Units 1-3 Vocab

acquisitive

able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property

arrogate

to claim or take without right

banal

hackneyed, trite, commonplace

belabor

to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

carping

tending to find fault, especially in petty, nasty, or hairsplitting; petty, nagging criticism

coherent

holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful

congeal

to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid

emulate

to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model

encomium

a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute

eschew

to avoid, shun, keep away from

germane

relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

insatiable

so great or demanding as not to be satisfied

intransigent

refusing to compromise, irreconcilable

invidious

offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment

largesse

generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions

reconnaissance

a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination

substantiate

to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to

taciturn

habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little

temporize

to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise

tenable

capable of being held or defended

accost

to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging way

animadversion

a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval

avid

desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager

brackish

having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink

celerity

swiftness, rapidity of motion or action

devious

straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way

gambit

in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of a minor piece in order to gain later advantage; any opening move of this type

halcyon

a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent

histrionic

pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic

incendiary

deliberately setting or causing fires; one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife

maelstrom

a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction

myopic

nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment

overt

open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized

pejorative

tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling

propriety

the state of being proper, appropriateness; standards of what is proper or socially acceptable

sacrilege

improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred

summarily

without delay or formality; briefly, concisely

suppliant

asking humbly and earnestly; one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor

talisman

an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

undulate

to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form

articulate

to pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; expressed clearly and forcefully

cavort

to romp or prance exuberantly; to make merry

credence

belief, mental acceptance

decry

to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate

dissemble

to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression

distraught

very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict

eulogy

a formal statement of commendation; high praise

evince

to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke

exhume

to remove from a grave; to bring to light

feckless

lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak

murky

dark and gloomy, obscure; lacking in clarity and precision

nefarious

wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards

piquant

stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative

primordial

developed or created at the very beginning; fundamental, basic

propinquity

nearness in place or time; kinship

unwonted

not usual or expected; not in character

utopian

founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical

verbiage

language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness

verdant

green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgment

viscous

having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity