Vocab

abound

be present in large quantities

amorphous

lacking structure; unclear

austere (of a person)

strict and stern in character

austere (of living conditions)

lacking luxury; extremely harsh

belie

giving false impression of; mask

capricious

having varying moods; fickle

cerebral

1. related to brain; 2. intellectual; focused on learning rather than emotion

congenial (of a person)

likable and friendly, often due to shared interests

congenial (of a thing)

enjoyable because it aligns with one’s tendencies

conspicuous

easily noticed; obvious

cursory

lacking effort; without care

daunting

scary or frightening

daunting (of a task)

seeming impossible

deify

look up to someone or something as a god

didactic

meant for teaching; educational, sometimes in a condescending manner

disseminate

distribute or circulate broadly

feasible

likely to achieve; practical

flout

break a rule without guilt

homogenous

composed of similar parts; alike

humdrum

boring; unlikely to excite

insipid

without flavor; lacking energy

loquacious

likely to talk a lot; wordy

misanthropic

having a distaste for humans and society

misnomer

a misleading or inaccurate name

negligent

lacking care or attention

obsequious

excessively submissive to authority

placate

decrease someone’s anger or other negative emotion

proclivity

a fondness or liking for something

puerile

immature and childish

quixotic

excessively visionary; unfeasible

spendthrift

someone who spends money recklessly

taciturn

of few words; speaking little

wary

exercising caution; careful

adulterate

damage the quality of

advocate

support; be in favor of someone who supports a cause, organization, or person

aggrandize

enhance one’s power or standing

alacrity

eagerness to do something

ambivalent

having conflicting emotions; unsure

ameliorate

improve a bad feeling or bad situation

amenable (of a person)

receptive to change; open

amenable (of a thing)

responsive to

anachronistic

of the wrong time or era

audacious

1. bold; unafraid of risks

2. rude; exhibiting disrespect

avaricious

greedy; always wanting more

banal

unoriginal and dull; lacking creativity

benign

harmless; having little effect

benign (of a person’s character)

kind hearted; nice

brazen

shameless and excessively forward

calumny

slander and defamation

candid

honest; without deception

castigate

scold someone harshly

caustic (of speech)

hostile and bitter

caustic (of a chemical)

corrosive; acidic

construe

understand something subjectively

contrite

feeling regretful or guilty

convoluted

difficult to understand or follow

covet

strongly desire; yearn for

craven

lacking bravery; weak-kneed

decorum

politeness and proper behavior

deft

highly-proficient; skilled

demur

1. hesitate or object; express doubt

2. hesitation

derivative

based on someone else’s work (often used in a negative sense)

dessicate

dry out; remove all moisture

diatribe

an angry rant; verbal abuse

incredulous

doubtful and disbelieving

ingenuous

naive and lacking experience