Vocabulary Flashcards: Key Words and Definitions for Advanced English Learners

Irrespective

without regard to something or someone; to discount something

Legacy

anything handed down from one generation to next; tangible or intangible

Liable

at risk of experiencing something

Mimic

to imitate

Pathos

feelings of compassion, pity, or sympathy are evoked, esp. through art

Profound

showing intellectual or emotional depth (profundity is the noun)

Provocative

causing anger, annoyance, or another strong reaction

Ramshackle

in shockingly bad condition

Receptacle

a container that is used to put or keep things in

Redemption

atoning for one's sins, faults, mistakes

Redlining

discriminatory practice of segregating neighborhoods in urban areas

Repossess

to regain possession of something, esp. due to non-payment

Rogue

a dishonest, knavish person; a scoundrel

Sensibility

the ability to appreciate and respond to complex emotional influences

Sharecropper

a tenant farmer (Southern) who pays rent for his share of the crop

Succession

a following of one thing after another in time

Systemic

pertaining to or effecting the system as a whole

Tenacious

stubborn acting; not willing to give in

Transient

not lasting; not permanent

Turbulent

made up of disorder or unrest

Vengeful

seeking to harm someone as a result of previously being wronged

Vulgar

tastelessly indecent; inappropriate