10th Lit Honors Vocab

Gauche

Gauche

(adj.) Lacking social grace, sensitivity, or acuteness; awkward; crude; tactless. Connotation is negative.

Affable

(adj.) Friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to. Connotation is highly positive.

Depraved

(adj.) Morally corrupt; perverted. Connotation is HEAVILY negative in the moral sense.

Obsequious

(adj.) Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree; very SHOWY with attentiveness; Not servile from the goodness from their heart, usually servile because they gain something from it. Typically negative connotation.

Quixotic

(adj.) Exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical; 'ignorance is bliss'; lacks in self-awareness and / or worldly knowledge. Connotation is not entirely positive.

Avaricious

(adj.) Having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain. Connotation is negative / bad.

Misanthropic

(adj.) Disliking humankind and avoiding human society; suggests deep-rooted distrust and dislike of human beings and their society. Connotation is HIGHLY negative.

Philanthropic

(adj.) Of, or relating to, or characterized by the practice of giving money and time to help make life better for other people; to truly be this, you must devote COPIUS amounts of time and energy for the benefit of others. Connotation is HIGHLY positive.

Precocious

(adj.) [Of a child]: having or showing the qualities or abilities of an adult at an unusually early age; MUST be a child. Connotation can be either positive or negative.

Puerile

(adj.) Silly or childish especially in a way that shows a lack of seriousness or good judgement; takes very few things seriously; either doesn't understand how or chooses not to give important things thoughtful attention. Connotation is negative.

Unassuming

(adj.) Modest; humble; lacking in arrogance; typically doesn't draw attention to themselves; fly under the radar. Connotation is positive.

Devout

(adj.) Having or showing deep religious / spiritual feeling or commitment. Connotation is neutral.

Fatuous

(adj.) Silly, ridiculous, foolish, especially in an unknowing, complacent manner. Connotation is negative.

Insolent

(adj.) Showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect; KNOWINGLY disrespectful. Connotation is usually negative - depends on context.

Peevish

(adj.) Easily irritated, especially by unimportant things; NOT NECESSARILY mean. Negative connotation.

Privileged

(adj.) Having special rights, advantages, or immunities. Connotation varies on context.

Churlish

(adj.) Rude in a mean-spirited and surly (gruff) way; insensitive to other people's feelings; beyond just being rude. Connotation is negative.

Flippant

(adj.) Carelessly disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness, especially towards something or someone that generally deserves respect. Connotation is negative.

Gracious

(adj.) Courteous, kind, and pleasant. Connotation is positive.

Indolent

(adj.) Wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy. Connotation is negative.

Callow

(adj.) [especially of that of a young person] inexperienced and immature; typically applies to young characters who hasn't seen most of the world. Connotation is not positive but not negative either.

Chaste

(adj.) Not having any sexual nature or intention. Connotation is neutral(?)

Chaste

(adj.) Without unnecessary ornamentation; simple or restrained. Connotation is neutral(?)

Crafty

(adj.) Clever at achieving one's aims by indirect or deceitful methods. Connotation is negative, but not THAT negative, indicating moral ambiguity.

Debonair

(adj.) [usually of a man] confident, stylish, charming; typically refers to men who are gentlemanly and refined, referring to higher-class or more privileged individuals. Connotation is positive in nature (referring to outward appearance/actions)

Erudite

(adj.) having or showing great knowledge or learning; these people value booklearning and possess great intelligence. Connotation is typically positive - depends on context.

Garrulous

(adj.) Excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, especially about trivial matters. Connotation is negative.

Irascable

(adj.) Easily provoked to anger; very irritable. Connotation is VERY negative (worse than term 8).

Merciful

(adj.) Characterized by, expressing, or showing compassion, kindness, and benevolence, especially toward an offender, an enemy, or other person under one's power; MUST have a position of power; Have the power to punish but decide not to. Connotation is VERY positive.

Profane

(adj.) Characterized by irreverence or contempt for sacred principles or things; irreligious; refers to those characters who are so far off the deep end that they have little hope (and probably little desire) for salvation or redemption; while very spiritual does not always have to apply to religion. Connotation is EXTREMELY negative.

Sullen

(adj.) Showing ill humor by a gloomy silence or reserve; aren't aggressive or mean but generally unpleasant to be around; always seem to be in a bad mood, who rarely smile, and who hardly ever speak. Connotation is negative, but depends on what the character has been through.

Astute

(adj.) Having the ability to notice and understand things clearly; mentally sharp or clever; pertains not to just those who are academically intelligent but also to those who know how to "read" a situation; implies unusual power to see through and understand what is puzzling or hidden. Connotation is positive.

Austere

(adj.) [as it pertains to people] Having a serious and unfriendly quality, a stern or cold appearance or demeanor; difficult to get to know on a personal level because they have a stand-offish personality and do not let their guards down; strictness and adherence to discipline, a lack of silliness and lightheartedness. Connotation is negative, but that doesn't mean that they are mean or cruel.

Beleaguered

(adj.) Suffering or being subjected to constant or REPEATED trouble; In order for something to qualify as this it must be consistently or frequently suffering. Connotation is negative.

Boorish

(adj.) Rude, insensitive, crude; a rudeness of manner due to insensitivity to others' feelings and unwillingness to be agreeable; Ex: getting drunk and crashing a wedding. Connotation is STRONGLY negative.

Congenial

(adj.) Pleasant and enjoyable; very friendly. Connotation is HIGHLY positive.

Cynical

(adj.) Believing that people are generally dishonest and selfish; lacking in trust of others; implies having a sneering disbelief in sincerity or integrity and suggests a rooted distrust of human beings and their society. Connotation is negative.

Exultant

(adj.) EXTREMELY happy or excited; Thing's you'd be [term] about: having your first baby, getting married, finding out that your cancer is in remission. Connotation is HIGHLY positive.

Improvident

(adj.) Not providing or saving for the future: neither wise nor sensible regarding money or resources. Connotation is negative.

Indispensable

(adj.) Absolutely necessary, essential, it is without a doubt integral; Example: Oxygen for humans. Connotation is extremely urgent.

Nefarious

(adj.) evil or immoral; highly reprehensible in character, nature, or conduct; particularly evil, depraved, cruel, destructive, and malicious; You do not throw this descriptor around lightly. Connotation is EXTREMELY negative.

Abstemious

(adj.) not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking; characterized by abstinence; food equivalent to [term 22], which typically carries a sexual undertone whereas [this word] typically pertains to sustenance. Connotation is usually positive, but based on context.

Bigoted

(adj.) utterly intolerant of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own. Connotation is extremely negative.

Eminent

(adj.) high in station, rank, or repute; prominent; distinguished. Connotation is positive and feelings of respect and power carry with it

Guileless

(adj.) sincere, honest, straightforward; innocent and without deception; innate innocence; truthful because lying wouldn't even occur to them; have nothing to feel guilty about and no lies to maintain. Connotation is positive(?)

Lecherous

(adj.) given to or characterized by unrestrained/excessive indulgence of lust; carries sense of uncontrolled actions and disregard for social standards. Connotation is EXTREMELY negative.

Oppressed

(adj.) burdened with cruel/unjust restraints; subjected to burdensome/harsh authority or power. Connotation is negative, but that connotation is likely directed more at the situation than the character themselves..

Perverse

(adj.) willfully determined or disposed to go counter to what is expected or desired; might argue just for the sake of arguing, not because they actually feel strongly against what is being said/done; likely to contradict whatever is said and are generally stubborn and unpleasant to be around. Connotation is negative.

Perverse

(adj.) deviating from what is considered moral, proper, or good. Connotation depends.

Petulant

(adj.) prone to sudden, impatient irritation, especially over trivial things; these individuals can change from pleasant to annoyed in a split second, usually caused by something unimportant, reactions are probably overly dramatic. Connotation is negative.

Prudent

(adj.) wise or judicious in practical affairs; subtle and cautious; careful in planning for the future; helpful to have around: they're wise and level-headed, the kind of people you would probably go to for advice; don't act rashly, as they consider what's best based on the situation and make a reasoned judgment. Connotation is HIGHLY positive and suggests, wisdom, and trustworthiness.

Servile

(adj.) mindlessly submissive or obsequious; fawning; indicating that there's flattery of and approval for the person they're serving. Connotation is negative.

Servile

(adj.) characteristic of a slave; hopeless and miserable; indicating that their servile position is tortuous and against their will. Connotation is negative.

Amicable

(adj.) showing a polite and friendly desire to avoid disagreement and argument; person is never one to engage in confrontation or quarrel; typically want to avoid confrontation, and may remain passive in order to keep the peace. Connotation is positive, but is a mild descriptor, as being this [term] can actually be a bad thing at times, like serious injustice.

Distinguished

(adj.) known by many people because of some grand achievement or positive quality; of very high regard/respect; actions, attitude, and/or achievements has set them apart from the rest (though it is important to consider the type of actions or achievements here.) Connotation is positive.

Fractious

(adj.) causing trouble; hard to control; easily agitated; indicates disharmony or discord. Connotation is negative, but it isn't terribly extreme; less severe than [term 28]; roughly equal in severity to [term 8].

Histrionic

(adj.) overly emotional or dramatic; may include door-slamming or crying, but more appropriately it would include screaming, fainting, or physically lashing out; "over-the-top" or "melodramatic." Connotation is negative(?)

Iniquitous

(adj.) grossly and immorally unfair; unjust; implies that they exhibit an intentional moral depravity which causes them to treat certain individuals or groups of people unfairly. Connotation is HIGHLY negative.

Loquacious

talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative about trivial matters; synonym of [term 27]. Connotation is slightly negative(?)

Pedantic

(adj.) corrective of small errors; giving too much attention to minor details; ostentatious in one's learning; someone who nags and knit-picks, often to indicate that they know the correct answer; like raising a hand during class to tell the teacher they misspelled a word on the board, even if that misspelling isn't hindering anyone's understanding. Connotation is mildly negative.

Petty

(adj.) focusing on things of little importance or seriousness; of a narrow-minded disposition or character; describes someone who is upset by or very concerned with unimportant matters; like a grudge against someone for some inconsequential thing that happened years ago. Connotation is negative.

Wily

(adj.) FULL of clever tricks; crafty or cunning. Connotation is negative.

Pompous

(adj.) behaving in a serious and formal way because of the attitude that he/she is better, smarter, more important than others; to go beyond just thinking you are smart and know everything; it is to think you're better because you do. Connotation is negative, but not severe.