Membean Vocab

acme

highest point of achievement or excellence

appraisal

evaluate a person or assess the value of something.

centenary

period that has lasted 100 years.

amicable

very friendly and agreeable towards others.

cognitive

describes those things related to judgment, memory, and other mental processes of knowing.

conducive

something that is favorable or helpful in getting something to happen.

conjure

call upon or summon something in your mind by imagining them.

contentious

argumentative and likely to provoke a fight

cosmopolitan

area represents large cultural diversity, or a person is broad-minded and wise in the ways of the world.

demarcation

the process of setting boundaries or limits

disarray

disorganized, disordered, and in a state of confusion.

disillusion

disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be.

distraught

upset or worried.

enthrall

something that is so interesting it captures your attention.

exuberance

display excitement, energy, and enthusiasm.

facet

a side, feature, or aspect of something.

figurative

abstract or symbolic meaning beyond literal interpretation.

genteel

well-mannered, good taste, polite in social situations (often from an upper-class background).

grandiose

showy, impressive, and magnificent

gravity

its seriousness of importance of a situation or event.

grotesque

distorted or misshapen that it is disturbing, bizarre, gross or ugly,

indigenous

living things that originated from a region or country

intertwine

twist two things together.

liquidate

close down and sell the things that belong to it in order to pay off its debts.

lustrous

something that shines in a soft and gentle way by reflecting light.

mandate

an official order or command issued by a government or other authorized body.

neurotic

a person too anxious or worried about events in everyday life.

noxious

something harmful, extremely unpleasant, and often poisonous

ornate

an object heavily decorated with complicated shapes and patterns.

pare

reduce or lessen it.

pedigree

list of ancestors or family tree

pensive

deeply thoughtful, often in a sad/serious way.

pinnacle

arrived at the highest point.

preconception

a conceived notion that you already have.

primeval

an ancient or belonging to the original development of something.

propriety

behaving in a socially acceptable and appropriate way.

radical

an extreme solution

rudimentary

basic skills and knowledge people learn early on in life

sedate

calm, unhurried, and unlikely to be disturbed by anything

stigma

not socially acceptable, has a strong feeling of shame.

stringent

strict, severe, and controlled in a very tight fashion.

taint

something that spoils or damages something

temperamental

easily upset and experience unpredictable mood swings,

topography

how the land lies

uncanny

very strange, unnatural, or highly unusual.

unrelenting

you stop at nothing to do something you desire until you do it.

unwarranted

something that can’t be justified because there is no evidence to back it up therefore it is needless and uncalled for.

usurp

when you take someone’s power, position, or role even though you don’t have the right to do so.

validate

you confirm something that sounds true, legal, or worthwhile.

verbatim

using the same words that were spoken or written.

vivacious

lively, and having a happy manner.

zealous

showing great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective.

adage

an inherited saying or phrase that has been historically used to express a common experience.

antiquated

old-fashioned and not suitable for modern needs or conditions.

arbiter

go-between who can settle an argument or provide advice in a dispute.

caricature

an exaggerated drawing or description that is designed to make that person look silly.

chronic

something that lasts for a long time; returning and difficult to solve.

condescend

behaving in ways that show that they are more important or intelligent than other people.

confidant

a close and trusted friend to whom you can tell secret matters of importance.

contemptible

shameful, disgraceful, and worthy of scorn.

copious

a very large amount.

definitive

cannot be challenged, final word or the most authoritative pronouncement on that issue.

demographic

describes the characteristics of part of a population that is usually used for purposes of marketing.

disdain

despise, or you regard someone as unworthy of your notice and attention.

dissident

someone who disagrees publicly with a government, especially in a country where this is not allowed.

efficacy

the ability or power to produce an expected effect or result.

errant

deviating from the regular or proper course.

facade

a false outward appearance or way of behaving that hide what someone or something is really like.

fallacy

an idea or belief that is false.

flamboyant

showing off in a way that deliberately attracts attention.

gradient

an upward or downward slanting slope, the steepness of that slope, or the rate of change of a measured quantity over a given distance.

granule

a small particle or tiny grain of something.

gregarious

friendly, highly social, prefers being with people rather than being alone.

immaculate

clean, pure, completely free from error.

intermittent

something that happens in irregular intervals, stopping and starting at unpredictable times.

liaison

cooperation and exchange of information between people or organization’s in order to facilitate their joint efforts; coordinates a connection between people or organizations.

ludicrous

extremely silly, or stupid, or just plain ridiculous.

malevolent

evil due to deliberate attempts to cause harm.

mercenary

one whose sole interest is in earning money.

nominal

in charge in name only, or it can refer to a very small amount of something.

nullify

cancel or negate it.

paranoia

extreme distrust of others and feel like they are always out to get you.

patriarch

male leader of a family or founder of a group or organization.

penance

act of some kind to right a wrong. self-punishment.

philanthropy

unselfish support in the form of donating money, work or gifts to positive social purposes; love for humans in general.

precarious

situation or state that can become dangerous without warning quickly.

pretentious

when you think you’re great and let everyone else know about it even though you aren’t actually.

prolific

highly fruitful and produces a lot of something.

punctuate

interrupted or emphasized by it at intervals.

remedial

intended to improve or correct something that is lacking in some way such as education or health.

sanctity

holiness or sacred quality.

staid

set in your ways; traditional, conservative, serious.

strata

earth’s layers of rock of regions of the atmosphere; different social, culture and economic levels of society.

sumptuous

impressive, grand, and very expensive.

tangible

able to be touched and considered real.

topical

something that is related to a subject of current interest.

treatise

a formal written work that considers and examines a particular subject in a very systematic and extensive way.

unparalleled

has not been equaled by anyone or cannot be compared to anything that anyone has ever done.

unscathed

to come out of something uninjured.

unwieldy

hard or awkward to handle because of the way that it is shaped.