Semester 2 Vocab

disdain

disdain

hatefulness and disgust

devoid

an absence of somthing

sporadic

occurring irregularly

volatile

explosive

posthumous

occurring after death

acrimonious

angry and bitter

effete

having lost strength

cavil

to raise frivolous objections

epiphany

a sudden realization

stagnate

standing still and not moving

scapegoat

someone who takes the blame for others

pristine

clean and in perfect condition

repugnant

disgusting and unacceptable

relic

something saved from an earlier time

partisan

a member from a certain party or cause

querulous

always complaining

sumptuous

showing obvious signs of wealth and comfort

vicarious

living through someone else

sycophant

a suck up

reticent

quiet

effervescent

bubbly, lively

lucid

clear headed

pugnacious

combative and likes to fight

insipid

boring

tawdry

tacky, showy but cheap

urbane

sophisticated and elegant

sobriety

being sober

scoff

to mock and ridicule

respite

a period of rest

forlorn

pitifully sad and lonely

odyssey

a long and eventful experience

protean

able to change easily or frequently

fiasco

complete failure

idiosyncrasy

something weird and unexplainable

rankle

to annoy and iritate

decimate

to destroy a large part of a group

narcissism

excessive admiration of yourself

incumbent

an official of government currently holding office

succumb

to give in

precarious

uncertain and insecure

foray

a sudden attack or raid

apolitical

not political

prosaic

normal and common

linchpin

the most critical person in an organization or team

symbiotic

mutually benefitial

suffuse

gradually spread through something

putative

assumed to be

inequity

not equal or fair

hewn

to shape or sculpt

tedious

tiresome and repetative

cull

to pick out from a large group

saw (n)

a wise saying

tout

to praise

hale

healthy and strong

dank

damp and musty

zephyr

a light wind

puckish

playful and teasing in a mischievous way

muse (v)

to be in deep thought

mnemonic

a memory device

liability

responsibility for something

despotic

totally in charge

gullible

easily deceived for tricked

guile

trickery

exonerate

to clear blame for a fault and wrongdoing

cliche

an overused and unoriginal phrase

trite

overused and not new

melancholy

feeling sad for no reason

choleric

bad-tempered and irritable

phlegmatic

calm and stoik

sanguine

positive and optimistic

galvanize

to motivate into action

lethargic

sluggish and uniterested

conundrum

a riddle or problem

auspicious

favorable and expecting success

prevaricate

to lie

curtail

to cut short

travesty

a false representation

mentor

and experienced teacher or advisor

chagrin

regret and displeasure

shibboleth

a custom that distinguishes a group of people