two lives vocabulary

gertrude and alice

Pretentious

expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature

Callow

immature

Preciousness

highly esteemed or cherished

Waspishly

resembling a wasp in behavior

Magisterial

of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a master of teacher

Semitism

the fact or quality of being Jewish; Jewishness

Foray

a sudden or irregular invasion or attack for war or spoils; raid

Unflagging

tireless

Avant-garde

an intelligentsia that develops new or experimental concepts especially in the arts

Koan

a paradox to be meditated upon that is used to train Zen Buddhist monks to abandon ultimate dependence on reason and to force them into gaining sudden intuitive enlightenment

Elusive

hard to isolate or identify

Ambiguity

uncertainty

Corroboration

to support with evidence or authority: make more certain

Meshuggener

a wildly irrational or foolish person

Vacillation

inability to take a stand: indecision

Ungrudging

being without envy or reluctance

Paroxysm

a sudden violent emotion or action

Cajoling

to persuade with flattery or gentle urging especially in the face of reluctance: coax

Conspicuous

obvious to the eye or mind

Rentier

a person who lives on income from property or securities

Individualism

the habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant

Contemptuous

manifesting, feeling, or expressing deep hatred or disapproval: feeling or showing contempt

Tutelage

the state of being under a guardian or tutor

Indignation

anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean

Hermetic

airtight; recluse or solitary; impervious to external influence

Anteroom

a small outer room that leads to another room and that is often used as a waiting room

Fatuous

complacently or inanely foolish: silly

Stultifying

to impair, invalidate, or make ineffective: negate

Neurosis

a mental and emotional disorder that affects only part of the personality

Prodigious

causing amazement or wonder

Literary vandalism

vandalism is deliberately mischievous or malicious destruction or damage of property

Dreary

having nothing to provide cheer, comfort, or interest; gloomy, dismal

Dismal

showing or causing gloom or depression

Peril

exposure to the risk of being injured, destroyed, or lost: danger

Nascent

coming or having recently come into existence

Slavish

of or characteristic of someone held in forced servitude; low; oppressive, tyrannical

Perverse

turned away from what is right or good: corrupt; wrongheaded

Instigate

to urge forward: provoke

Edict

a proclamation having the force of law

Astute

having or showing shrewdness and an ability to notice and understand things clearly: mentally sharp or clever

Burly

strongly and heavily built: husky

Affable

being pleasant and at ease in talking to others

Loquacious

full of excessive talk: wordy

Dissertation

an extended usually written treatment of a subject (specifically submitted for a doctorate)

Jeopardized

to expose to danger or risk: imperil

Traditionalist

an advocate of maintaining tradition, especially so as to resist change

Affinity

likeness based on relationship or casual connection

Rapt

lifted up and carried away; wholly absorbed

Anarchy

a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to the absence of governmental authority

Lockstep

a mode of marching by a body of men going one after another as closely as possible

Austere

stern and cold in appearance or manner

Beguile

to lead by deception

Subvert

to overturn or overthrow from the foundation

Repose

a state of resting after exertion or strain

Punitive

inflicting, involving, or aiming at punishment

Sadomasochism

the derivation of sexual gratification from the infliction of physical pain or humiliation either on another person or on oneself

Tortuous

marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns; marked by devious or indirect tactics

Prefatory

of, relating to, or constituting a preface

Detestable

arousing or meriting intense dislike: abominable

Obsequious

marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness

Inane

lacking significance, insubstantial

Staunchest

steadfast in loyalty or principle

Mischievous

able or tending to cause annoyance, trouble, or minor injury

Semite

a member of any of a number of peoples of ancient southwestern Asia including the Akkadians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, and Arabs

Corpulent

having a large bulky body: obese

Variegated

having discrete markings of different colors

Rueful

exciting pity or sympathy: pitiable

Relinquish

to give over possession or control of: yield

Prerogative

an exclusive or special right, power, or privilege

Evasiveness

tending or intended to evade

Contrive

devise, plan; to bring about by stratagem or with difficulty: manage

Scrupulous

having moral integrity: activity in strict regard for what is considered right or proper

Prefecture

the office or term of office of a prefect

Ambivalence

simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward an object, person, or action

Barbarism

the practice or display of barbarian acts, attitudes, or ideas

Realism

concern for fact or reality and rejection of the impractical and visionary

Rouse

to arouse from or as if from sleep or repose: awaken

Imminent

ready to take place: happening soon

Cravenness

lacking the least bit of courage: contemptibly fainthearted

Poshlost

a Russian word for a particular negative human character trait or man-made thing or idea

Repatriation

the act or process of restoring or returning someone or something to the country of origin, allegiance, or citizenship: the act of repatriating or the state of being repatriated

Consternation

amazement or dismay that hinders or throws into confusion

Congenial

pleasant, sociable, genial

Polemic

an aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another

Supplication

to make a humble entreaty; especially to pray to God

Germinal

being in the earliest stage of development; creative, productive

Pernicious

highly injurious or destructive: deadly

Piffle

to talk or act in a trivial, inept, or ineffective way

Prolix

marked by or using an excess of words

Aplomb

complete and confident composure or self-assurance

Imprecate

to invoke evil on: curse

Inchoate

imperfectly formed or formulated: formless, incoherent

Concision

the quality or state of being concise

Morass

a situation that traps, confuses, or impedes

Reify

to consider or represent (something abstract) as material or concrete thing to give definite content and form to (a concept or idea)

Incantation

a use of spells or verbal charms spoken or sung as a part of a ritual of magic

Allayed

to subdue or reduce in intensity or severity: alleviate

Incommunicability

incapable of being communicated or imparted

Monotonous

uttered or sounded in one unvarying tone: marked by a sameness of pitch and intensity

Alacrity

promptness in response: cheerful readiness