English 12 - Last Vocab

farcical

absurd, ridiculous, or laughably exaggerated (like a farce)

fidelity

faithfulness to a person/cause/belief demonstrated by loyalty and support

haphazard

lacking any obvious principle of organization; random/unorganized

hazardous

risky/dangerous

hierarchy

a system/organization in which people/groups are ranked one above the other according to status and authority

holocaust

destruction/slaughter on a mass scale, especially caused by fire or nuclear war

• e.g. ww2 holocaust

imminent

about to happen

impenetrable

impossible to pass through or enter

impoverish

(of a person/area) to make poor

inaudible

unable to be heard

indolent

wanting to avoid activity/exertion; lazy

intangible

unable to be touched/grasped; not having physical presence

jettison

to throw/drop something from an aircraft or ship

lamentable

• deplorably bad/unsatisfactory circumstances or conditions

• full of or expressing grief/sorrow

machination

a plot/scheme

maudlin

self-pitying/tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness

meagre

• (of something provided/available) lacking in quantity or quality

• (of a person/animal) lean, thin

melancholy

a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause

mercenary

• (adj.) primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics

• (n.) a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army

misapprehension

a mistaken belief/interpretation about something

nonchalance

feeling/appearing casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm

obscene

• offensive to moral principles; repugnant

• (of sexual matters) offensive/vulgar by accepted standards of morality and decency

pathos

a quality that evokes pity, sadness, or compassion

petulant

childishly sulky or bad-tempered

plausible

seemingly probable/reasonable

poignant

• evoking a keen sense of sadness/regret

• sharp/pungent in taste or smell

precocious

showing abilities or maturity at an usually early age

presumption

• an idea taken to be true without proof

• bold/arrogant behaviour

reciprocate

respond to a gesture/action by giving or doing something in return

reverberate

(of a loud noise) to echo/resound repeatedly

rigorous

extremely thorough/strict/harsh

rudimentary

• involving or limited to basic principles

• immature, elementary, basic, or underdeveloped

smattering

a small/superficial amount of knowledge (or something)

stodgy

dull and uninspired; old-fashioned

transcend

• to go beyond the limits of (something abstract)

• to surpass (a person/achievement)

transient

temporary/impermanent; lasting only for a short time

ubiquitous

present, appearing, or found everywhere

utilitarian

designed to be useful/practical rather than attractive; functional

vernacular

the language/dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country/region

voracious

• wanting or devouring great quantities of food; hungry/greedy

• having a very eager approach to an activity