KAP English II Cumulative Vocabulary & Allusions Test, Units 1-5 Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards for English II students, covering Units 1-5.

Assuage

To make milder or less severe; relieve; ease; mitigate.

Coalition

A combination or alliance, especially a temporary one between persons, factions, states, etc.

Decadence

The act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay.

Hackneyed

Made commonplace or trite; stale; banal.

Hiatus

A break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

Jaded

Dulled or satiated by overindulgence.

Lurid

Gruesome; horrible; revolting.

Prerogative

An exclusive right, privilege, etc., exercised by virtue of rank, office, or the like.

Transcend

To rise above or go beyond; exceed.

Umbrage

Offense; annoyance; displeasure.

Ameliorate

To make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve.

Bombastic

High-sounding; high-flown; inflated; pretentious.

Drivel

Saliva flowing from the mouth; slobber.

Epitome

A person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class.

Exhort

To urge, advise, or caution earnestly; admonish urgently.

Infringe

To commit a breach or infraction of; violate or transgress.

Intrinsic

Belonging to a thing by its very nature; inherent.

Permeate

To pass into or through every part of; penetrate.

Stringent

Rigidly binding or exacting; strict.

Surmise

To think or infer without certain or strong evidence; conjecture; guess.

Abominate

To regard with intense aversion or loathing; abhor; detest.

Adventitious

Associated with something by chance or without being an integral part of it.

Ascribe

To credit or assign, as to a cause or source; attribute; impute.

Commiserate

To feel or express sorrow or sympathy for; empathize with; pity.

Expedite

To speed up the progress of; hasten; accelerate.

Nominal

Being such in name only; so-called; putative.

Proclivity

Natural or habitual inclination or tendency; propensity; predisposition.

Seditious

Pertaining to, or of the nature of, sedition; inciting or causing sedition.

Tenuous

Thin or slender in form, as a thread.

Vitriolic

Virulent; bitterly scathing; caustic.

Affable

Pleasantly easy to approach and talk to; friendly; cordial.

Amorphous

Lacking definite form; having no specific shape; formless.

Archetype

The original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; prototype.

Erudite

Characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly.

Inscrutable

Incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized; impenetrable.

Insular

Pertaining to, characteristic of, or situated on an island.

Querulous

Full of complaints; complaining.

Remonstrate

To say or plead in protest, objection, or disapproval.

Scurrilous

Grossly or obscenely abusive.

Sedulous

Diligent in application or pursuit; persevering; assiduous.

Amnesty

A general pardon granted to a large group of people.

Caveat

A warning or caution; admonition.

Equitable

Characterized by equity; just or fair; reasonable.

Filch

To steal (especially something of small value); pilfer.

Fractious

Refractory or unruly; readily angered; irritable; quarrelsome.

Salutary

Favorable to or promoting health; healthful.

Sepulchral

Of, relating to, or serving as a tomb.

Soporific

Causing or tending to cause sleep.

Transient

Lasting only a short time; existing briefly; temporary.

Vapid

Lacking or having lost life, sharpness, or flavor; insipid; flat.

Achilles’ Heel

A deadly weakness in spite of overall strength.

Benedict Arnold

A traitor.

Ivory Tower

A place or situation remote from the practical concerns of everyday life.

Sirens

Dangerous creatures, who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and singing voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island.

Burning Bush

Medium through which the voice of absolute authority speaks.

Narcissus

A beautiful young man who fell in love with his own reflection.

Holy Grail

An object that is extremely desirable or valuable and which is attainable only after a long and difficult quest.

Judas

A traitor.

Job

Someone who suffers a great deal but remains faithful.

Phoenix

A person or thing regarded as remarkably resilient or that is reborn or recreated from unpromising beginnings.