Membean Semester 1

acme

highest point of achievement or excellence.

adage

inherited saying or phrase that has been historically used to express a common experience.

amicable

very friendly and agreeable towards others.

appraisal

evaluation a person or assess the value of something.

arbiter

a go-between who can settle an argument or provide advice in a dispute.

captivate

enchanted, fascinated, or delighted by them or it.

caricature

an exaggerated drawing or description that is designed to make that person look silly.

chronic

serious and lasts for a long time; is always happening or returning and is very difficult to solve.

cognitive

things related to judgment, memory, and other mental processes of knowing.

conducive

favorable or helpful in getting something to happen.

conjure

call upon or summon them in your mind by imagining them.

contemptible

shameful, disgraceful, and worthy of scorn.

contentious

argumentative and likely to provoke a fight.

cosmopolitan

large cultural diversity and people from around the globe; broad-minded and wise in the ways of the world.

demarcation

the process of setting boundaries or limits; a line that provides a distinct separation between two things.

demographic

the characteristics of part of a population that is usually used for purposes of marketing.

disarray

disorganized, disordered, and in a state of confusion.

disillusion

disheartening and disappointing.

dissident

someone who disagrees publicly with a government, especially in a country where this is not allowed.

distraught

very upset or worried.

enthrall

it makes you so interested and excited that you give it all your attention.

errant

unacceptable or wrong, such as a missile that travels in the wrong direction or a student who does not follow classroom rules.

facade

a false outward appearance or way of behaving that hides what someone or something is really like.

fallacy

an idea or belief that is false.

figurative

abstract or symbolic meaning beyond their literal interpretation.

flamboyant

trying to show off in a way that deliberately attracts attention, brightly colored and highly decorated.

genteel

well-mannered, has good taste, and is very polite in social situations; often from an upper-class background.

gradient

upward or downward slanting slope, the steepness of that slope, or the rate of change of a measured quantity over a given distance.

grandiose

very showy, impressive, and magnificent.

granule

a small particle or tiny grain of something.

gregarious

friendly, highly social, and prefers being with people rather than being alone.

grotesque

so distorted or misshapen that it is disturbing, bizarre, gross, or very ugly.

immaculate

very clean, pure, or completely free from error.

indigenous

originated there, rather than coming from another area of the world.

intertwine

twisted together

liaison

the cooperation and exchange of information between people or organizations in order to facilitate their joint efforts; a person who coordinates a connection between people or organizations.

liquidate

to close it down and sell the things that belong to it in order to pay off its debts.

ludicrous

extremely silly, stupid, or just plain ridiculous.

malevolent

evil due to deliberate attempts to cause harm.

mandate

official order or command issued by a government or other authorized body.

mercenary

one whose sole interest is earning money.

nominal

someone who is in charge in name only, or it can refer to a very small amount of something; both are related by their relative insignificance.

noxious

harmful, extremely unpleasant, and often poisonous.

nullify

to cancel or negate it.

ornate

heavily or excessively decorated with complicated shapes and patterns.

paranoia

you have extreme distrust of others and feel like they are always out to get you.

pare

to reduce or lessen it.

patriarch

a male leader of a family or tribe; a patriarch can also be a man who is the founder of a group or organization.

pedigree

your list of ancestors or family tree; it can also be the lineage of a purebred animal.

penance

some kind to right a wrong, usually via some form of self-punishment.

pensive

deeply thoughtful, often in a sad and/or serious way.

philanthropy

unselfish support in the form of donating money, work, or gifts to positive social purposes; overall love for humans in general.

pinnacle

the highest point of it.

preconception

a conceived notion that you already have, usually in the form of a bias or prejudice of some kind.

pretentious

you think you are really great in some way and let everyone know about it, despite the fact that it's not the case at all.

primeval

ancient or belonging to the original development of something.

propriety

behaving in a socially acceptable and appropriate way.

punctuate

it is interrupted or emphasized by it at intervals.

radical

extreme

remedial

intended to improve or correct something that is lacking in some way, such as one's education or health.

sanctity

holiness or sacred quality.

sedate

calm, unhurried, and unlikely to be disturbed by anything.

staid

settled, serious, law-abiding, conservative, and traditional—and perhaps even a tad dull.

strata

Earth's layers of rock or regions of the atmosphere; they can also be the different social, cultural, and economic levels of a society.

stringent

strict, severe, and controlled in a very tight fashion.

sumptuous

impressive, grand, and very expensive.

taint

to give an undesirable quality that damages a person's reputation or otherwise spoils something.

tangible

able to be touched and thus is considered real.

temperamental

you tend to become easily upset and experience unpredictable mood swings.

topical

something that is related to a subject of current interest.

topography

how the land lies, that is, if it is flat, rolling, mountainous, etc.

treatise

a formal written work that considers and examines a particular subject in a very systematic and extensive way.

uncanny

very strange, unnatural, or highly unusual.

unparalleled

has not been equaled by anyone or cannot be compared to anything that anyone else has ever done.

unrelenting

you stop at nothing until you've done it.

unscathed

uninjured.

unwarranted

cannot be justified because there is no evidence to back it up; therefore, it is needless and uncalled-for.

unwieldy

hard or awkward to handle because of the way that it is shaped.

usurp

take (a position of power or importance) illegally or by force.

vainglorious

you are proud of yourself and tell other people about it.

validate

confirm that it is sound, true, legal, or worthwhile.

veracity

truthfulness.

veritable

authentic, actual, genuine, or without doubt.

vivacious

lively and have a happy, lighthearted manner.