Week 2 Freshmen Vocabulary: Princeton Hit Parade, Week 6 Sophomore Vocabulary: Princeton Hit Parade, Week 5 Sophomore Vocabulary: Princeton Hit Parade, Week 3 Sophomore Vocabulary: Princeton Hit Parade, Week 4 Sophomore Vocabulary: Princeton Hit Para...

subtle

not obvious: hard to spot

stagnant

not moving

candid

honest; frank

discern

to distinguish one thing from the other

hypocritical

insincere

disdain

contempt; intense dislike

abstract

theoretical; lacking substance (the opposite of concrete

valid

founded on fact or evidence

inevitable

unavoidable; bound to happen

eccentric

odd; unusual; quirky

scanty

inadequate; minimal

alleviate

to lighten or relieve

negligence

carelessness; neglect; indifference

endorse

to approve or give one's support to

conspicuous

easily seen; out in the open

relegate

to dismiss to an inferior position

incessant

unceasing; never ending

condone

to forgive; to overlook

tranquility

calmness

dissent

disagreement

infamous

notorious; scandalous

authoritarian

like a dictator

reticent

quiet; uncommunicative

redundant

extra; unnecessary; superfluous

deference (defer)

to show respect

vacillate

to waiver between choices

fervor

passion; zeal

dispassionate

free from passion or spirit

pragmatic

practical

didactic

instructive

censure

to blame; to criticize

arbitrary

subject to individual judgement

solicit

to ask for; to seek

condescend

to talk down to

irrational

unreasonable

fallacious (fallacy)

false

intangible

abstract; not able to be touched

arrogant

feeling superior to others

taciturn

quiet; saying little

compatible

able to co-exist; harmonious

dubious

doubtful; unclear

elusive (elude)

tough to catch; hard to pin down

compromise

to settle by concession or surrender

flagrant

shocking; outstandingly bad

static

stationary; not moving (not radio fuzz)

ironic

satiric; unexpected

dogmatic

stubbornly opinionated

facilitate

to make easier; to help

frivolous

not serious; trivial; silly

exhaustive

thorough; complete

extol

to praise

erratic

irregular; without direction

euphony

pleasant sound (opposite of cacophony)

advocate

to speak in favor of; to support

insipid

bland; boring; tasteless

indulgent

pampering oneself; satisfying desires

antagonism

opposition; hostility; resistance

austere

severe; without frills

expedite (expedient)

to make faster or easier

heresy

an opinion violently opposed to established beliefs

enduring

lasting

pehnomenon

an observable fact or occurrence

solitude

the state of being alone

tentative

not final

provocative

exciting; attracting attention

depravity

moral corruption

adversary

an opponent; enemy

gravity (grave)

seriousness (secondary meaning

banal

common; dull; ordinary

temper

to moderate; to soften (secondary meaning)

superficial

on the surface; shallow

contempt

to think little of someone

lucid (elucidate)

clear; easy to understand

immune

safe from harm; protected

aesthetic

having to do with art or beauty

inclined

tending toward one direction

prodigal

extravagant; wasteful

uniform

constant; without variety

assess

to estimate the value of; to measure

censor

one who deletes objectionable matter

complacent

smug; self-satisfied; overly confident

eloquence

speaking well

virtue

moral excellence

guile

cunning; deceitfulness

biased

not neutral; prejudiced

monotonous

without variety; tiresomely uniform

contemporary

living at the same time, modern

profound

deep; insightful (the opposite of superficial)

enhance

to make better

deter

to prevent; to stop; to keep from doing something

provincial

narrow-minded; unsophisticated

inferred

derived by reasoning; implied as a conclusion

diverse

varied

apprehensive

fearful; worried

vulnerable

capable of being harmed

benevolent

kind; good-hearted; generous

pious (piety)

deeply religious

skeptical

doubting (the opposite of gullible)

resignation

acceptance of a situation (secondary meaning)

illuminate

to light up; to make clear