English 10 Vocab

Fatuous

Silly, foolish, pointless, or lacking intelligence

-He made a fatuous speech that avoided any issues of substance.

Furtive

Sneaky or sly, in a way to avoid getting caught

-We may as well have been poker players, there were so many furtive glances.

inexorable

Impossible to stop or prevent

-It’s futile to try to stop the inexorable march of technology as computers dominate more and more of our lives.

supersede

To take the place or position of someone or something else

-In the commercial world, new technologies supersede the old. 

specious

Superficially plausible, but actually wrong

-After a thorough investigation, the local paper was able to disprove the mayor’s specious claims about the cost of the road work.

heretical 

Departing from accepted beliefs or standards

-As a young man, he had been expelled from the city’s Jewish community for his heretical views on God and the Bible.

vapid 

Lacking flavor, interest, or spirit; flat, dull

-Marie’s “research” consisted of little more than reading a few vapid social media posts that cited no sources.

inextricable

Incapable of being disentangled or untied

-The bond between a mother and her daughter is inextricable; they will never grow apart.

respite

A pause from doing something; a break

-Sadly, the only respite she would get that busy day was lying back in the chair at her dentist’s appointment.

strident

Characterized by loud, harsh, insistent, and discordant sound

Commanding attention by a loud or obtrusive quality.

-I blocked my ears against the strident tune emanating from the bagpipes.

-The opinion columnist’s strident remarks stood in contrast to the rest of the newspaper’s neutral reporting.

equivocate 

Be deliberately unclear in order to mislead or withhold information

-I wish he wouldn’t equivocate about this issue and instead give me a straight answer

apparition 

A supernatural appearance of a person or thing; a ghost

-In the final apparition, the angel appeared holding the Eucharist. 

blaspheme

To speak of something sacred with disrespect

-I swore softly, taking care not to blaspheme in case that increased my punishment.

malice

Desire to inflict suffering on another; cruelty

-There was a look in her eyes of pure malice; she was fuming.

harbinger

Anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign

-The dark clouds were the harbinger of the storm as the rain inched closer.

Interdiction

Authoritative prohibition.

-Jackie ignored the interdiction and lit up right under the "No Smoking" sign

verity

Conformity to reality or actuality; truth.

-The verity of his alibi was questioned when his phone records indicated that he had been elsewhere.

abjure

Formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure.

-Patrick abjured his views against same-sex marriage when he found out that his son was gay.

pernicious

Exceedingly harmful.

-A few sugary drinks may seem harmless, but children's health advocates would argue that they are in fact pernicious.

forswear

Formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure; abjure.

-When he read the economists' evaluations of the candidates' tax plans, he forswore his previous point of view in light of the new information.

avarice

Greed, insatiable desire for wealth

-The corporate world is plagued by avarice and thirst for power.

chastise

Tell someone severely that his/her/their behavior is wrong

-Joe chastised his friend for smoking because cigarettes can lead to many health problems.

flout

Treat (something) with contemptuous disregard

-Jerry flouted the policy against phones in classrooms and loudly answered a call from his mother during English class.

bane

Something causing misery or death

-The reputation of being an unsafe school would be the bane

of the university for years to come.

laudable

Worthy of high praise

-Theresa only placed second in the spelling bee despite her laudable performance.