English Vocab S1

serendipity

noun. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident

Tawdry

adj. having a cheap appearance; gaudy

Tempestuous

adj. tumultuous, turbulent

Unbridled

adj. Not controlled or restrained

Lachrymose

adj. suggestive of tears or mournful

Nadir

noun. the lowest point; the point of great adversity and despair

Obdurate

adj. 1) hard hearted; unmoved by persuasion;

2) stubborn or resistant

Paucity

noun. smallness of quantity; scarcity

Abjure

verb. to recant, to repudiate to renounce solemnly

Bailiwick

noun. a person’s area of skill, knowledge, authority or work

Colloquial

adj. used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary

Defenestration

noun. the act of throwing someone out of a window

Didactic

adj. intended for instruction; inclined to teach or lecture

Dissemble

verb. to give false, misleading appearance to; to feign

Egregious

adj. extraordinary in a bad way; glaring and flagrant.

Facade

noun a superficial appearance or illusion of something

Harangue

noun. a scolding or long and intense verbal attack

Imperturbable

adj. incapable of being upset or agitated, not easily excited; calm

Labile

adj. apt or likely to change

Penchant

noun. a strong inclination, taste or liking for something.

Abscond

verb. to run away and hide, to avoid arrest

Anachronism

noun. something that is not correct in its historical or chronological time

Baleful

adj. full of menacing or malign influences; pernicious

Depravity

noun. the state of moral corruption

Eschew

verb. to abstain or keep away from; to shun or avoid

Facile

adj. moving acting, proceeding with ease; easy in manner

Fastidious

adj. finicky and picky, hard to please

Hackneyed

adj. made commonplace or trite; banal

Immutable

adj. not changeable

Impasse

noun. a position or situation from which there is no escape; a deadlock

Lackadaisical

adj. without interest or vigor; lazy indolent

Lagniappe

noun. a gratuity or tip; an unexpected benefit

Obliterate

verb. to remove or destroy all traces of

Pedantic

adj. ostentatious in one’s learning; acting superior when teaching small details

Panache

noun. a grand and flamboyant manner; flair; style

Savant

noun. a profound scholar; a person of extensive learning

Temerity

noun. recklessness, boldness, rashness

Trenchant

adj. vigorous or incisive in expression or style

Unfathomable

adj. not able to comprehend

Unheralded

adj. appearing without fanfare or advance acclaimed; appearing without prior announcement

analogous

adj. corresponding to something in particular

Banal

adj. devoid of freshness or originality; hackneyed and trite

Bombastic

adj. high sounding, inflated; pretentious ( of speech/writing)

Capacious

adj. Spacious or roomy

Capricious

adj. erratic; unpredictable; constantly changing

Copious

adj. large in quantity or number; abundant or plentiful

Deprecate

verb. to express disapproval

Diatribe

noun. a bitter, sharply abusive attack or criticism

Esprit de corps

noun. a sense of unity and common interests developed among a group of people closely associated in a task

Euphemism

noun. the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one that is too harsh or blunt

Ferment

1. noun. agitation; unrest; excitement; commotion tumult

2. verb. to incite or stir up trouble

Impressionable

adj. easily impressed or influenced; susceptible

Largesse

noun. a generous bestowal of gifts

Leaven

1. noun. an element that produces an altering or transforming influence

2. verb. to permeate with an altering or transforming element

Neophyte

noun. a beginner or novice

Noisome

adj. 1. having an offensive odor 2. harmful or injurious to the health

Perfidious

adj. deliberately faithless; deceitful; treacherous

Perfunctory

adj. performed as a routine duty; hasty and superficial

Scurrilous

grossly and obscenely abusive; making scandalous claims with the intention of damaging a person’s reputation

Unsolicited

adj. given or supplied without being requested or asked for

acerbic

adj. 1) sour and acidic in taste 2) harsh or severe as in temper

Bray

1) noun. any loud harsh sound 2) verb- to utter a loud and harsh cry ( like a donkey ) 

Coalesce

verb. to grow together into one body; to unite; to blend together 

Contrite

adj. caused by showing sincere remorse; filled with a sense of guilt 

Cupidity

noun. eager or excessive desire to possess something; greed; avarice

depredation

noun. the act of plundering or robbery

dissonant

adj. disagreeing or harsh in sound; discordant

Ex post facto

adv. subsequently, retrospectively

Exacerbate

verb. to increase the severity of ; to aggravate

feign

verb. to represent fictitiously’ to imitate deceptively

Impunity

noun. exemption from punishment

Incendiary

adj. tending to arouse strife; tending to cause flame ( literal or figurative)

Kiosk

noun. a small structure with one or more sides open as a newsstand, refreshment stand or place which advertisements are posted

Limpid

adj. clear or transparent as water

Nether

adj. 1) lying or believed to lie beneath the earth’s surface ; 2) lower or under

Officious

adj, offering one’s unrequested and unwanted services; meddlesome

Pejorative

adj. belittling; having disparaging effect

Prosaic

adj. commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact

Sophomoric

adj. suggestive of being immature but overly confident and conceited

Soporific

adj. causing sleep

Apogee

noun.  the highest or most distant point; the cimax

Bevy

noun 1.a group of birds or animals 2) a large group or collection 

Breach

noun. an infraction or violation of law

Carmine

noun. a crimson or purplish red color

Categorical

adj. unambiguously direct and explicit

Diffident

adj. timid and shy; reserved in manner or conduct; lacking confidence 

Disingenuous

adj. insincere; lacking in candor or sincerity

Excoriation

noun. the act of denouncing or berating or berating severely 2) the act of stripping or removing skin

Exculpate

verb. to clear from a charge of guilt; to free from blame; to vindicate 

Fey

adj. supernatural; unreal; enchanted; whimsically strange and otherworldly 

Incense

verb. to inflame with wrath; to make angry; to enrage

Incisive

adj. intelligently analytical and clear-thinking

Noxious

adj. Harmful to health or well-being

Omnipotent

adj. almighty or infinite in power

Perfuse

verb. to overspread with moisture and color; to diffuse

Quotidian

adj. Daily; usual or customary; everyday and ordinary

Rancid

adj. having a rank, unpleasant smell or taste

Sequester

verb. to remove or withdraw into solitude or retirement; to separate 

Tremulous 

adj. timid; shaking; quivering in fear

Upbraid

verb. to find fault with; to censure; to reproach severely