ENG 9H SEM 2 FINAL

heed

to listen to

hinder

to obstruct; to get in the way of

irascible

irritable

merger

a joining or marriage

nostalgic

yearning for the old days

pretentious

pompous, self-important

saccharin

sickly sweet; falsely sweet

stanza

a section of a poem; verse

venerate

to honor

vilify

to speak of as a villain

obfuscate

to confuse; to darken or becloud

surreal

dreamlike; eerie; bizarre

peripatetic

itinerant; traveling from place to place

obviate

to make unnecessary; clear out of the way; remove

proscribe

to condemn; to prohibit as wrong or dangerous

replete

abundantly supplied

byzantine

of or characterized by devious or surreptitious manner of operation; intricately involved or labyrinthine; convoluted

portentous

ominous; threatening

vignette

a short descriptive literary sketch

primordial

existing at the very beginning

hyperbolic

exaggerated

tongue-in-cheek

with sly humor; not to be taken seriously

aphoristic

stating a general truth

metaphysical

abstract; philosophical; theoretical

plaintive

mournful; sad

pathetic

moving; pitiful

rhetorical question

a question asked only for effect, not for the information

redemptive

made good; fulfilled; liberate

hypothetical

theoretical; for the sake of argument

recalcitrant

stubbornly disobedient

ambulatory

able to walk

diffidence

shyness

drone

to talk on and on in a dull way

gullible

overly trusting; willing to believe anything

marred

damaged; bruised

nullify

to make unimportant

parsimony

stinginess

propriety

properness; correctness

rejuvenate

to make young and strong again

skeptical

doubting

tenacious

tough; hard to defeat

animated

alive; moving

authentic

real

biased

not neutral; on one side or the other

blithe

free spirited

dearth

lack

divert

to change the direction of; to alter the course of; to amuse

enthrall

to thrall

prudent

careful, cautious

verbose

wordy, very talkative

pedestrian

common; ordinary; banal

innocuous

harmless

fanatic

one who is extremely devoted to a cause or idea

enhance

to make better; to augment

retract

to take back

paucity

scarcity; lack

rescind

to repeal; to take back formally

zeal

enthusiasm; zest

benign

not causing harm

compliant

submissive; easy to persuade or control

emulate

to copy something admired; to imitate

innumerable

too many to count; many

meander

to wander slowly

Authoritarian

like a dictator

brawn

bulk; muscles

contrite

deeply apologetic; remorseful

exemplify

to serve as an example of

facilitate

to make easier

deplete

to use up; to reduce; to lessen

amity

friendship

stringent

strict; harsh; severe

voluminous

very large; spacious (this word has nothing to do with sound)

auspicious

favorable; looking up

fickle

capricious; whimsical; unpredictable

lethargic

tired; languid

hackneyed

banal; overused

amass

to accumulate

willful

stubborn

bastion

stronghold; fortress

trepidation

fear

desecrate

to profane a holy place

fortuitous

accidental; occurring by chance

vehement

urgent; passionate

assuage

to soothe

prodigious

very large

torpid

sluggish; lethargic

furtive

secretive

supercilious

arrogant, haughty

predecessor

someone or something that came before another

jeopardy

danger

tangible

touchable; significant

indulgent

pampering; satisfying desires

remorse

sadness; regret

pivotal

important; critical; crucial

scrupulous

careful; diligent; moral

refute

to disprove

respite

a rest; a pause; a break

stoic

indifferent to pleasure or pain

volatile

changeable; unstable; explosive

peripheral

on the edge; surrounding; not important