English II Honors List 11-20

Stupor

A state of near-unconsciousness or insensibility.

Indictment

A formal charge or accusation of a serious crime.

Permeate

Spread throughout (something); pervade.

Unobtrusive

Not conspicuous or attracting attention.

Furtive

Attempting to avoid notice or attention, secretive.

Neurotic

Having, caused by, or relating to mental health of distress.

Assimilation

Process of taking in/fully understanding information or ideas.

Incredulity

The state of being unwilling or unable to believe something.

Insinuate

Suggest or hint (reprehensible) in an indirect and unpleasant way.

Raptly

With the attention completely engaged.

Beseech

Expressing or marked by earnest pleading or entreaty.

Coquettishly

Endeavors without sincere affection to gain the attention of men.

Promenades

A paved public walk, typically one along a waterfront at a resort.

Plaintive

Sounding sad and mournful.

Imploring

To beg earnestly or desperately to do something.

Raunchiness

Quality of being sexually suggestive, lusty, or earthy.

Burlesque

Absurd imitation of something; a parody.

Saucy

Impudent, flippant.

Facetious

Treating serious issues with deliberate inappropriate humor.

Indignant

Showing anger at what is perceived as unfair treatment.

Deference

Humble submission and respect.

Flippant

Not showing serious, respectful attitude.

Precarious

Not secure; dangerously about to collapse.

Raucous

Harsh and loud noise.

Alienate

To turn away the normal feelings of fondness toward anyone; to estrange.

Celestial

Having to do with the heavens; divine.

Desecrate

To treat with disrespect.

Enervate

To weaken; to lessen the strength of.

Furtive

Done quickly and with stealth to avoid being noticed; secret.

Incisive

Keen; penetrating.

Lucid

Easily understood; rational; clear; clear-minded.

Peruse

To study; to read.

Rejuvenate

To make young or fresh again.

Scapegoat

One taking the blame for the mistake and crimes of others.

Tawdry

Gaudy and cheap; vulgarly ornamental.

Unethical

Not conforming to approved standards of behavior, a socially accepted code.

Verbose

Wordy; tedious.

Wither

To dry; to shrivel; to cause to lose courage or to be ashamed.

Zealot

A person who shows great enthusiasm for a cause.

Alleviate

To make easier to endure; to relieve; to diminish.

Censure

To blame; to criticize adversely.

Despot

Monarch with unlimited power.

Engender

To cause; produce; bring into being.

Incongruous

Inappropriate; out of place.

Philistine

Narrow-minded; smugly conventional.

Relegate

To put in a less important position; to assign; to banish.

Scoff

To mock or jeer at; to make fun of.

Tedious

Long or verbose and wearisome; tiresome; boring.

Ungainly

Clumsy; awkward; hard to handle.

Viable

Able to live or exist; practicable.

Writhe

To twist or squirm, as in pain; to suffer from shame or shyness.

Zenith

The point in the sky directly above one; the highest point.

Aloof

Indifferent; unsympathetic; not interested; apart.

Chastise

To criticize severely.

Altruistic

Thoughtful of the welfare of others.

Ambiguous

Permitting more than one interpretation; not clearly defined.

Chimerical

Absurd; wildly fanciful.

Chronic

Lasting a long time; constant.

Deter

To discourage; to keep someone from doing something.

Devious

Not straightforward; lying; roundabout.

Enhance

To add to; to make greater in value.

Enigma

A puzzle; a baffling situation.

Piety

Devotion and reverence, especially to god and family.

Relic

A thing or part that remains from the past; something kept as sacred.

Scrupulous

Very honest and conscientious; careful about claimed expense.

Temerity

Rashness; foolish or reckless boldness.

Unimpeachable

Beyond doubt or reproach; unquestionable.

Vicarious

Taking the place of another; experienced through sympathetic participation.

Incontrovertible

Not able to be disputed or denied.

Ambivalence

Condition of having conflicting attitudes.

Ameliorate

To make better or more tolerable; to improve.

Circumspect

Careful.

Clairvoyant

Having exceptional insight.

Devoid

Entirely without; lacking.

Diatribe

A denunciation; bitter verbal attack.

Ephemeral

Lasting for only a short time.

Equanimity

Evenness of temper.

Incorrigible

Too firmly fixed to be reformed or changed.

Pique

To hurt the feelings of or make resentful; to arouse; to excite.

Remorse

A deep feeling of sorrow or guilt over a wrong one has done.

Scrutinize

To look at very carefully; to inspect minutely.

Tenet

A principle, doctrine, or belief held as a truth by a group.

Unobtrusive

Not readily noticeable; inconspicuous.

Vilify

To defame; to slander.

Analogous

Similar in certain qualities; comparable.

Animosity

Active dislike; ill will.

Clandestine

Secret.

Clemency

Mercy; mildness.

Didactic

Intended to instruct.

Diffuse

Spread out; wordy.

Equivocate

To use ambiguous or unclear expressions to mislead.

Esoteric

Understood by only a few; little known.

Indefatigable

Tireless.

Placate

To soothe; to pacify.

Repudiate

Reject; to refuse to recognize or acknowledge.

Sectarian

Pertaining to a group within a larger group; narrow-minded.

Tentative

Not definite or final; indicating timidity.

Unscathed

Undamaged; unharmed.

Vindictive

Revengeful; unforgiving; bitter.

Anonymity

Condition of being nameless or unknown.