vocabulary #1

english 4 honors

acrimony

bitter, sharp hostility, especially in speech.

bourgeois

relating to or typical of the middle class, typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values or conventional attitudes.

cacophony

a jarring, discordant mixture of sounds.

carte blanche

unrestricted power to act at one’s discretion; complete freedom to act as one wishes or thinks.

deja vu

an impression of having seen or experienced something before.

ennui

listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from a lack of interest; boredom.

faux pas

a social blunder.

idiosyncratic

particular to a specific individual or group; having strange or unusual habits, ways of being/features.

kitsch

art or other objects appealing to popular taste, as by being gaudy or overly sentimental.

panacea

a remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all.

philistine

a person who is smugly indifferent or antagonistic to art or culture or has no understanding of them.

quid pro quo

something given in return for something else or accepted as a reciprocal part of an exchange.

Svengali

a person who manipulates or controls another for malicious purposes especially by force of personality.

vicarious

experienced or felt by empathy with or imaginary participation in the life of another person.

What does 'acrimony' mean?

Bitter, sharp hostility, especially in speech.

What does 'kitsch' refer to?

Art or other objects appealing to popular taste, often gaudy or overly sentimental.