Unit 4 Vocab

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes.

Aggrandize

To increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater.

Amorphous

Shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion.

Archetype

An original model on which something is patterned or replicated; the ideal example of a particular type of person or thing.

Aura

That which surrounds (as an atmosphere); a distinctive quality or trait.

Contraband

Illegal traffic, smuggled goods; illegal, prohibited.

Erudite

Scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic.

Gossamer

Thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; a very thin, light, cloth.

Inscrutable

Incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically.

Insular

Relating to, characteristic of, or situate on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience.

Irrevocable

Incapable of being changed or called back.

Propensity

A natural inclination or predilection toward.

Querulous

Peevish, complaining, fretful.

Remonstrate

To argue with someone against something, protest against.

Repudiate

To disown, reject, or deny the validity of.

Resilient

Able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly.

Reverberate

To re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly.

Scurrilous

Coarsely abusive, vulgar or low, foul mouthed.

Sedulous

Persistent, showing industry and determination.

Sleazy

Thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality of character; ethically low, mean, or disreputable.

Casanova

Refers to someone as a “lady’s man” or “womanizer, stemmed from Casanovas several female lovers he had while traveling throughout Europe.

Pollyanna

Comes from a novel where the protagonist always has a positive attitude and finds happiness despite challenges.

Holy Grail

Refers to something being desirable and well sought after, stemming from the biblical story of Jesus’s last supper.

Judas

Comparing someone to Judas means calling them a backstabber and traitor, based on the disciple who betrayed Jesus.

Nemesis

Means an opponent or rival who you cannot beat or overcome; your enemy, from the Greek goddess of retribution.

Harpy

Cruel or unscrupulous woman; from fierce monsters with women's heads and bodies but claws and wings of vultures in Greek mythology.

Prodigal Son

Someone who behaves recklessly and then repents; originated from a story by Jesus to teach sinners.

Draconian

Laws are seen as excessively harsh sentences and penalties; named after a Greek lawmaker with a severe code.

Svengali

An authority figure who shows unusually evil influences over other people, from an 1894 novel.

Goliath

Opponent is perceived as not likely to win; from the Bible, referring to a giant defeated by David.