Lit Vocab

acquisitive

(adj.) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property

arrogate

(v.) to claim or take without right

banal

(adj.) so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring

belabor

(v.) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

carping

(adj.) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n.) petty, nagging criticism

coherent

(adj.) holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful

congeal

(v.) to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid

emulate

(v.) to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model

encomium

(n.) a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute

eschew

(v.) to avoid, shun, keep away from

excoriation

(v.) a strong denunciation; the act or state of stripping or wearing off the skin

germane

(adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

insatiable

(adj.) so great or demanding as not to be satisfied

intransigent

(adj.) refusing to compromise, irreconcilable

invidious

(adj.) offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment

largesse

(n.) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions

ramify

(v.) to divide and spread out like branches; to separate into divisions

reconnaissance

(n.) a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination

substantiate

(v.) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to

taciturn

(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little

temporize

(v.) to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise

tenable

(adj.) capable of being held or defended

avid

(adj) desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager

halcyon

(n.) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj.) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent

devious

(adj.) straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way

accost

(v.) to approach and speak to first

incendiary

(adj.) deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; (n.) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife

animadversion

(n.) a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval

convenant

(n.) a solemn agreement

gambit

(n.) in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of a minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type

brackish

(adj.) having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink

histrionic

(adj.) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic

celerity

(n.) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action

suppliant

(adj.) asking humbly and earnestly; (n.) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor

propound

(v.) to put forward, offer, suggest for consideration; to set forth

propriety

(n) the state of being proper, appropriateness; (pl) standards of what is proper or socially acceptable

overt

(adj.) open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized

undulate

(v.) to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form

sacrilage

(n.) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred

talisman

(n.) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

myopic

(adj.) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment

summarily

(adv.) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely

articulate

(v.) To pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; to fit together into a system; (adj.) able to use language effectively; expressed clearly and forcefully

cavort

(v.) to romp or prance around exuberantly; to make merry

credence

(n.) belief, mental acceptance

decry

(v.) to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate

derogatory

(adj.) designed to belittle or degrade; disparaging

dissemble

(v.) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression

distraught

(adj.) very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict

eulogy

(n.) a formal statement of commendation; high praise

evince

(v.) to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke

exhume

(v.) to remove from a grave; to bring to light

feckless

(adj.) lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable

intractable

(adj.) hard to manage, stubborn, not responsive to discipline

murky

(adj.) dark and gloomy, obscure; lacking in clarity and precision

nefarious

(adj.) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards

piquant

(adj.) stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative

primordial

(adj.) developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest stage; fundamental, basic

propinquity

(n.) nearness in place or time; kinship

unwonted

(adj.) not usual or expected; not in character

utopian

(adj.) founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical

verbiage

(n.) language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness; a manner of expression

verdant

(adj.) green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgment

viscous

(adj.) having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity

asseverate

(v.) to affirm earnestly and with emphasis

atrophy

(n.) the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; (v.) to waste away

bastion

(n.) a fortified place, stronghold

concord

(n.) a state of agreement, harmony, unanimity; a treaty, pact, covenant

consummate

(adj.) complete or perfect in the highest degree; (v.) to bring to a state of completion or perfection

disarray

(n.) disorder, confusion; (v.) to throw into disorder

exigency

(n., often pl.) urgency, pressure; urgent demand, pressing need; an emergency

flotsam

(n.) floating debris; homeless, impoverished people.

frenetic

(adj.) frenzied, highly agitated

glean

(v.) to gather bit by bit; to gather small quantities of grain left in a field by the reapers

grouse

(n.) a type of game bird; a complaint; (v.) to complain, grumble

incarcerate

(v.) to imprison, confine, jail

incumbent

(adj.) obligatory, required; (n.) one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of

jocular

(adj.) humorous, jesting, jolly, joking

ludicrous

(adj.) ridiculous, laughable, absurd

mordant

(adj.) biting or caustic in thought, manner, or style; sharply or bitterly harsh

nettle

(n.) a prickly or stinging plant; (v.) to arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex or irritate severely

pecuniary

(adj.) consisting of or measured in money; of or related to money

prepossessing

(adj.) pleasing, tending to create a favorable impression

pusillanimous

(adj.) contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited

recumbent

(adj.) in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting

stratagem

(n.) a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end

acuity

(n.) sharpness (particularly of the mind or senses)

delineate

(v.) to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially

depraved

(adj.) marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principles

emend

(v.) to correct or revise a written text

enervate

(v.) to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring

esoteric

(adj.) intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret

fecund

(adj.) fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive

fiat

(n.) an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of will or consciousness

figment

(n.) a fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion

garner

(v.) to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use

hallow

(v.) to set apart as holy or sacred, sanctify, consecrate; to honor greatly, revere

idiosyncrasy

(n.) a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify

ignominy

(n.) shame and disgrace

malediction

(n.) a curse, expression of hatred and condemnation