vocab 10-12

Askance

Distrustful, suspiciously, “ask away detective”

Attenuate

Thing out, dilute, water down, weaken

Benign

Benevolent, salubrious, harmless

Cavil

Nitpick, Carp, criticize

Charlatan

Mountebank, harlot(?)

Decimate

Devastate, destroy a large part

Foible

Shortcoming, quirk, minor flaw

Forgo

Refrain from, renounce, abstain from, give up

Fraught

Charged with, full of

Inure

Accustom, acclimate, adapt

Luminous

Bright, refulgent, lustrous, light

Obsequious

Fawning, servile, sycophantic, submissive

Obtuse

Dumb, thick, mild, dull-witted, angle between 90 and 180

Oscillate

Vibrate, swing back and forth with steady rhythm

Penitent

Remorseful, regretful, rueful, repentant

Peremptory

Unconditional, imperious, final resolute

Rebuff

Repulse, reject, setback, repel

Reconnoiter

Scout, inspection

Shambles

complete disorder, slaughterhouse, mess

Sporadic

Intermittent, spasmodic, no tempo, unplanned

Abrogate

Annul, revoke, abort, cancel/repeal

Ambient

completely surrounding, encompassing

Asperity

Rigor, harshness, severity, snake-like youchies

Burnish

Shine, buff, polish, gloss, luster

Cabal

Ring, gang, plot, conspiracy, group

Delectable

Scrumptious, savory, yummy, enjoyable

Deprecate

Deplore, frown upon, de-approve/disapprove, belittle

Detritus

Wreckage, ruins, rubble, loose bits

Ebullient

Exhilarated, elated, bubbly, enthusiastic

Eclectic

Selective, synthetic, pick-and-choose, various sources

Flaccid

Soft, flabby, lacking vigor, limp

Impecunious

Impoverished, indigent, poor, little money

Inexorable

Ineluctable, obdurate, inflexible, relentless

Moribund

Obsolescent, dying

Necromancer

Sorcerer, conjurer, magician/wizard

Onerous

Weighty, burdensome, invoked hardship/difficulty

rife

replete, common, widespread, plentiful

Rudiments

Basics, fundamentals, basics

Sequester

Segregate, isolate, closet, set-apart, secluded

Winnow

Sift, strain, filter, sort, “delete”

Aesthetic

Artistic, responsive to beauty

Defunct

Extinct, nonexistent, no longer existing/functioning (DEAD)

Discomfit

Nonplus, foil, frustrate, thwart, confuse, perplex, embarrass

Espouse

Embrace, wed, support, adopt

Fetish

Charm, obsession, believed to have magic powers…

Gregarious

Outgoing, extroverted, sociable

Hapless

Unlucky, ill-starred, unfortunate

Impeccable

Flawless, spotless, immaculate, faultless, JESUS

Importune

Implore, dun, tax, to beg for instantly, demand

Interpolate

Interpose, introduce, add, insert between two objects

Irreparable

Irremediable, unable to be repaired/rectified

Laconic

Succinct, pithy, compact, concise, few words

Languish

Flag, fade, pine, feeble , wilt/droop, suffer neglect, become weak

Mendacious

Untruthful, false, untrue, given to deception

Nadir

Rock bottom, lowest point

Omnipresent

Ubiquitous, ever-present, present in all places at all times

Perfunctory

Slapdash, shallow, without interest, routine, superficial/halfhearted manner

Plaintive

Sad, lugubrious, melancholy, woe/sorrow

Requite

Reimburse, avenge, repayment, reciprocate, retaliation

Tantamount

Indistinguishable from, same meaning, equivalent