English 2 Unit 1 Vocab

Abhor (v)

to detest, to hate, to loathe

Abomination (n)

anything hateful and/or disgusting

Abstruse (adj)

hard to understand because of being extremely complex

Adamant (adj)

unyielding, insistent, unshakable

Adulation (n)

great and widespread admiration or praise, often to excess

Behemoth (n)

any animal or thing that is huge or powerful (juggernaut)

Callous (adi)

insensitive, unfeeling

Chagrin (n)

disquietude or distress or embarrassment (at having failed), displeasure, aggravation, disappointment

Circuitous (adi)

taking a roundabout, lengthy course

Circumscribe (v)

to limit, confine, restrict

Cynical (adj)

believing that people are motivated by self-interest, distrustful of human sincerity or integrity, doubtful as to whether something will happen or whether it is worthwhile, contemptuous, and mocking, concerned only with one's own interests and typically disregarding accepted or appropriate standards in order to achieve them

Destitute (adj)

lacking the necessities of life, living in complete poverty

Dogmatic (adj)

to follow a set of rules no matter what, expressing opinions very strongly as if they were facts, believing there is only one way to live and think

Enigmatic (adj)

perplexing, baffling (btw an "enigma" is a mystery)

Idealize (v)

to regard or represent as perfect or better than in reality

Placate (v)

to stop from being angry, to appease, to pacify

Pretentious (adj)

attempting to impress by affecting greater important, talent, etc., than is actually possessed, pompous

Reiterate (v)

to say something again or a number of times, typically for emphasis or clarity

Vehement (adi)

characterized by forcefulness of expression or intensity of emotion, passion or conviction, emphatic, fervent

Zeitgeist (n)

the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era, a spirit that sets apart one part of time from another