English Vocab

Degradation

The condition/process of degrading

Imperative

of vital importance; crucial

giving an authoritative command

Defiance

Open resistance: bold disobedience

Fervor

Intense and passionate feeling

Convert

1. Cause to change in form, character, function

2. To change one’s religous faith or other beliefs

Pervade

(especially of a smell) spread through or be perceived in every part of

Subaltern

Of lower status

Vitriol

Cruel and bitter criticism

Revered

Feel deep respect or admiration for (something)

Apparatus

The technical equipment or machinery needed for a specific activity or purpose

Propagate

Spread and promote (an idea, theory, etc.) widely

Whimsical

playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in a appealing and amusing way

Mystical

inspiring a sense of mystery, awe, or fascination

Incongruence

the state of being not suitable or not fitting well with something else

belie

(of an appearance) fail to give notion or impression to (something); contradict or disguise

strife

angry or bitter disagreement over fundamental issues; conflict

unfettered

unrestrained or uninhibited

nemesis

the inescapable agent of someone or something’s downfall

profiligate

recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources

ambivalence

the state of have mixed feelings or contradictory ideas for something or someone

benevolent

kind and with positive intentions

ex. he set himself up in the role of a benevolent dictator

gracious

courteous, kind, and pleasant

condemn

express complete disapproval of, typically in public; censure (ex. Fair minded people declined to condemn her on mere suspicion)

Revile

criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner

infirmity

physical or mental illness

“old age and infirmity comes to men and women alike”

Thirfty

Penury

extreme poverty; destitution

“Her relatives considered that the penury of her table discredited the Mingott name

Remonstrances

a forceful, reproachful protest

“despite angry remonstrances from reaidents,

Fatuity

The quality of being stupid, not correct, or not properly thought about

“The stockings were one of Beauford’s few fautities”

Altruistic

showing a selfless concern for the wellbeing of others, without concern to one’s own interests

“Macbeth’s desire to reject altruistic information”

Compersion

The feeling of joy for another person’s happiness or success (goodwill/sympathetic joy)

sluiced

wash or rinse with a stream of water

“she ____ her face with cold water”

Plethora

a large or excessive amount of (something)
ex. A ____ of doorbells indicated a ____ of tiny apartments

Unrepossessing

not particularly attractive or appealing to the eye

Pander

to indulge in people’s weaknesses

ex. The ruling class of generals and senators, who ____ to the crowd, are no better

prolifite

to appear or be present in large numbers

salient

most noticeable or important

ex. One of the most _____ considerations of New Critics..

infatuation

intense and short-lived passion or admiration

ex. “… because of the Romans ____ with nature”

reprimand

rebuke, especially officially

pseudostatements

a statement that cannot be empirically verified

ex. .. poetry only provides ______

stringently

strictly, severely, limiting

ex. Reading arouses people’s emotions, especially those that should be ____ controlled

Catharsis

the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from strong or repressed emotions

ex. a ______ of emotions

dogmatism

tendency to lay down principle as true, without consideration of evidence or opinions of others

ex. “Fish rebels against the .. dogmatism of the New Critics”

transmute

change in form, nature, or substance

ex. the raw materials of his experience was _____ into stories

retrospect

survey or review of past course of events in time

continuum

a continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other, although the extremes are quite distinct

ex. “space-time ______”, “at the fast end of the fast-slow _______”

overt

done and shown openly

ex. The ______ and covert implications of character dialogue in this scene…

covert

not openly acknowledged or displayed
ex. The overt and _______ implications of character dialogue in this scene…

elucidate

make (something) clear; explain

ex. …serve to _________ Lady Macbeth’s use of masculine channels..

interplay

the way in which two or more things have an effect on each other
ex. Another idea that this ______ suggests…

verbatim

in exactly the same words as were used originally

ex. “that quote is never actually said _____ in the movie”

subvert

undermine the power or authority of

ex. “The love story must be _____(ed) by the painful reality of the external world.”

exuberance

the quality of being full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness

ex. “It has been designed with the same ornamental ______ as any church or palace".”

poignant

evoking a keenly felt sense of emotion, especially of bittersweet sadness and regret

ex. ….is a humorous yet _______ exploration of faith, hypocrisy, and doubt

empirically

by means of observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic

ex. a statement that cannot be ________ verified

glut

an excessively abundant supply of something

ex. “…despite widespread concerns of a looming glut….”

Edenic

relating to or characteristics of the garden of Eden

ex. “…When re leaves the road and goes through the hedge, he dies, returning to the _____ world of humanity before life and ‘the road’ existed”.

monotony

lack of variety and interest

ex. “you can become resigned to the _____ of captivity”

credulousness

the tendency to believe too readily and therefore be easily deceived

ex. “… bring out the contradiction in Achilles between his almost invincible battle persona and his passivity and ____”

Passivity

Acceptance of what happens, without active response or resistance

ex. “The perceived ____ of the populace is deceptive”

Anachronistic

belonging or appropriate to a period other than that being portrayed

ex. “… retelling the Iliad focusing on Patroclus’ and Achilles’ relationship cannot be considered _______, because it was an interpretation already accepted by many authors in antiquity”.

reprimand

severe, formal, or official expression of disapproval or criticism

ex. “I know I should have _____ her for impudence..”

impudence

the quality of being boldly disrespectful, especially towards someone in a position of authority