Unit 9 Vocab

Acumen

Shrewdness shown by keen insight; skill in making correct decisions and judgments in a particular subject, such as business or politics.

Inimitable

Defying imitation; matchless; so good or unusual as to be impossible to reproduce or duplicate.

Obdurate

Stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action; persisting in wrongdoing; showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings.

Capricious

Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior; determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity or reason.

Perspicuous

Transparently clear, easily understandable (of language).

Hubris

Excessive pride or self-confidence; overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors.

Circumlocution

The use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive.

Insipid

Lacking flavor; lacking vigor, significance, or impact.

Strident

Unpleasantly loud and harsh; being sharply insistent on being heard.

Recondite

Incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge.

Ostentatious

Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice.

Penury

Extreme poverty; destitution.

Churlish

Rude in a mean-spirited way; lacking charm and good taste; having an irritable and unpleasant disposition.

Solemnity

The state or quality of sedateness; a formal, dignified rite or ceremony.

Lugubrious

Looking or sounding sad and dismal; excessively mournful.

Baize

A coarse, typically green woolen material resembling felt, used for covering billiard and card tables.

Importunate

Persistent, especially to the point of annoyance or intrusion; begging, demanding in an annoying way.

Obsequious

Attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery; obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.

Feign

Pretend to be affected by; make believe with the intent to deceive.

Colloquial

Used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary.