AP Vocab #7

abhor

v. to detest; to hate strongly

accolades

pl.n. praise, an award, applause

ascetic

adj. practicing self-denial; austere

bequeath

v. to hand down, to give or to leave in a will

charlatan

n. one who pretends to have knowledge in order to swindle others

conflagration

n. a very intense and uncontrolled fire; an emotionally heated event

dearth

n. a lack, scarcity

diffidence

shyness, reserve, unassertiveness

effervescent

adj. showing high spirits

ethereal

adj. heavenly, unusually delicate, light, lacking material substance, intangible

expunge

v. to erase, obliterate, destroy

guile

deceitfulness, duplicity

implausible

adj. not believable

incongruity

nonconformity, disagreement, incompatibility

insularity

n. narrow-mindedness; isolation; ADJ. insular: of an island; isolated; narrow-minded; CF. peninsula

morose

being sullen or gloomy

placate

to appease or to pacify by making concessions

poignant

adj. piercing, deeply moving; strongly affecting the emotions

provincial

lacking sophistication, narrow-minded; countrified in the sense of being limited and backward

reiterate

to say again, repeat (for emphasis)

spontaneous

adj. happening or arising without apparent external cause or planning (n. spontaneity)

synthesis

n. the combination of ideas into a complex whole (v. synthesize)

toxic

adj. poisonous (n. toxicity)

vigilant

adj. very alert, watchful (n. vigilance)

voluble

adj. able to use words easily, fluent and glib