English Vocab 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

aegis

protection, sponsorship

auspicious

favorable, promising a good outcome

jaded

wearied, dulled or bored by having too much, overindulgence

atone

make up for a wrong

lewd

obscene, indecent, lustful, vulgar

succint

briefly and clearly expressed

aloof

reserved, detached, unconcerned, indifferent

jovial

full of hearty humor and fun, jolly

saturnine

gloomy, grave

prevaricate

stray from the truth, mislead

eulogy

speech or writing in praise of something, especially one who is dead

euphemism

pleasant, mild, or inoffensive expression substituted for an unpleasant of offensive one

eugenics

science of improving a breed or species through selection of parents

euphoria

feeling of complete well-being, great happiness, bliss

euthanasia

mercy killing, painlessly putting to death

curtail

shorten, reduce, lessen

travesty

ridiculous imitation

scruple

doubt or uneasiness as to what is right or proper

havoc

great destruction or confusion

mentor

wise, trusted teacher or counselor

haggard

looking worn and tired

utopian

characteristic of an ideal society; visionary

mercurial

changeable; unpredictable; lively

diffident

lacking self-confidence; timid; unassertive

hypocrisy

pretending to be what one is not, especially to have feelings, beliefs or virtues that one does not have

monologue

long speech by one person

monogamy

marriage with one person at a time

monotonous

tiresome because lacking variety, repetitively dull

monotheism

belief in one god

monopoly

total control of a product or a service; company that is in total control; exclusive control or possession of anything

zealous

extremely active; eager; devoted

candid

honest; straightforward; truthful

posthumous

occurring after death

enthrall

charm; fascinate; please greatly

parasite

plan or animal that lives on or in another and feeds off this other’s body; a person receiving support without giving anything useful or meaningful in return.

chagrin

humiliation; disappointment; irritation

cant

insincere talk; special language of a social class, trade, or profession

ephemeral

short-lived, fleeting, lasting a very short time

dexterous

skillful, clever

sinister

threatening, wicked, evil

bilingual

someone who speaks two languages equally; pertaining to two languages

bigamy

marriage to two people at the same time

biped

two-footed animal

bilateral

having or concerning two sides, parties, countries, etc.

bifocals

eyeglasses with lenses that have two sections for correcting both close and distant vision.

ignominy

disgrace, humiliation, shame

aboveboard

without dishonesty of trickery

anecdote

brief story of an interesting or amusing incident

bedlam

noisy confusion

martinet

strict disciplinarian

indolent

lazy

meander

follow a winding course; wander idly or aimlessly

precocious

advanced beyond one’s age

scapegoat

someone blamed for the faults of other

shibboleth

password, slogan or custom characteristic of a certain group and used to distinguish that group; empty, outworn expression or doctrine

induce

persuade, bring about, cause

seduce

lead astray; persuade one to do wrong; persuade one to have sexual intercourse

abduct

carry off by force; kidnap

traduce

slander

conducive

leading, contributing, promoting, helpful

agnostic

One who believes it’s impossible to know whether or not God exists

nepotism

favoritism to relatives in giving jobs and offices

enigmatic

puzzling, mysterious, and perplexing

blatant

completely obvious, often offensively so; shameless

nebulous

unclear, hazy, indistinct

procrustean

forcing rigid conformity

denigrate

defame, speak ill of, attack the reputation of

prosaic

commonplace, dull, uninspired

docile

easily managed, controlled, or taught; gentle; submissive

boycott

refuse to deal with as a means of protest and persuasion

carnage

great slaughter; massacre

carnal

pertaining to desires of the flesh; sensual, sexual, lustful, worldly

carnivorous

flesh-eating

incarnate

having bodily form, especially human form; personified

reincarnation

rebirth in another body