Vocab
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140 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 approbation | (n) the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval |
| assuage | (v) to make easier or milder, relieve |
| coalition | (n) a combination, union |
| decadence | (n) decline, decay; excessive self-indulgence |
| elicit | (v) to draw forth |
| expostulate | (v) to attempt to dissuade someone from some course or decision by earnest reasoning |
| hackneyed | (adj) to lack freshness or originality |
| hiatus | (n) a gab, opening, break |
| innuendo | (n) a hint, indirect suggestion |
| intercede | (v) to plead on behalf of someone else |
| jaded | (adj) wearied, worn out |
| lurid | (adj) causing shock, horror; pale or shallow in color |
| meritorious | (adj) worthy, deserving recognition and praise |
| petulant | (adj) peevish, easily irritated and upset |
| prerogative | (n) special right or privilege |
| provincial | (adj) narrow in mind or outlook |
| simulate | (v) imitate |
| transcend | (v) to rise above or beyond, exceed |
| umbrage | (n) foliage giving shade; overshadowing influence or power |
| unctuous | (adj) excessively smooth or smug; pilable |
| ameliorate | (v) to improve, make better |
| aplomb | (n) poise, assurance, great self-confidence, |
| bombastic | (adj) pompous or overblown in language |
| callow | (adj) without experience; immature |
| drivel | (n) balderdash |
| epitome | (n) a summary |
| exhort | (v) to urge strongly |
| ex officio | (adj/adv) by virtue of holding a certain office |
| infringe | (v) to violate, trespass |
| ingratiate | (v) to make oneself agreeable |
| interloper | (n) one who moves in where he/she is not wanted or has no right to be, an intruder |
| intrinsic | (adj) belonging to someone or something by its very nature, essential, inherent; originating in a bodily organ or part |
| inveigh | (v) to make a violent attack in words, express strong disapproval |
| lassitude | (n) weariness of body of mind, lack of energy |
| millennium | (n) a period of one thousand years |
| occult | (adj) mysterious, magical, supernatural; secret, hidden from view |
| permeate | (v) to spread through, penetrate |
| precipitate | (v) provoke, produce; reckless |
| stringent | (adj) strict, severe |
| surmise | (v) to think or believe without certain supporting evidence |
| abominate | (v) to have an intense dislike or hatred for |
| acculturation | (n) the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contract with those of another; adaptation |
| adventitious | (adj) resulting from change rather than from an inherent cause or character; accidental, not essential |
| ascribe | (v) to assign or refer to, attribute |
| circuitous | (adj) roundabout, not direct |
| commiserate | (v) to sympathize with |
| enjoin | (v) to direct or order |
| expedite | (v) to make easy, cause to progress faster |
| expiate | (v) to make amends, make up for |
| ferment | (n) state of great excitement, agitation |
| inadvertent | (adj) resulting form or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental |
| nominal | (adj) existing in name only, not real |
| noncommittal | (adj) not decisive or definite |
| peculate | (v) to steal something that has been given into ones trust |
| proclivity | (n) a natural or habitual inclination or tendency |
| sangfroid | (n) a composure of coolness |
| seditious | (adj) resistant to lawful authority |
| tenuous | (adj) thin, slender, not dense |
| vitriolic | (adj) bitter, sarcastic |
| wheedle | (v) to use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end |
| affable | (adj) courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to |
| aggrandize | (v) to increase in greatness; enhance |
| amorphous | (adj) shapeless, without definite form |
| aura | (n) that which surrounds; a distinctive air or personal quality; ambience, atmosphere |
| contraband | (n) illegal traffic, smuggled goods |
| erudite | (adj) scholarly, learned |
| gossamer | (adj) thin, light, delicate |
| infer | (v) to find out by reasoning; deduce |
| inscrutable | (adj) incapable of being understood |
| insular | (adj) narrow minded |
| irrevocable | (adj) incapable of being changed or called back |
| propensity | (n) natural inclination or predilection toward; natural bent |
| querulous | (adj) peevish, complaining, fretful |
| remonstrate | (v) to argue or plead with someone against something, protest against, object to |
| repudiate | (v) to disown, reject |
| resilient | (adj) able to return to an original shape or form; elastic |
| reverberate | (v) to re-echo; rumble, thunder |
| scurrilous | (adj) foul-mouthed |
| sedulous | (adj) persistent, tireless |
| sleazy | (adj) thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; inferior |
| amnesty | (n) a general pardon for an offense against a government in general |
| autonomy | (n) self-government |
| axiomatic | (adj) self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle or rule; taken for granted |
| blazon | (v) to adorn or embellish; broadcast |
| caveat | (n) a warning or caution ro prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior; admonition |
| equitable | (adj) fair, just, right |
| extricate | (v) to free from entanglements or difficulties; extract |
| filch | (v) to steal, swipe |
| flout | (v) to mock, scorn |
| fractious | (adj) troublesome, peevish |
| precept | (n) a rule of conduct or action, principle |
| salutary | (adj) beneficial, helpful; healthy, wholesome |
| scathing | (adj) bitterly severe, withering; harsh |
| scourge | (v) to whip, punish severely; beat |
| sepulchral | (adj) funereal, typical of the tomb |
| soporific | (adj) tending to cause sleep; narcotic |
| straitlaced | (adj) extremely strict in regard to moral standars and conduct; overly strict |
| transient | (adj) lasting only a short time, fleeting |
| unwieldy | (adj) not easily carried, handled; clumsy |
| vapid | (adj) dull, uninteresting; lifeless, colorless |
| anomalous | (adj) abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual |
| aspersion | (n) a damaging or derogatory statement; the act of slandering or defaming |
| bizarre | (adj) extremely strange, unusual, atypical |
| brusque | (adj) abrupt, blunt with no formalities |
| cajole | (v) to coax, persuade through flattery or artifice; to deceive with soothing thoughts or false promises |
| castigate | (v) to punish severely; to criticize severely |
| contrive | (v) to plan with ingenuity, invent; to bring about as the result of scheme or plan |
| demagogue | (n) a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power. |
| disabuse | (v) to free from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking |
| ennui | (n) weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest; boredom |
| fetter | (n) a chain or shackle placed on the feet (v) to chain or shackle; to render helpless or impotent |
| heinous | (adj) very wicked, offensive, hateful |
| immutable | (adj) not subject to change, constant |
| insurgent | (n) one who rebels or rises against authority (adj) rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority; surging or rushing in or on |
| megalomania | (n) a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, talent; far in excess of reality |
| sinecure | (n) a position requiring little or no work; an easy job |
| surreptitious | (adj) stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation; made or accomplished by fraud |
| transgress | (v) to go beyond limit or boundary; to sin, to violate a law |
| transmute | (v) to change from one nature, substance, or form to another |
| vicarious | (adj) performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another |
| austere | (adj) severe or stern in manner; without adornment or luxury, simple, plain; harsh or sour in flavor |
| beneficent | (adj) performing acts of kindness or charity; conferring benefits, doing good |
| cadaverous | (adj) pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse |
| concoct | (v) to prepare by combining ingredients, make up, to devise, invent, fabricate |
| crass | (adj) coarse, unfeeling; stupid |
| debase | (v) to lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade, adulterate; to cause to deteriorate |
| desecrate | (v) to commit sacrilege upon, treat irreverently; to contaminate, pollute |
| disconcert | (v) to confuse; to disturb the composure of |
| grandiose | (adj) grand in an impressive or stately way; marked by pompous affectation or grandeur, absurdly exaggerated |
| inconsequential | (adj) trifling, unimportant |
| infraction | (n) a breaking of a law or obligation |
| mitigate | (v) to make milder or softer, to moderate in force or intensity |
| pillage | (v) to rob of goods by open force, plunder (n) the act of looting; booty |
| prate | (v) to talk a great deal in a foolish or aimless fashion |
| punctilious | (adj) very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety |
| redoubtable | (adj) inspiring fear or awe; illustrious, eminent |
| reprove | (v) to find fault with, scold, rebuke |
| restitution | (n) the act of restoring someone or something to the rightful owner or to a former state or position; making good on a loss or damage |
| stalwart | (adj) strong and sturdy; brave; resolute (n) a brave, strong person; a strong supporter; one who takes an uncompromising position |
| vulnerable | (adj) open to attack; capable of being wounded or damaged; unprotected |
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