SPRING Dual Credit English Vocab

abate

to decrease; make less active

abashed

embarrassed or ashamed

abdicate

to step down from a position of power or responsibility

aberrant

Abnormal or deviant

abet

assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing

abject

most unfortunate or miserable; showing utter resignation or hopelessness

abjure

to abandon; to shun

abscond

to depart secretly; to run off and hide

abysmal

extremely hopeless or wretched; bottomless

accretion

a growth in size or an increase in amount

accrue

to accumulate; to come into the possession of

acrid

harsh in taste or odor

acrimony

bitterness

adamant

not capable of being swayed or diverted in opinion

admonish

to caution or to warn strongly (verb)

admonition

cautionary advice (noun)

adulation

excessive praise or admiration

aesthetic

pertaining to beauty or art

affinity

fondness; a natural attraction

affluenza

The unsustainable addiction to overconsumption and materialism (noun)

aggrandize

to make, or to make appear, great or greater

alacrity

cheerful eagerness

allay

to put to rest a fear, suspicion, or worry

alleviate

to make things easier

amalgamate

to mix together

ameliorate

to make better

amenable

happily reacting to suggestions

amenity

an item that increases comfort

amicable

friendly (adj)

anachronism

something out of the proper time; located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred

anodyne

something that calms or soothes (noun)

anomalous

deviating from the norm; abnormal

antipathy

hostility; a feeling of intense dislike

apocryphal

of questionable authenticity; widely believed, but untrue

appellation

A name, title, or designation

apprise

to inform; to make aware of

approbation

official recognition and praise

apropos

very relevant to a particular situation (adj)

arabesque

a complex ornate design

ardor

intense feeling of love

arduous

labor intensive; difficult to accomplish

arid

extremely dry

artless

an inability to mask one's feelings

ascetic

a person who gives up worldly pleasures willingly

aspersion

an abusive attack on a person's character or good name

assiduous

diligent and hard-working with care and persistent effort

attenuate

to lower in value, force or intensity

audacity

the willingness to take bold risks

austere

severe or stern in manner

autonomous

self-governing; independent

avarice

greed

avocation

hobby

avuncular

benevolent and tolerant

axiomatic

unquestionable

bacchanalian

pertaining to riotous or drunken festivity

banal

lacking in originality; boring

banter

playful conversation

bawdy

humorously vulgar or obscene

beatify

to sanctify or bless

bedizened

Dressed or decorated tastelessly

belie

to contradict, mislead or misrepresent

beneficent

generous in assistance to the poor

bereft

made sorrowful through loss

beset

to attack on all sides

blandishment

flattery intended to persuade; "sweet talk"

blasé

uninterested because of frequent exposure

blight

anything that injures or destroys

bolster

to give a boost; to support

bombastic

overblown in language intended to conceal a lack of real ideas

boorish

rude, insensitive, ill-mannered behavior (adj)

bourgeois

A term for the well-educated and prosperous middle-class

brazen

acting with disrespectful boldness

bristle

Stiffen with fear or anger

broach

to mention for the first time

brusque

Abrupt and blunt

bucolic

characteristic of the countryside; rural

cacophony

harsh, jarring, and discordant sound

cajole

to persuade someone to do something he or she doesn't want to do

camaraderie

trust among friends; brotherhood

capricious

whimsical and impulsive

careen

To swerve or lurch from side to side while in motion

cataclysm

A violent change

chagrin

strong feelings of embarrassment

circuitous

roundabout; indirect

circumspect

heedful of potential consequences

clandestine

secret or concealed

concordance

agreement or harmony between people or groups

convergence

joining of parts; two or more things coming together

corpulent

excessively fat

countermand

to revoke or cancel; reverse a previous command

credence

the mental attitude that something is believable and should be accepted as truth

dank

unpleasantly damp or wet

decorum

appropriateness of behavior or conduct

debauchery

Corruption; self-indulgence

deduction

The process of moving from a general rule to a specific example

defunct

no longer in existence or no longer functioning

deleterious

harmful to living things

demagogue

a leader who obtains power by manipulating the emotions of the people

derelict

someone or something that is abandoned or neglected

derision

treating with contempt; to ridicule