ELA lessons 1-19 Vocab

sycophant

someone who uses flattery to try to
get what he/she wants from an authority figure

pernicious

intending to cause harm

ubiquitous

appearing everywhere

non sequitur

a statement that does not
logically follow a conversation's flow

diatribe

a forceful and bitter verbal
attack

nefarious

wicked or criminal

precursor

a person or thing that comes before
another of a similar kind

impregnable

unable to be captured or
broken into

demure

shy or modest

implacable

unable to be soothed

affinity

a natural skill

coquette

a woman who flirts to get
what she wants

harangue

lecture at length in an
aggressive way

bemoan

express discontent or
sorrow over

misogynist

someone who hates women

abhor

hate

talisman

an object with magical
powers to bring good luck

placid

not easily upset or excited

facetious

treating serious issues with
inappropriate humor

contrite

deeply remorseful for a bad
action

erudite

showing great knowledge or
learning

anomaly

something that deviates
from what is expected or normal

noxious

very harmful

replete

well-supplied with
something

absolution

formal release from guilt or
punishment

cantankerous

argumentative and
uncooperative

deride

to verbally rip apart

debacle

a disaster

temerity

excessive or foolish
boldness

ennui

dissatisfaction or
exhaustion caused by boredom

abstain

restrain oneself from doing
or enjoying something

haughty

arrogantly superior

tenacious

not letting go of or giving up
on something one holds dear

acquiesce

accept something
reluctantly, but without protest

curmudgeon

a bad-tempered person

sojourn

a temporary stay

gregarious

fond of company

augment

to increase

engender

to cause or give rise to

nuance

a subtle difference

covert

not openly displayed

renown

the state of being known
and celebrated by many

tangent

a completely different line
of thought

kismet

destiny

exonerate

remove blame or guilt for
a wrongdoing

altruism

a selfless act

myopic

so focused on one small thing that
the whole picture can't be seen

galvanize

shock or excite, typically
into taking action

gauche

lacking social grace

zenith

the top of a trajectory; the highest
point

futile

ncapable of producing any
result

ruminate

to think deeply

acrimony

tense bitterness in a
relationship

solace

comfort in a time of stress
or sadness

insipid

lacking taste or class

visceral

from the gut

inept

having or showing no skill

mitigate

o make less severe, serious,
or painful

vacillate

to alternate indecisively
between two choices

incendiary

designed to start fires or
conflict

depravity

moral corruption

cajole

persuade by flattering or
gently teasing

harbinger

something that marks the
approach of something else

impetuous

acting quickly without
thought

extemporaneous

spoken or done without
preparation

perfunctory

carried out with minimum
effort to satisfy the situation

foible

a small flaw

vacuous

showing a lack of thought
or intelligence

reticent

not revealing one's thoughts or feelings easily

farcical

in a ridiculous manner

egalitarian

relating to the idea of all
people deserving equal rights

palpable

able to be touched or felt

charlatan

a person falsely claiming
to have special talents or skills

atrophy

to gradually decline or
waste away

collusion

secret or illegal
cooperation, esp. to cheat others

drivel

nonsense

stoic

able to endure hardship
without showing pain or complaining

intrepid

brave and adventurous

balk

to be unwilling to accept
an idea or request

gaunt

too thin, as in suffering
from hunger or illness