Honors English Vocabulary

Cascade

A small steep waterfall

Occupation

The seizure and control of an area by military force

Celestial

Having to do with the skys or heaven

Pretext

A false reason/excuse

Levy

The act of imposing/ collecting (tax)

Retort

a sharp answer

myriad

a great many/uncountable

chaste

simple/ modest

vogue

something in fashion at a particular time

onslaught

an attack/ assault

raucous

disagreeably harsh/noisily/disorderly

smug

very self satisfied

tangible

able to be touched

macabre

having to do with death/dwelling on the gruesome

thwart

to block/prevent/foil/frustrate

careen

to sway from side to side

feign

to pretend/give a false impression

motley

composed of many different elements sometimes clashing with each other

incinerate

to cause to burn to cinders

degenerate

to worsen/decline/deteriorate

malice

the desire to see another suffer

litigation

a legal dispute

abate

to put an end to

dubious

questionable/giving rise to doubt

elite

the chosen ones/a superior or highly special group

candor

honesty/sincerity/openness

lambaste

to attack verbally

bland

smooth or smoothing

adamant

unmovable or unshakable especially in opposition

indifferent

uninterested/unconcerned/unimpressive/commonplace

adversary

enemy or opponent

collateral

serving to support or reinforce

dilatory

tending or intended to cause delay

regime

a government in power/a period of rule

kaleidoscopic

continually changing/ extremely varied

enigma

something difficult to explain or understand

acronym

a word formed by using the first letters of a multi-word term

transcend

to rise above or go beyond the limits of/ to out do in some way

influx

a flowing in/ a noted increase

paternal

fatherly/ having to do with a father

pacifist

one who opposes war or violence as a means to settle a dispute

erratic

having no fixed course/ inconsistent

jockey

to change positions in s series of movements

profess

to declare or admit freely

retrospect

a review

Fecund

Fruitful/fertile

paddy

a wet field where rice is grown

succumb

to give in/submit

consolation 

the act of giving comfort 

torrent

a flood/ deluge

Banal

lacking originality

Apocalypse

a time when god will destroy evil and raise the righteous to heaven

clout

influence

immediacy 

need to do or be done at once 

zenith

a peak/summit/highest point