Austin English 2A 2023-24 Semester 1 Vocab

sem 1 vocab (150 words)

abhor

(verb) to hate or strongly dislike

cynical

(adj.) believing that people are motivated by self-interest; distrustful of human sincerity or integrity

pandemonium

(noun) an uproar, a great commotion

negligent

(adj.) failing to take proper care in doing something

demarch

(noun) the ruler or leader of a political region

supersede

(verb) to replace; to take the place of

plebeian

(adj.) common; not extraordinary

dissonant

(adj.) sounding harsh or disagreeable

insurgent

(noun) one who takes part in forcible opposition to the authorities of a place; a revolutionary

misanthropy

(noun) the hatred of man or mankind

abduct

(verb) to carry someone away against his/her will

dubious

(adj.) unclear; uncertain

penultimate

(adj.) the second to last member of a series

necropolis

(noun) a city inhabited by the deceased and/or dead

stanza

(noun) a group of written lines usually forming one of a series of similar divisions within a poem

bulwark

(noun) anything that provides shelter or defense

confide

(verb) to reveal in trust or confidence

enthralled

(adj.) captivated, fixated, held under any powerful influence

grotesque

(adj.) ill-proportioned, odd or unnatural in shape or appearance

catharsis

(noun) the process of releasing any strong or overpowering emotions

juxtapose

(verb) to place close together; to closely compare

obselete

(adj.) no longer practiced or accepted; out of date

sanction

(verb) to approve authoritatively

dearth

(noun) a lack of something, especially something essential or desirable

epizootic

(adj.) prevailing among animals

zeitgeist

(noun) the defining characteristics of a generation; the things that stand out about a generation

philander

(verb) to court a person; to flirt romantically

aberration

(noun) deviation/outlier from the norm

omniscient

(adj.) having unlimited or infinite knowledge

pedestrian

(adj.) lacking excitement, dull, boring

abscission

(noun) the process of cutting off, as if in a surgical procedure

chastise

(verb) to punish or reprimand

myriad

(adj.) a large, indefinite number or amount

gregarious

(adj.) socially active; not habitually solitary; friendly

heterogeneous

(adj.) containing dissimilar elements; composed of different kinds of ingredients

caricature

(noun) a picture or description in which natural features are greatly exaggerated

prodigious

(adj.) immense, great

sepulcher

(noun) a tomb or burial place

despondent

(adj.) extremely sad or disheartened

embody

(verb) to express, formulate, or exemplify in a concrete, visible form

draconian

(adj.) extremely strict or harsh

domicile

(noun) the place of where one lives

oratory

(noun) the art of public speaking

resonance

(noun) the ability to reflect sound; the ability to produce an echo

inundate

(verb) to fill with an overflowing abundance; to flood, to overwhelm

antecendent

(noun) a thing or event that exists/goes before another

contuse

(verb) to bruise by striking

belligerent

(adj.) having and demonstrating a loud, expressive nature; aggressive, war-like

mediate

(verb) to act as a negotiator between two parties

charalatan

(noun) a liar, an impostor, or a fraud

epidermis

(noun) the outer skin layer of someone or something

rupture

(verb) to seperate, break, or fracture violently

monotheistic

(adj.) the belief in only one true god or diety

conscientious

(adj.) governed by good moral standards

diminutive

(adj.) very small in size or stature

edify

(verb) to build up or strengthen, especially with regard to morality

unctuous

(adj.) greasy, oily, describing someone/a person who is overly flattering

vivacity

(noun) the quality of being lively and/or animated

coddle

(verb) to treat a baby or a young child

persiflage

(noun) light, mocking banter or mockery

perjury

(noun) the act of lying under oath

virulent

(adj.) strongly harmful and/or dangerous

ebullient

(adj.) enthusiastic, excited, delighted

corroborate

(verb) to strengthen, as with truth or conviction; to go along with or to agree

impugn

(verb) to attack with arguments or accusations

connotation

(noun) an idea or feeling that goes along with a word, in addition to its real/literal meaning

anecdote

(noun) a brief account of an interesting event or occurence

capacious

(adj.) roomy, having plenty of space, spacious

fallacy

(noun) any unsound or illogical mode of reasoning

predominant

(adj.) superior in rank, title, number, influence, effectiveness, degree, etc.

subordiante

(adj.) lower in rank or position, under the control of another person or governing body, inferior/second fiddle to something or somebody

theocracy

(noun) a government in which priests rule in the name of a god or gods

incarnation

(noun) a person who embodies a spirit, a quality, or a diety/god

alliteration

(noun) the repition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of closely connected words, similar to a tongue twister

bumptious

(adj.) full of offensive and aggressive conceit or self-interest

convalesce

(verb) to recover after a sickness

innuendo

(noun) an implication, suggestion, or insinuation

indingenous

(adj.) originating naturally from a certain place; native to a certain place

anarchonism

(noun) something that exists at the wrong time period/moment

egocentric

(adj.) selfish, vain, self-centered

absolve

(verb) to free from sin, penalties, or punishments; to forgive anything wrongdoings

flection

(noun) the act of bending

mordacious

(adj.) biting or prone to biting

derision

(noun) contemptous ridicule; mean-spirited mockery

synchronize

(verb) to cause to occur at the exact same time, rate, or at once

onerous

(adj.) burdensome or oppressive

benediction

(noun) the act of blessing someone or something

depraved

(adj.) morally corrupt, wicked

execration

(noun) something cursed or held in abomination

jovial

(adj.) very happy or pleased

ablution

(noun) a washing or cleansing, especially of the body

betroth

(verb) to engage to be married

drudgery

(noun) hard, dull, constant work

misnomer

(noun) a wrongly given name or title

necrology

(noun) a list of people who have died in a place or time period

cadaverous

(adj.) resembling a corpse

transitory

(adj.) existing for only a short time

nadir

(noun) the lowest point

rescind

(verb) to make void from a position of authority; to revoke

centenary

(adj.) pertaining to a period of a hundred years