Unit 9, 8, 10 and 11 vocab English honors III

abate

become less in amount or intensity

astute

marked by practical hardheaded intelligence

dilatory

wasting time

evanescent

short-lived; tending to vanish or disappear

novice

someone new to a field or activity

recapitulate

summarize briefly

supposition

the cognitive process of conjecturing

adulation

exaggerated flattery or praise

avarice

reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth

egregious

conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible

irresolute

uncertain how to act or proceed

penury

a state of extreme poverty or destitution

resuscitate

cause to regain consciousness

torpid

in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation

anathema

a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by excommunication

culpable

deserving blame or censure as being wrong or injurious

equivocate

be deliberately ambiguous or unclear

nebulous

lacking definite form or limits

pretentious

creating an appearance of importance or distinction

slovenly

negligent of neatness especially in dress and person

acrimonious

marked by strong resentment or cynicism

corpulent

excessively large/ fat

dissension

disagreement among those expected to cooperate

gauntlet

a glove of armored leather that protects the hand

impugn

attack as false or wrong

perfidy

an act of deliberate betrayal

subservient

compliant and obedient to authority

bovine

any of various wild or domestic cattle

disavow

refuse to acknowledge

dissipate

cause to separate and go in different directions

hypothetical

a conjectural possibility or circumstance

intemperate

excessive in behavior

relegate

assign to a lower position

susceptible

yielding readily to or capable of

consternation

sudden shock or dismay that causes confusion

dispassionate

unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice

expurgate

edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate

ignoble

dishonorable in character or purpose

odium

hate coupled with disgust

squeamish

easily disturbed or disgusted by unpleasant things

accrue

grow by addition

covert

secret or hidden

efficacious

giving the power to produce an intended result

gist

the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work

invective

abusive language used to express blame or censure

procrastinate

postpone doing what one should be doing

reprobate

a person without moral scruples

annotation

the act of adding notes

debonair

having a sophisticated charm

equanimity

steadiness of mind under stress

gratuitous

unnecessary and unwarranted

motley

consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds

provocative

serving or tending to excite or stimulate

sedentary

requiring sitting or little activity

bedlam

a state of extreme confusion and disorder

dun

a color or pigment varying around a light grey-brown color

fortuitous

lucky; occurring by happy chance

imperious

having or showing arrogant superiority

munificent

very generous

recondite

difficult to understand

abstemious

marked by temperance in indulgence

censure

harsh criticism or disapproval

contingent

determined by conditions or circumstances that follow

corroborate

give evidence for

denizen

a plant or animal naturalized in a region

discursive

tending to cover a wide range of subjects

disseminate

cause to become widely known

dowdy

lacking in stylishness or taste

florid

elaborately or excessively ornamented

foist

force onto another

gauche

lacking social polish

heresy

a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion

inculcate

teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions

palpable

capable of being perceived

perceptive

of or relating to awareness via the senses

pernicious

exceedingly harmful

salient

conspicuous, prominent, or important

satiate

fill to satisfaction

sear

become superficially burned (also figurative)

specious

plausible but false