Vocab 11-12

alienate

To turn away the normal feelings of fondness toward anyone; to estrange.

celestial

Having to do with the heavens; divine.

desecrate

To treat with disrespect.

enervate

To weaken; to lessen the strength of.

furtive

Done quickly and with stealth to avoid being noticed; secret.

incisive

Keen; penetrating.

lucid

Easily understood; rational; clear; clear-minded.

peruse

To study; to read.

rejuvenate

To make young or fresh again.

scapegoat

One taking the blame for the mistakes and crimes of others.

tawdry

Gaudy and cheap; vulgarly ornamental.

unethical

Not conforming to approved standards of behavior.

verbose

Wordy; tedious.

wither

To dry; to shrivel; to cause to lose courage or to be ashamed.

zealot

A person who shows great enthusiasm for a cause.

alleviate

To make easier to endure; to relieve; to diminish.

censure

To blame; to criticize adversely.

despot

Monarch with unlimited power.

engender

To cause; produce; bring into being.

incongruous

Inappropriate; out of place.

philistine

Narrow-minded; smugly conventional.

relegate

To put in a less important position; to assign; to banish.

scoff

To mock or jeer at; to make fun of.

tedious

Long or verbose and wearisome; tiresome; boring.

ungainly

Clumsy; awkward; hard to handle.

viable

Able to live or exist; practicable.

writhe

To twist or squirm, as in pain; to suffer from shame or shyness.

zenith

The point in the sky directly above one; the highest point.

aloof

Indifferent; unsympathetic; not interested; apart.

chastise

To criticize severely.