FINAL UNIT 1-4 VOCAB WESTERN LIT

Assuage

To make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench

Decadence

Decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence

Elicit

To draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person)

Hiatus

A gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing)

Innuendo

A hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense)

Lurid

Causing shock, horror, or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow in color; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restraint

Petulant

Peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset

Prerogative

A special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence

Transcend

To rise above or beyond, exceed

Bombastic

Pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas.

Epitome

A summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality

Infringe

To violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds

Intrinsic

Belonging to someone or something by its very nature, essential, inherent; originating in a bodily organ or part

Lassitude

Weariness of body or mind, lack of energy

Occult

Mysterious, magical, supernatural; secret, hidden from view; not detectable by ordinary means

Permeate

To spread through, penetrate, soak through

Stringent

Strict, severe; rigorously or urgently binding or compelling; sharp or bitter to the taste

Surmise

To think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to conjecture or guess

Abominate

To have an intense dislike or hatred for

Ascribe

To assign or refer to (as a cause or source), attribute

Circuitous

Roundabout, not direct

Commiserate

To sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress

Expedite

To make easy, cause to progress faster

Inadvertent

Resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental

Nominal

Existing in name only, not real; too small to be considered or taken seriously

Proclivity

A natural or habitual inclination or tendency (especially of human character or behavior)

Tenuous

Thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance or significance; lacking a sound basis, poorly supported

Vitriolic

Bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting (like a strong acid)

Affable

Courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to

Amorphous

Shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion

Erudite

Scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic

Inscrutable

Incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically

Insular

Relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience

Irrevocable

Incapable of being changed or called back

Propensity

A natural inclination or predilection toward

Querulous

Peevish, complaining, fretful

Repudiate

To disown, reject, or deny the validity of

Reverberate

To re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly

Drivel

Saliva or mucus flowing from the nose or mouth; foolish or aimless talking.