Unit 4

Fortuitous

Happening by chance or accident.

Hedonism

The pursuit of pleasure, especially of the senses.

Shibboleth

A word or pronunciation that distinguishes someone as of a particular group.

Perfunctory

Done without care; in a routine fashion.

Besmirch

To make dirty; to stain.

Demeanor

Behavior; the manner of conducting oneself.

Imperative

Extremely necessary; vitally important.

Sadistic

Deriving pleasure from inflicting pain on others.

Facetious

Comical; jocular, flippant.

Recapitulate

To summarize; to repeat briefly.

Baroque

Overly decorated.

Obloquy

Strong disapproval; a bad reputation resulting from public criticism.

Debacle

A complete failure; a total collapse.

Quasi-

Resembling; seeming; half.

Sacrosanct

Extremely holy.