english week 1/20

errant

straying outside the proper path

frugality

quality of being economical in expenditures

goad

provoke or annoy (someone) so as to stimulate some action or reaction

imply

to involve/indicate by inference or association

impoverished

poor; deprived of strength

infer

guess, surmise; derive as a conclusion from facts/premises

innate

inborn/essential quality; inherent

petulance

rudeness/insolence in speech/behavior

sedentary

doing or requiring much sitting

sententious

terse, moralistic in expression; pithy

Deferential

respect and esteem due a superior or an elder, honor

Indissoluble

incapable of being annulled, undone, or broken

milieu

the environmental condition; surroundings, especially in a social or cultural nature

Pallid

deficient in color; lacking sparkle or liveliness

Paradoxically

not being the normal or usual kind

Prodigious

exciting amazement or wonder; extraordinary in bulk or quantity

Sultry

very hot and humid; hot with passion or anger

Superfluous

exceeding what is sufficient or necessary; not needed

Vivacious

lively in temper, conduct, or spirit

Viviparous

producing living young instead of eggs

apoplectic

marked by extreme anger

cantankerous

stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate; having a difficult and contrary disposition

caste

a social class separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank or profession or wealth

catharsis

purging the body by the use of a cathartic to stimulate evacuation of the bowels; purging of emotional tensions

conjecture

believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds; a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing; a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence

maleficent

harmful or evil in intent or effect

picayune

small and of little importance

poised

marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action; in full control of your faculties

ulterior

lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed; beyond or outside an area of immediate interest; remote; coming at a subsequent time or stage

ward

a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another; a district into which a city or town is divided for the purpose of administration and elections; watch over or shield from danger or harm; protect

aloof

conspicuously uninvolved and uninterested; cool and distant

ambulatory

of or for walking/movement

bildungsroman

a novel dealing with one person's formative years or spiritual education

colloquial

used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary

egalitarianism

belief in human equality

epiphany

a moment of sudden revelation or insight

facsimile

exact copy

insolent

insulting, rude, disrespectful

nuance

a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound

pugnacious

fond of conflict/fighting

canny

shrewd, showing sharp powers of judgment

cumbersome

clumsy or awkward in terms of managing

euphemism

A substitute term for an unpleasant or embarrassing word/phrase

fiasco

a total and complete failure

flummox

to utterly confuse or bewilder

fortuitous

happening by luck or good fortune

irrational

unreasonable and/or illogical

mellifluous

pleasing to the ear

renegade

a traitor

whim

a sudden notion or idea

accolade

an expression of praise, where someone is given an award or a privilege, to acknowledge their merit

ambivalent

having mixed feelings about something

archaic

very old or old-fashioned

cajole

to coax/flatter someone to have something done

charisma

the charm or attractive personality of a person

effluvium

disagreeable odor

equivocate

using vague language to hide the truth

gadfly

fly that bites cattle and horses but also applied to humans who pester and annoy others

juxtaposition

the fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect

obsequious

obedient/attentive to an excessive or servile degree

anomaly

an irregularity or deviation from what is normal

avant-garde

ultra-modern, innovative or advanced

caustic

critical/sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way

disheveled

untidy, disordered (said of a person's appearance)

exacerbate

make worse

fastidious

The nature of perfectionists usually, having an acute attention to detail

nefarious

extremely wicked

obfuscate

to render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible; to bewilder

rendezvous

meeting at an agreed time and place

sycophant

a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage

commodious

roomy

egress

an exit; a means of going out

elude

To avoid or escape

emaciated

abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or a lack of food.

envisage

form a mental picture of (something not yet existing or known)

euphonious

harmonious, pleasant to hear

evince

to make clear

extrinsic

not part of the essential nature of someone or something; coming or operating from outside

haberdasher

dealer in men's clothing/furnishings

profane

irreverent, lacking in respect towards religious observance

adulation

praise or flattery that is excessive

capricious

given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior

dapper

neat and trim in dress and appearance (usually said of a man)

falter

(v.) to hesitate, stumble, lose courage; to speak hesitatingly; to lose drive, weaken, decline

innocuous

(adj.) harmless, inoffensive; insignificant

meander

(v.) to wander about, wind about; (n.) a sharp turn or twist

perfunctory

superficial, lacking care or enthusiasm, "going through the motions"

quintessential

representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class

rescind

to repeal, cancel

scintillating

(adj., part.) sparkling, twinkling, exceptionally brilliant (applied to mental or personal qualities)

ameliorate

to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming

canvass

get the opinions (of people) by asking specific questions; consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning

countenance

the appearance conveyed by a person's face; the human face

exculpate

to clear from blame; prove innocent

immure

(v.) to enclose or confine within walls; to imprison; to seclude or isolate

penury

(n.) extreme poverty; barrenness, insufficiency; destitution

purloin

make off with belongings of others; steal

redress

make reparations or amends for; a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury; act of correcting an error or a fault or an evil

salubrious

promoting health; healthful; favorable to health of mind or body

satiate

fill to satisfaction; overeat or eat immodestly; make a pig of oneself; supplied