Third Quarter Vocabulary

ELA II Honors

Acclaim

praise enthusiastically and publicly

Aloof

not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.

Anathema

something or someone that one vehemently dislikes.

Ascendance

the state of rising to a higher level of power, influence, or control, or the condition of having dominance or supremacy over others

Assuage

make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense.

Adamant

refusing to be persuaded or to change one's mind

Ameliorate

make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better.

Apathy

lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern

Ascetic

a person who practices severe self-discipline and abstention

Beguile

charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way

Baleful

threatening harm; menacing

bequeath

leave (a personal estate) to a person or other beneficiary by a will

Cacophony

a harsh discordant mixture of sounds

Celerity

swiftness of movement

Coalesce

come together to form one mass or whole

Consummate

make (a marriage or relationship) complete

Corporeal

relating to a person's body, especially as opposed to their spirit

Cursory

hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed

Capricious

given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior

Choler

(in medieval science and medicine) one of the four bodily humors, identified with bile and believed to be associated with a peevish or irascible temperament

Concur

be of the same opinion; agree

Conundrum

a confusing and difficult problem or question

Cryptic

having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure

Despot

a ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way

Disparate

essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison

Deprecate

express disapproval of

Discerning

having or showing good judgment

Distended

swollen due to pressure from inside; bloated

Eclectic

deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources

Enervate

cause (someone) to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken

Esoteric

intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest

Expunge

erase or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant)

Effervescence

bubbles in a liquid; fizz

Enmity

the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something

Ethereal

extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world

Extricate

free (someone or something) from a constraint or difficulty

Fickle

changing frequently, especially as regards one's loyalties, interests, or affection

Furtive

attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive

Foment

instigate or stir up (an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action)

Germane

relevant to a subject under consideration

Hackneyed

(of a phrase or idea) lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite

Heresy

belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious (especially Christian) doctrine

Harangue

a lengthy and aggressive speech

Homage

special honor or respect shown publicly

Imbue

inspire or permeate with (a feeling or quality)

Inane

silly; stupid

Indict

formally accuse of or charge with a serious crime

Innate

inborn; natural

Intrinsic

belonging naturally; essential

Impasse

a situation in which no progress is possible, especially because of disagreement

Inchoate

just begun and so not fully formed or developed

Indolent

wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy

Innocuous

not harmful or offensive

Jettison

throw or drop (something) from an aircraft or ship

Juxtapose

place or deal with close together for contrasting effect

Jargon

special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand

Judicious

having, showing, or done with good judgment or sense

Lionize

give a lot of public attention and approval to (someone); treat as a celebrity

Laud

praise (a person or their achievements) highly, especially in a public context

Lugubrious

looking or sounding sad and dismal

Malediction

a magical word or phrase uttered with the intention of bringing about evil or destruction; a curse

Mendacity

untruthfulness; lying

Marred

impair the appearance of; disfigure

Mollify

appease the anger or anxiety of (someone)

Nefarious

(typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal

Neophyte

a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief

Obdurate

stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action

Obviate

remove (a need or difficulty)

Obsequious

obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree

Opaque

not able to be seen through; not transparent

Parsimony

extreme unwillingness to spend money or use resources

Perspicacity

the quality of having a ready insight into things; shrewdness

Partisan

prejudiced in favor of a particular cause

Pious

devoutly religious

Pompous

affectedly and irritatingly grand, solemn, or self-important

Primordial

existing at or from the beginning of time; primeval

Puerile

childishly silly and trivial

Precocious

(of a child) having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual

Profuse

(especially of something offered or discharged) exuberantly plentiful; abundant

Quell

put an end to (a rebellion or other disorder), typically by the use of force

Rebuff

reject (someone or something) in an abrupt or ungracious manner

Reprimand

rebuke (someone), especially officially

Reticent

not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily

Recondite

(of a subject or knowledge) little known; abstruse

Resign

voluntarily leave a job or other position

Scanty

small or insufficient in quantity or amount

Slough

to dispose or get rid of; cast

Stoic

a person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining

Sycophant

a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage

Sanguine

optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation

Sectarian

concerning or arising from membership of a particular religious or political group, or from divisions between such groups

Spurious

not being what it purports to be; false or fake

Succor

assistance and support in times of hardship and distress

Tenuous

(of a connection, association, etc.) very weak or slight; not strong or secure

Truculent

quick to argue or oppose; aggressively defiant

Temper

improve the hardness and elasticity of (steel or other metal) by reheating and then cooling it

Timorous

showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence

Usurp

take (a position of power or importance) unlawfully or by force

Undulate

move or go with a smooth up-and-down motion

Veracity

conformity to facts; accuracy