) very sheer and light; almost completely transparent |
| emolument | (n.) profit derived from an office or position or from employment; a fee or salary |
| foray | (n.) a quick raid, especially for plunder; a venture into some field of endeavor; (v.) to make such a raid |
| genre | (n.) a type, class, or variety, especially a distinctive category of literary composition; a style of painting in which everyday scenes are realistically depicted |
| homily | (n.) a sermon stressing moral principles; a tedious moralizing lecture or discourse |
| immure | (v.) to enclose or confine within walls; to imprison; to seclude |
| insouciant | (adj.) blithely indifferent or unconcerned; carefree; happy-go-lucky |
| matrix | (n.) a mold; the surrounding situation or environment |
| obsequies | (n.) funeral rights or ceremonies |
| panache | (n.) a confident and stylish manner, dash; a strikingly elaborate or colorful display |
| persona | (n.) a character in a novel or play; the outward character or role that a person assumes |
| philippic | (n.) a bitter verbal attack |
| prurient | (adj.) having lustful desires or interests; tending to arouse sexual desires |
| sacrosanct | (adj.) very sacred or holy; inviolable; set apart or immune from questioning or attack |
| systemic | (adj.) of or pertaining to the entire body; relating to a system or systems |
| tendentious | (adj.) intended to promote a particular point of view, doctrine, or cause; biased or partisan |
| vicissitude | (n.) a change, variation, or alteration; (pl.) successive or changing phases or conditions |
| affinity | (n.) a natural attraction to a person, thing, or activity; a relationship, connection |
| bilious | (adj.) peevish or irritable; sickeningly unpleasant |
| cognate | (adj.) closely related in origin, essential nature, or function; (n.) such a person or thing |
| corollary | (n.) a proposition that follows from one already proven; a natural consequence or result; (adj.) resultant or consequent |
| cul-de-sac | (n.) a blind alley or dead-end street; any situation in which further process is impossible; an impasse |
| derring-do | (n.) valor or heroism; daring deeds or exploits (often used to poke fun at false heroics) |
| divination | (n.) the art or act of predicting the future or discovering hidden knowledge |
| elixir | (n.) a potion once thought capable of curing all ills and maintaining life indefinitely; a panacea; a sweet liquid used as a vehicle in medicines |
| folderol | (n.) foolish talk, ideas, or procedures; nonsense; a trifle |
| gamut | (n.) an entire range or series |
| hoi polloi | (n.) the common people, the masses |
| ineffable | (adj.) not expressible in words; too great or too sacred to be uttered |
| lucubration | (n.) laborious study or thought, especially at night; the result of such work |
| mnemonic | (adj.) relating to or designed to assist the memory; (n.) a device to aid the memory |
| obloquy | (n.) a public abuse indicating strong disapproval or censure; the disgrace resulting from such treatment |
| parameter | (n.) a determining or characteristic element; a factor that shapes the total outcome; a limit, boundary |
| pundit | (n.) a learned person; one who gives authoritative opinions |
| risible | (adj.) pertaining to laughter; able or inclined to laugh; laughable |
| symptomatic | (adj.) typical or characteristic; being or concerned with a symptom of a disease |
| volte-face | (n.) an about-face; a complete reversal |
| ancillary | (adj.) subordinate or supplementary |
| bowdlerize | (v.) to remove material considered offensive (from a book, play, film, etc.) |
| condescend | (v.) to come down or stoop voluntarily to a lower level; to deal with people in a patronizing manner |
| cozen | (v.) to trick; to cheat or swindle |
| enclave | (n.) an enclosed district, region, or area inhabited by a particular group of people or having a special character |
| forte | (n.) a person's strong point; what a person does best |
| gratis | (adj.) free; (adv.) without charge |
| icon | (n.) a representation or image of a sacred personage, often considered sacred itself; an image or picture; a symbol; a graphic symbol on a computer monitor display; an object of blind devotion |
| interstice | (n.) a small, narrow space between things or parts of things |
| macrocosm | (n.) the universe considered as a whole; the entire complex structure of something |
| mountebank | (n.) a trickster or swindler; a charlatan |
| paean | (n.) a song of praise, a joy, or triumph |
| persiflage | (n.) lighthearted joking, talk, or writing |
| plethora | (n.) overfullness; superabundance; superfluity |
| pragmatic | (adj.) concerned with practical considerations or values; dealing with actions and results rather than with abstract theory; stiff in one's opinions |
| quizzical | (adj.) puzzled; mocking; odd; equivocal |
| rapacity | (n.) inordinate greed; the disposition to obtain one's desires by force, extortion, or plunder |
| schism | (n.) a formal split with a religious organization; any division or separation of a group or organization into hostile factions |
| therapeutic | (adj.) having the power to heal or cure; beneficial |
| virtuoso | (n.) a brilliant performer; a person with masterly skill or technique; (adj.) masterly or brilliant |
| aegis | (n.) protection; patronage; sponsorship |
| apprise | (v.) to inform of; to make aware of by giving oral or written notice |
| bibulous | (adj.) fond of or inclined to drink; absorbent |
| claque | (n.) a group of people hired to applaud a performer or performance; enthusiastic or fawning admirers; an opera hat |
| deracinate | (v.) to pull up by the roots; to root out, uproot, or dislocate; to eliminate all traces of |
| eleemosynary | (adj.) charitable; dependent upon or supported by charity; derived from or provided by charity |
| indigenous | (adj.) originating in the country or region where found, native; inborn; inherent |
| lachrymose | (adj.) given to tears or weeping; causing to shed tears; mournful, lugubrious |
| lexicon | (n.) a dictionary of a language; the special vocabulary of a person, group, or subject; a compendium |
| melee | (n.) a confused struggle; a violent free-for-all; a tumultuous mingling. |
| microcosm | (n.) a miniature world or universe; a group or system viewed as the model of a larger group or system. |
| minuscule | (adj.) very small, tiny; (n.) a lowercase letter |
| obfuscate | (v.) to darken or obscure; to confuse or bewilder |
| paternalism | (n.) the policy or practice of treating or governing people in the manner of a father dealing with his children |
| polarize | (v.) to cause or concentrate around two conflicting or contrasting positions; to cause light to vibrate in a pattern. |
| purview | (n.) the range, extent, or scope of something; in law, the scope or limit of what is provided in a statute |
| sanguine | (adj.) having a ruddy complexion; of a naturally cheerful, confident, or optimistic outlook |
| solecism | (n.) a substandard or ungrammatical usage; a breach of etiquette; any impropriety or mistake |
| vassal | (n.) a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he or she owes allegiance; a subordinate or dependent; a servant; (adj.) subservient |
| verisimilitude | (n.) the quality of appearing to be true, real, likely, or probable |
| adjunct | (n.) something added to something else as helpful or useful but not essential; an assistant or helper; a valuable quality or characteristic. (adj.) added or connected in a subordinate capacity; attached to a faculty or staff in an auxiliary capacity |
| bellwether | (n.) the male sheep that leads the flock to the slaughterhouse; a leader, as in desperate or violent undertaking; an indicator of trends. |
| caterwaul | (v.) to howl or screech like a cat; to quarrel; (n.) a harsh or noisy cry; a racket |
| chimerical | (adj.) absurd; wildly fantastic; impossible |
| effete | (adj.) lacking in wholesome vigor or energy; worn-out or exhausted; sterile or unable to produce; out of date |
| fait accompli | (n.) an accomplished and presumably irreversible deed, fact, or action |
| hidebound | (adj.) narrow-minded and rigid, especially in opinions or prejudices; stubbornly and unthinkingly conservative |
| hierarchy | (n.) any system of things or people arranged or graded one above another in order of rank, wealth, class, etc. |
| liturgy | (n.) a religious service or rite; the form of a ritual or other act of public worship |
| mirage | (n.) something illusory, without substance, or without a basis in reality; an illusion |
| morass | (n.) a patch of low, soft, wet ground; a swamp; a confusing situation in which one is entrapped, as in quicksand |
| noisome | (adj.) offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious |
| oblivious | (adj.) forgetful; unaware |
| poltroon | (n.) a base coward |
| proselyte | (n.) a convert; a disciple |
| quasi | (adj.) resembling but not actually being; seemingly but not actually or completely |
| raillery | (n.) good-humored ridicule; teasing |
| ribald | (adj.) irreverently mocking; coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language |
| supine | (adj.) lying flat on one's back; listless or lethargic; apathetic or passive |
| vignette | (n.) a short description or sketch; a picture or illustration with edges that gradually shade off; a decorative design on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter |
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