Accelerated Literature and Composition: Semester 2 Vocabulary

abide(v)

accepting without objection

ex: Residents of the dorm agreed to abide by the dorm’s rules.

avuncular(adj)

unc

ex: The shopkeeper was known for his avuncular charm, always handing out free treats to the neighborhood children.

bespoke(adj)

custom-made

ex: Nothing beats the charm of a bespoke, hand-carved chair.

bombinate(v)

murmur, buzz

ex: The classroom was freezing, but you could hear the furnace bombinating below.

defile(v)

dirty

ex: Students were supended for defiling the school bathrooms.

frenetic(adj)

excitement and disorder

ex: The party was frenetic, lasting until 3:00 AM.

hyperbole(n)

describes something that’s much better or worse than reality

ex: The children were disappointed to learn that while the ice cream cones were very large, describing them as “foot-high” was pure hyperbole.

peculiar(adj)

odd

ex: The dog's peculiar behavior worried them.

spiel(n)

fast speech to persuade

ex: Salesmen speak with an opening spiel.

volition(n)

free will

ex: Joe Bart talks about volition on his philosophy channel.

anthropomorphic(adj)

human-like

ex: The story tells the adventures of a group of anthropomorphic animals.

atone(v)

making amends

ex: James tried to atone for the wrongdoings of his youth by devoting his life to helping 

others.

emblazon(v)

to decorate the surface

ex: Her favorite souvenir from her trip to the Grand Canyon was a t-shirt emblazoned with a rosy sunset over the famous chasm.

kerfuffle(n)

disturbance

ex: The reclassification of Pluto from a planet to a small star caused quite a kerfuffle among astronomy lovers.

laconic(adj)

few words

ex: Her bubbly personality was a humorous yet complementary contrast to her friend’s more laconic demeanor.

languid(adj)

few strength

ex: The trial proceeded at a languid pace as each attorney called up a whole roster of witnesses to testify.

onus(n)

responsibility

ex: Management has made it clear that the onus is on employees to ask for further training if they don’t understand the new procedures.

proffer(v)

offer

ex: Several recommendations were proffered by the finance board on how to reduce the city’s debt without making drastic cuts in department budgets.

proselytize(v)

persuade
ex: Eliza is a staunch environmentalist who always feels the need to proselytize to anyone who doesn't drive an electric or hybrid car.

sporadic(adj)

occasionally

ex: The team’s regular meetings became sporadic over the summer months, when at some points up to half of its members were on vacation.

abrogate(v)

to end formally

ex: Citizens voted to abrogate the antiquated law.

brandish(v)

to shake menacingly

ex: Michael appeared before the town council brandishing a petition signed by 500 people asking the town to increase funding for the public skate park.

coalesce(v)

to come together

ex: The club's community service projects provide students with a common goal to coalesce around.

defer(v)

to choose to do (something) at a later time.

ex: She deferred her master’s program for a year so that she could travel the world.

devolve(v)

to gradually go from an advanced state to a less advanced state

ex: Over time, the weekly book club meetings devolved into mean-spirited gossip sessions.

facsimile(n)

an exact copy of something

ex: The forged painting was an impressive facsimile of the original.

mawkish(adj)

exaggeratedly or childishly emotional

ex: Although Olivia was embarrassed by the mawkish poetry that filled her old high school diaries, she couldn’t bring herself to throw them away.

panache(n)

energy, spirit, and style (flare)

ex: Ever the showman, he not only caught the ball, he made a diving catch and caught it with panache.

umbrage(n)

feeling of being offended by what someone has said or done

ex: It can be difficult to converse with someone who is ready to take umbrage at the most innocent remarks.

vociferous(adj)

express their feelings or opinions loudly and forcefully

ex: The question of where to build the new parking garage downtown was the subject of vociferous debate.

alleviate(v)

something less painful

ex: Mom's suggestions for ways to alleviate some of my cold symptoms included her special tea and plenty of sleep.

carceral(adj)

of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison.
ex: The room was eerily quiet and had a carceral aesthetic.

charisma(n)

a special magnetic charm or appeal
ex: The young singer had the kind of charisma that turns a performer into a star.

eminently(adv)

to a high degree, very

ex: All three outfielders are eminently capable of making an All-Star-caliber catch to help their team.

epitome(n)

a typical or ideal example

ex: The cabin we rented was the epitome of country charm: wide pine floors, simple sturdy furniture, and clean linen curtains billowing in the breeze of the open windows.

immutable(adj)

not capable of or susceptible to change

ex: It is hardly an immutable fact that cats and dogs are sworn enemies; over the years our golden retriever has grown both fond and protective of her tabby housemate.

litany(n)

a sizeable series or set
ex: Among the television critic’s litany of complaints about the new series is the costume design.

melancholia(n)

a feeling of sadness or depression

ex: He confessed to a bit of melancholia after the final performance—although he was proud of the successful Broadway run, he would miss his fellow cast members dearly.

trivial(adj)

of little worth or importance

ex: Although her parents dismissed her love of pop music as trivial, she relied on the inspirational messages of many songs to help her through difficult times.

unabashed(adj)

not embarrassed or ashamed about openly expressing strong feelings or 

opinions, or such a person's emotion or behavior, unapologetic, undisguised

ex: Despite his reputation as the strong, silent type, the lumberjack squealed with unabashed glee at the first sight of his baby niece.

brouhaha(n)

noisy state of commotion
ex: A brouhaha erupted over the bill removing gay marriage.

carp(v)

complain annoyingly
ex: He carps about the ref’s bad calls when he should be focused on improving.

conscientious(adj)

perfectionist
ex: Although Marvin was brilliant, he was not a very conscientious student, and he frequently lost points for forgetting to turn in his homework.

finicky(adj)

particular in tastes or standards

ex: The young boy was a finicky eater, and his parents found it challenging to come up with ideas for healthy meals that he would enjoy.

frolic(v)

run happily

ex: One of the highlights of spring on the farm is watching newborn lambs frolic in the meadow.

menagerie(n)

varied mixture

ex: The living room is furnished with a menagerie of garage sale finds.

muse(v)

to think about carefully and thoroughly

ex: The conversation meandered, as the cousins mused about what had changed and what had remained the same since the last family reunion.

nebulous(adj)

vague

ex: Daniel’s description of the film was so nebulous that I’m still not quite sure what it is about.

ostentatious(adj)

seeking to attract attention

ex: His ostentatious displays of knowledge were often less than charming.

validate(v)

recognize, establish, or illustrate something’s or someone’s worthiness or legitimacy

ex: He validated his daughter’s safety concerns by covering her head to toe with protective padding for her bicycle riding lessons.

debunk(v)

to expose falseness

ex: Chuck E. Cheese debunked Shane Dawson’s notion that the pizza was recycled.

festoon(v)

to decorate with many small objects

ex: I festooned my lip balm by bedazzling it.

ingenuous(adj)

innocent simplicity and candidness

ex: The ingenuous enthusiasm shown by several of the older campers was contagious, and soon everyone was excited about the project.

noisome(adj)

disgusting

ex: A noisome stench came from the brief.

panacea(n)

remedy for all

ex: Mamdani’s policies will push progressivism , but it's no panacea for the rest of the country.

postulate(v)

to assume or claim something (such as an idea or theory) as true especially for the purposes of starting a discussion

ex: Neil deGrasse Tyson often postulates in interviews that we live in but one of an infinite number of parallel universes.

prescience(n)

anticipating what will happen

Stacy had the prescience to know that gas prices weren’t going to remain low forever, and she managed to fill her tank just before it started to increase.

quibble(v)

to complain about first-world problems

ex: Privileges Americans often quibble over small inconveniences while the Middle East is facing a humanitarian crisis.

scintillate(v)

to impress with wit

ex: Gabriel Iglesias’ hilarious and topical standup routine absolutely scintillated; the audience brought him back for two encores.

teem(v)

to be full of or swarming with

ex: Before the meet, the pool was teeming with swimmers.

behest(n)

order

ex: The committee met again at the behest of the senator.

benevolent(adj)

kind

ex: The event's reception was courtesy of a benevolent anonymous donor.

decry(v)

strong disapproval

ex: The editorial decried the shuttering of the movie theater, which has been a local landmark for many years.

evanescent(adj)

vanishing quickly

ex: The joy of winning the last game was evanescent, as the team quickly turned its focus to the upcoming championships.

fidelity(n)

faithful

ex: The movie takes full advantage of the film medium while maintaining fidelity to the book.

meld(v)

blend together

ex: The sauce cooks slowly, allowing the flavors to meld together.

nonpareil(n)

no equal

ex: The singer's stunning performance was nonpareil.

perfunctory(adj)

no enthusiasm

ex: Clearly exhausted after a long day on her feet, our server gave us only a perfunctory greeting before taking our drink orders.

propagate(v)

make something known or accepted

ex: The group's members increasingly rely on social media to propagate their ideas.

sumptuous(adj)

expensive

ex: The hotel's most sumptuous suite overlooks the lush gardens and includes a palatial marble bathroom with a spa and a commodious, intricately tiled walk-in shower.