Hallstrom Semester 1 Final Vocabulary

Aberration

A departure from the normal or typical.

Acute

Sharp or severe in effect; intense.

Amicable

Characterized by friendliness and goodwill.

Analysis

Detailed examination of elements or structure.

Anaphora

Repetition of a word or phrase at beginnings.

Appalling

Causing shock or dismay; horrific.

Aphorism

A concise statement of a general truth.

Assert

To state a fact or belief confidently.

Assiduous

Showing great care and perseverance.

Benevolence

Desire to do good; kindness.

Benevolent

Well-meaning and kindly.

Bland

Lacking strong features or characteristics.

Callow

Inexperienced and immature.

Capricious

Given to sudden changes in mood.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical inversion of the second of two parallel structures.

Chafed

Irritated or rubbed raw.

Condescending

Showing a patronizing superiority.

Complacency

Self-satisfaction, often unaware of potential dangers.

Complacent

Showing smug or uncritical satisfaction.

Compound sentence

A sentence with at least two independent clauses.

Correlate

To show a mutual relationship or connection.

Cordon

A line of police or guards preventing access.

Colon

A punctuation mark used to introduce lists.

Cursory

Hasty and therefore not thorough.

Dash

A punctuation mark indicating a break in thought.

Deconstruction

A critical approach that seeks to expose contradictions.

Deference

Respectful submission or yielding to the judgment.

Deluge

A severe flood or overwhelming amount.

Deleterious

Causing harm or damage.

Derivative

Imitative of the work of another.

Derogatory

Showing a critical or disrespectful attitude.

Didactic

Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction.

Dispel

To drive away or cause to vanish.

Eclectic

Deriving ideas from a broad range of sources.

Elation

Great happiness and exhilaration.

Eloquent

Fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing.

Ensued

Happened or occurred afterward.

Effusive

Expressing feelings of gratitude or pleasure.

Epitome

A person or thing that is a perfect example.

Excruciating

Intensely painful or distressing.

Exultant

Triumphantly happy.

Ethos

The characteristic spirit of a culture or community.

Facilitate

To make an action or process easier.

Fastidious

Very attentive to detail; meticulous.

Frivolous

Not having any serious purpose or value.

Gaudy

Extravagantly bright or showy.

Gratuitous

Uncalled for; lacking good reason.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.

Hypophora

Rhetorical question followed by an answer.

Imperative

Of vital importance; crucial.

Immune

Protected from a disease or harm.

Imperceptible

Impossible to perceive; very slight.

Impetuous

Acting quickly without thought or care.

Inanimate

Not alive; lacking consciousness.

Indolent

Wanting to avoid activity; lazy.

Ingenious

Clever, original, and inventive.

Inert

Lacking the ability or strength to move.

Interminable

Endless or seemingly endless.

Irrelevant

Not connected with or relevant to something.

Irreverent

Showing a lack of respect for things.

Juxtaposition

Placing two elements close together for comparison.

Judicious

Having or showing good judgment.

Laborious

Requiring considerable effort and time.

Languid

Weak or faint from illness or fatigue.

Lavish

Sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious.

Logos

Appeal to logic and reason.

Lucid

Clear and easy to understand.

Malicious

Intended to do harm.

Malign

Evil in nature or effect.

Manifest

Clear or obvious to the eye.

Mercurial

Subject to sudden changes of mood.

Metaphor

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things.

Misgivings

Feelings of doubt or apprehension.

Modicum

A small quantity of a particular thing.

Myriad

Countless or extremely great in number.

Nominal

Existing in name only; not real.

Nonchalant

Feeling or appearing casually calm.

Nostalgic

Longing for the past.

Ominous

Giving the impression that something bad will happen.

Omit

To leave out or exclude.

Opulent

Rich and luxurious.

Ostentatious

Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines contradictory terms.

Pathos

Appeal to emotion.

Paradox

A statement that contradicts itself but may be true.

Pendulous

Hanging down loosely.

Perilous

Full of danger or risk.

Poetic justice

A situation where virtue is rewarded.

Poignant

Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.

Precursor

A person or thing that comes before another.

Preposterous

Contrary to reason or common sense.

Predominant

Present as the strongest or main element.

Pretentious

Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance.

Pious

Devoutly religious.

Pivotal

Of crucial importance in relation to the development.

Provisional

Arranged or existing for the present.

Propensity

An inclination or natural tendency to behave.

Recoiled

Suddenly spring or flinch back in fear.

Remedy

A means of counteracting or eliminating something.

Resolute

Determined and unwavering.