Senior English Vocab (Lists 1-4)

Brio

the quality of being active or spirited or alive and vigorous

Paroxysm

A sudden uncontrollable attack

Aegis

Armor plate that protects the chest; kindly endorsement and guidance

Pastiche

A work of art that imitates the style of some previous work; a musical composition that combines various sources or styles

Bellicose

Having or showing a ready disposition to fight

Intransigent

Stubbornly refusing to compromise or change one’s attitude or position on a topic

Traduce

Speak unfavorably about or blame while employing false statements; betray or go against

Perspicacious

Mentally acute or penetratingly discerning; acutely insightful and wise

Resplendent

Shining bright with great beauty

Conflate

Mix together different elements; mistake one thing for another

Stolid

Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited

Hapless

Deserving or inciting pity

Torpor

A state of motor and mental inactivity; inactivity resulting from lack of vigor or energy

Vernacular

the everyday speech of the people

Nascent

being born or beginning

Banal

Overly familiar because of overuse; unoriginal

Arboretum

A facility where trees and shrubs are cultivated for exhibition

Mollify

Cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of; make more temperate, acceptable or suitable by adding something else

Obsolescence

The process of becoming outdated

Adulation

Exaggerated or extreme praise or flattery

Inauspicious

Presaging ill fortune; contrary to one's interests or welfare

unlikely to be successful

Dismantle

Take off or remove/take apart

Imprimatur

Formal and explicit approval

Cognizant

Having or showing knowledge, understanding, realization or perception

Zhuzh

Improve the style, appearance or flavor of something or someone with a small change or addition

Castigate

Inflict severe punishment on

Acerbic

1. sour or bitter in taste; 2. harsh or corrosive in tone

Cacophony

Loud, confusing or disagreeable sounds

Centenary

A 100th anniversary or the celebration of it

Expediency

The quality of being suited to the goal or end

Convenience

Impropriety

a wrong or indecent act

Talisman

a trinket or piece of jewelry usually hung about the neck and thought to be a magical protection against evil or disease

Quotidian

found in the ordinary course of events; unremarkable

Desiccated

thoroughly dried out; lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless

Shenanigan

the use of tricks to deceive someone; reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others

Augment

enlarge or increase

Nonchalantly

in a composed and unconcerned manner; in a casual way

Environs

the area in which something exists or lives

Obstinancy

trait of being difficult to handle or overcome

Laconic

brief and to the point

Insouciant

marked by blithe unconcern: nonchalant

Ostentatiously

in a manner intended to attract notice and impress others

Mutability

the quality of being capable of change

Herculean

extremely difficult; requiring great strength

Nomadic

migratory

Saturnine

Bitter or scornful; showing a brooding ill humor

Provost

A high-ranking university administrator

Gesticulate

Show, express, or direct through movement

Spartan

Characterized by strictness, everity, or restraint

Complacent

Self-satisfied

Encumbered

Impeded by a heavy load

Epitomize

Embody the essential characteristics or be a typical example of

Envisage

Form a mental image of something; imagine

Holistic

Emphasizing the organic or functional relation between parts and the whole

Looks at the whole rather than individual components

Disseminate

Cause to become widely known

Concurrent

Occurring or operating at the same time

Exorbitant

Greatly exceeding bound; outrageous

Debacle

A sudden and violent collapse

disaster, failure

Abdicate

Give up power, duties, or obligations

Illusory

Having the nature of something unreal or deceptive