Vocab #2
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150 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Achilles' heel | weak point |
| stentorian | very loud |
| mnemonic | assisting memory |
| fathom | understand, figure out |
| serendipity | ability to make lucky discoveries by chance or accident |
| desultory | random |
| pariah | social outcast |
| tawdry | showy, cheap |
| pecuniary | relating to money |
| impecunious | poor person |
| monarch | one ruler |
| anarchy | absence of government or law, confusion |
| hierarchy | a ranking of people |
| matriarch | woman who rules a family |
| patriarch | man who rules a family |
| Spartan | disciplined, orderly |
| gadfly | person who continually annoys others |
| homage | action showing respect or honor |
| spurn | scornfully refuse or reject |
| pedigree | line of decent |
| pittance | small amount, mostly of money |
| preposterous | ridiculous |
| macabre | suggesting the horror of death |
| farce | mockery, light comedy |
| bombast | speech that seems grand but has no meaning |
| prerogative | special right or privilege |
| derogatory | negative, make someone feel lower |
| interrogate | question |
| arrogant | acting superior |
| abrogate | abolish, cancel |
| chimerical | quixotic |
| asinine | stupid or silly |
| bellwether | leader |
| limbo | in-between state |
| plagiarize | use someone else's stuff as your own |
| titanic | enormous in size or strength |
| irony | expression that means the opposite of what is stated. |
| effete | worn-out |
| hyperbole | oblivious extravagant statement |
| diabolic | outstandingly wicked and cruel |
| durable | long lasting |
| endure | Put up with |
| duration | time remaining |
| duress | force or threats to make someone do something |
| obdurate | stubborn |
| dunce | stupid person |
| charlatan | impostor |
| sycophant | a humble person seeking flattering |
| anachronism | something out of its proper historical time |
| draconian | severe harsh cruel |
| plummet | fall rapidly straight down |
| fatal | causing or capable of causing death and destruction |
| nefarious | extremely wicked |
| vindicate | clear from blame charges or criticism |
| vindictive | revengeful |
| indict | accuse of a crime |
| malediction | curse |
| diction | style or choice of words |
| edict | public demand or order by one in high authority |
| jurisdiction | legal authority |
| venerate | regard with great respect |
| sadistic | getting pleasure from hurting others |
| malapropism | funny misuse of words |
| pragmatic | practical |
| disparage | refer to something as having little importance |
| vegetate | having a dull useless life |
| adamant | immovable, fixed, inflexible |
| conjugal | of marriage |
| abominable | utterly disgusting or hateful |
| ominous | threatening |
| assent | agreement |
| dissent | disagreement |
| presentiment | vague expectation |
| sententious | concise and full of meaning |
| sentiment | felling or opinion |
| despotic | oppressive, dictatorial |
| gullible | easily deceived |
| guile | cunning, trickery |
| exonerate | free from blame |
| clichè | expression that is stale from over use |
| trite | uninteresting because of over use |
| melancholy | sad, gloomy, depressed |
| choleric | easily angered, grouchy |
| phlegmatic | sluggish, not easily excited |
| sanguine | cheerful, confident, hopeful |
| consensus | general agrement |
| dissension | strong disagreement |
| sensual | enjoying stuff that don't require thinking |
| insensible | unable to feel, unconscious |
| insensitivity | unable to be affected by |
| maverick | independent person |
| esoteric | known or understood by a select few |
| undermine | weaken gradually |
| alleviate | relieve |
| bacchanal | wild drunken party |
| hedonist | one who lives only for pleasure |
| nihilist | doesn't believe in anything |
| somnolent | sleepy or drowsy |
| diatribe | violant attack of words |
| tribulation | great suffering |
| avert | turn away |
| divert | send on a course or in a direction different from the planned or intended one |
| subvert | overthrow |
| revert | return to a former condition |
| vertigo | dizziness |
| paradox | seeming possibly true |
| admonish | warn |
| penitent | feeling sorry and making up for a sin |
| accolade | high praise |
| nonchalant | casually unconcerned |
| banal | ordinary uninteresting pointless |
| iridescent | showing rainbow-like colors |
| cajole | misleading words |
| urbane | polished in manner |
| stymie | block |
| recede | move backward |
| secede | withdraw formally from membership |
| intercede | ask or pled for another |
| concede | give up |
| precedent | something said earlier that is used as an example |
| recalcitrant | stubbornly resisting athority |
| pinnacle | highest point |
| siren | beautiful woman who attracts others |
| Adonis | handsom young man |
| inexorable | unyielding |
| tally | count up |
| bizarre | very strange |
| remorse | bitter guilt |
| spurious | not genuine |
| fervent | intense passionate |
| capitulate | surrender |
| recapitulate | summarize |
| decapitate | behead |
| per capita | for each person |
| capitalize | take advantage of |
| harbinger | person or thing that signals what will follow |
| opportune | favorable |
| skeptical | questioning |
| cardinal | of basic importance |
| trivial | of little importance |
| meretricious | showy cheap |
| lampoon | ridiculous or humorous attack on a person |
| fetish | unreasoning devotion |
| zenith | high point in the sky |
| nadir | low point in the sky |
| elude | escape |
| delude | mislead |
| allude | mention casually |
| prelude | introduction |
| interlude | something that comes between 2 events |
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