MTEL Vocabulary Review

Abstract

Not easy to understand; theoretical

Acclaim

Loud approval; applause

Acquiesce

To agree or consent to an opinion

Adamant

Not yielding; firm

Adversary

An enemy; foe

Advocate

(1) To plead in favor of; (2) Supporter; defender

Aesthetic

Showing good taste; artistic

Alleviate

To lessen or make easier

Aloof

Distant in interest; reserved; cool

Altercation

Controversy; dispute

Altruistic

Unselfish

Amass

To collect together; to accumulate

Ambiguous

Not clear; uncertain; vague

Ambivalent

Undecided

Ameliorate

To make better; to improve

Amiable

Friendly

Amorphous

Having no determinate form

Anarchist

One who believes that a formal government is unnecessary

Antagonism

Hostility; opposition

Apathy

Lack of emotion or interest

Appease

To make quiet; to calm

Apprehensive

Fearful; aware; conscious

Arbitrary

Based on one’s preference or whim

Arrogant

Acting superior to others; conceited

Articulate

(1) To speak distinctly; (2) To hint; to connect; (3) to convey; to express effectively; (4) eloquent; fluent; (5) capable of speech

Assess

To estimate the value of

Astute

Cunning; slyly; crafty

Atrophy

To waste away through lack of nutrition

Audacious

Fearless; bold

Augment

To increase or add to; to make larger

Austere

Harsh; severe; strict

Authentic

Real; genuine; trustworthy

Authoritarian

Acting as a dictator; demanding obedience

Banal

Common; petty; ordinary

Belittle

To make small; to think lightly of

Benefactor

One who helps others; a donor

Benevolent

Kind; generous

Benign

Mild; harmless

Biased

Prejudiced; influenced; not neutral

Blasphemous

Irreligious; profane; impiously away from acceptable standards

Blithe

Happy; cheery; merry

Brevity

Briefness; shortness

Candid

Honest; truthful; sincere

Capricious

Changeable; fickle

Caustic

Burning; sarcastic; harsh

Censor

To examine and delete objectionable material

Censure

To criticize or disapprove of

Charlatan

An imposter; fake

Coalesce

To combine or come together

Collaborate

To work together; to cooperate

Compatible

In agreement; harmonious

Complacent

Content; self-satisfied; smug

Compliant

Yielding; obedient

Comprehensive

all-inclusive; complete; thorough

Compromise

To settle by mutual adjustment

Concede

(1) to acknowledge; to admit; (2) to surrender; to abandon one’s position

Concise

In a few words; brief; condensed

Condescend

To consciously come down from one’s position or rank

Condone

To overlook; to forgive

Conspicuous

Easy to see; noticeable

Consternation

Amazement or terror that causes confusion

Consummation

The completion; finish

Contemporary

Living or happening at the same time; modern

Contempt

Scorn; disrespect

Contrite

Regretful; sorrowful

Conventional

Traditional; common; routine

Cower

To crouch down in fear or shame

Defamation

Any harm to a name or reputation; slander

Deference

A yielding to the opinion of another

Deliberate

(1) v. To consider carefully; to weigh in the mind; (2) adj. intentional

Denounce

To speak out against; to condemn

Depict

To portray in words; to present a visual image

Deplete

To reduce; to empty

Depravity

Moral corruption; badness

Deride

To ridicule; to laugh at with scorn

Desecrate

To violate a holy place or sanctuary

Detached

Separated; not interested; standing alone

Deter

To prevent; to discourage; to hinder

Didactic

(1) intrusive; (2) dogmatic; preachy

Digress

To stray away from the subject; to wander from the topic

Diligence

Hard work

Discerning

Distinguishing one thing from another

Discord

Disagreement; lack of harmony

Discriminate

(1) to distinguish one thing from another; (2) to demonstrate bias; (3) adj. able to distinguish

Disdain

(1) n. Intense dislike; (2) v. To look down upon; to scorn

Disparage

To belittle; to undervalue

Disparity

Difference in form, character, or degree

Dispassionate

Lack of feeling; impartial

Disperse

To scatter; to separate

Disseminate

To circulate; to scatter

Dissent

To disagree; to differ in opinion

Dissonance

Harsh contradiction

Diverse

Different; dissimilar

Document

(1) n. Official paper containing information; (2) v. To support; to substantiate or verify

Dogmatic

Stubborn; biased; opinionated

Dubious

Doubtful; uncertain; skeptical; suspicious

Eccentric

Odd; peculiar; strange

Efface

To wipe out; to erase

Effervescence

(1) liveliness; spirit; enthusiasm; (2) bubbliness

Egocentric

Self-centered