English Vocab Test on units 9-12

Ameliorate

To make something better or improve a bad situation.

Demagogue

A political leader who gains support by appealing to emotions, fears, or prejudices rather than rational arguments.

Diminutive

Extremely small or tiny.

Ephemeral

Lasting for a very short time; fleeting.

Eponymous

Named after a person or thing.

Et cetera (etc.)

Used to indicate that more similar items exist but are not listed.

Laudable

Deserving praise; commendable.

Pejorative

Expressing disapproval or contempt; derogatory.

Prevaricate

To speak or act in an evasive way; to avoid telling the truth.

Reticent

Reserved, not revealing one's thoughts or feelings easily.

Angst

A deep feeling of anxiety, dread, or existential worry.

Archetype

A typical example of something; an original model or symbol.

Conflate

To combine or mix things, often confusingly.

De rigueur

Required by etiquette, fashion, or custom.

Disparage

To belittle or speak negatively about someone or something.

De facto vs. De jure

Existing in reality, even if not legally recognized. vs According to law or official recognition.

Libertine

A person who lives without moral or societal constraints, often indulgently.

Surfeit

To supply or consume too much of something; to overindulge.

Truncate

To shorten by cutting off a part.

Vacillate

To waver between choices; to be indecisive.

Blanch

To turn pale, often from fear or shock; to briefly boil food to remove the skin.

Carouse

To drink and party noisily and excessively.

Estrange

To alienate or create emotional distance between people.

Fecund

Highly fertile or productive, either literally or metaphorically.

Goad

To provoke, urge, or incite someone into action.

Pernicious

Harmful in a subtle, gradual, or destructive way.

Suborn

To bribe or persuade someone to commit an illegal act, especially perjury.

Subversive

Seeking to disrupt or overthrow an established system or institution.

Uxorious

Excessively devoted or submissive to one’s wife.

Uninhibited

Expressing oneself freely and without restraint.

Altruistic

Showing selfless concern for the well-being of others; unselfish.

Belabor

To over-explain or dwell on a point excessively; to attack verbally or physically.

Compendium

A concise collection or summary of information.

Dotage

A state of mental decline associated with old age.

Emasculate

To weaken or deprive of strength, power, or masculinity.

Enjambment

In poetry, the continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line without a pause.

Histrionic(s)

Overly dramatic, theatrical behavior or expression.

Marital

Relating to marriage or a married couple.

Ostensible

Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so.

Placebo

A harmless substance given as a treatment to test psychological effects rather than actual medicine.