Honors English 3-4 - Semester 2 List 5 Vocabulary

nonchalance

cool indifference or lack of concern; casualness.

nostalgia

a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations

Obliterate

Destroy utterly; wipe out.

Obsolete

No longer produced or used; out of date.

Omnipotent

(Of a deity) having unlimited power; able to do anything.

Orifice

An opening (such as a vent, mouth, or hole) through which something may pass.

Palpitate

(Of the heart) beat rapidly, strongly, or irregularly.

Pallid

(Of a person’s face) pale, typically because of poor health.

Paragon

A person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality.

Parody

An imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.

Pensive

Engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought.

Perjury

The offense of willfully telling an untruth in a court after having taken an oath or affirmation.

Philanthropist

A person who seeks to promote the welfare of others, especially by the generous donation of money to good causes.

Pinnacle

The highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame, etc.

Plethora

A large or excessive amount of something.

Posterity

Succeeding or future generations.

Pragmatic

Dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.

Precarious

Dependent on chance circumstances, unknown conditions, or uncertain developments.

Precipitous

Dangerously high or steep.

Prevaricate

Speak or act in an evasive way.

Prodigious

Remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree.

Nondescript

Lacking distinctive or interesting features or characteristics; bland.

Novel

New or unusual in an interesting way; fresh.

Pivotal

Important in relation to the development or success of something else; crucial.

Philistine

A person who is hostile or indifferent to cultures and the arts, or who has no understanding of them.

Placate

To make someone or a group of people less angry or hostile.

Redolent

Strongly similar or suggestive of something.

Redress

To set right an unfair or undesirable situation.

Red Tape

Excessive adherence to rules and formalities; especially in bureaucracies or public business.

Referendum

A direct and official vote by voters on a single political question; usually a specific issue, proposal, or law.

Regale

To occupy someone by entertaining or amusing them with talk.

Superlative

Of the highest quality or degree; the best alternative.

Surly

Menacing or threatening in appearance.

Surreptitiously

In ways that attempt to avoid notice or attention; secretively.

Sybarite

A person who is notably self-indulgent in expensive things or pleasure; a pleasure seeker.

Sycophant

A person who is excessively obedient or flattery with someone important to gain favor or advantage; a bootlicker.

Taciturn

Of a person, reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.

Whet

Excite or stimulate someone’s desire, interest, or appetite.

Wispy

Fine, thin, delicate, or vague; typically describing smoke, hair, or anything barely perceptible.

Wistful

Having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing; yearning.

Zany

Amusingly unconventional and peculiar; bizarre.