Bigger Kahuna

asperity

n. sharpness or harshness of manner
The asperity in my coach's voice frightened me.

bane

n. a person or thing that causes harm
The sound of tapping on a table is the bane of my existence.

buffoon

n. a person who makes attempts at being funny
The boy acted like a buffoon in front of everyone; all his peers laughed at him.

extrovert

n. somebody who likes to be around other people
She is an extroverted girl, for she is always at parties with other people.

doleful

adj. mournful; sorrowful
Her doleful demeanor after watching the sad movie was shared by everyone in the audience.

garish

adj. excessively bright or flashy
The clown wore a garish ensemble that attracted the attention of everyone.

imbue

v. to fill completely with a feeling or idea
Mr. Johnson seems to think that by imbuing us with a passion for vocabulary, we will be smarter people.

hierarchy

n. system of ranking
Most kingdoms had a hierarchy, with kings and queens at the top and peasants at the bottom.

penchant

n. a strong attraction or leaning
My penchant for music began when I was young when my parents introduced my to Billy Joel.

repertoire

n. the list of pieces an actor, musician, etc. is ready to perform
The band has ten songs in their repertoire that can be played upon request.

unremitting

adj. not stopping or slowing down
The love I have for chocolate is unremitting.

instigate

v. to bring about or provoke
When her brother started calling her names, he instigated a major fight between the two of them.

rambunctious

adj. uncontrollably rowdy; wild
My brother's constant nagging and yelling is very rambunctious; I can never get any work done due to the noise he makes.

rudiment

n. the first principles of a subject
In kindergarten you learn the rudiments of numbers, such as how to count from one through ten.

undermine

v. to damage or weaken (someone or something) especially gradually
Years of separation undermined their friendship; the girls no longer kept in touch and avoided interaction.

countenance

n. a facial expression
His countenance revealed how disappointed he was by the rejection.

disgruntle

v. to make dissatisfied
She was disgruntled by the amount of work her boss expected her to finish by the next day.

equilibrium

n. a state of balance
The boxer compromised his opponent's equilibrium with a hit behind the ear.

gird

v. to support by surrounding (girder-n)
The cast was used to gird his broken leg.

gratuitous

adj. not called for or unnecessary
Her parents don't like her to watch rated R films due to gratuitous violence.

implacable

adj. unable to be soothed
The baby was implacable when she was left alone for hours.

expedite

v. to speed up the process
Amazon Prime offers free, expedited shipping with a monthly payment.

manifesto

n. a public document explaining the motives/beliefs of a person or group
The group collaborated to create a manifesto that declared their beliefs.

precedent

n. an act or statement that serves as an example for the future
Her perfect score on the science test set a precedent for the rest of the year.

adjudicate

v. to make a formal judgment or decision about a problem
The adjudicators were responsible to choose which group performed the strongest.

centennial

adj. of or relating to a hundredth anniversary
I won't be surprised if Queen Elizabeth of England lives long enough for her centennial celebration as ruler.

illusory

adj. based on illusion; not real
After the mentalist show, it was hard to determine what was illusory and what was real.

luminary

n. a person who inspires/influences others (or a celestial body)
Michelle Obama is a luminary to many young girls worldwide.

mesmerize

v. to hold the attention of (someone); to transfix someone
The magician had the audience mesmerized as he made objects appear and disappear.

spurious

adj. not being what it claims to be
In New York City, you can buy spurious designer bags on literally every corner on the street.

curtail

v. to cut short in time
Fire drills always curtail our time in English class.

espionage

n. the act of spying, usually by the gov't
James Bond is known for his movies of espionage all over Europe.

malign

v. to say negative comments
The enemies maligned each other in front of the whole school until a fight broke out.

rancor

n. a deep hatred
I will forever have a rancor for peas; they are simply awful.

indignity

n. an insult to one's pride
He suffered tons of indignities, but he has prevailed and earned the spot as manager.

indiscriminate

adj. not marked by careful distinction
You are indiscriminately drawing my vocab cards.

rampant

adj. without restraint or control
The ebola virus spread rampantly through Africa until it eventually died down.

inalienable

adj. unable to be taken away from/given away by possessor
The Bill of Rights states many inalienable rights that citizens have and cannot be taken away.

incarcerate

v. to imprison or confine
The American colonies felt as if England was incarcerating them and withholding their freedom.

infamous

adj. well known for some bad quality or deed
Hitler is an infamous figure of Germans that sets a stereotype.

intercede

v. to intervene for behalf of another
I had to intercede for Hannah because she was unable to voice her opinion.

perpetuate

v. to make (something undesirable) continue forever
The new law system perpetuated the ideals of the dictator.

reparation

n. the making of amends for a wrongdoing (by paying or helping)
The company was forced to make reparations to their consumers for a faulty product.

smattering

n. a slight superficial knowledge of a language or subject
I entered the math class with only a smattering of calculus.

discriminate

v. to recognize a distinction; different
Even the mother couldn't discriminate between the twins.

endow

v. to provide with a quality, thing, or a gift of money (formal)
The travel company's endowment allowed her to go to Australia with her group.

accolade

n. an expression of approval or respect for special merit
Einstein receive many accolades during his lifetime.

assiduous

adj. diligent and persistent
The assiduous workaholic was known to exceed expectations.

adamant

adj. not yielding (positively)
My parents are adamant that I'm home by nine on weeknights.

ephemeral

adj. lasting a short time
Her crush on him turned out to be ephemeral when she quickly found someone better.

tutelage

n. instruction, protection, or guardianship
Under the tutelage of their director, they traveled to Carnegie Hall.

pantheon

n. a group of people held in high esteem for their achievements
Robert Frost is included in the pantheon of great writers worldwide.

perverse

adj. turned away from what is "right" and accepted
The boy's perverse behavior caused nobody to be friends with him.

ingratiate

v. to work; to gain the favor of someone
I ingratiated myself to the coach by carrying the bag to the locker room.

adulate

v. to praise (someone) excessively
The student was adulated for writing the most beautiful essay the teacher had ever read.

altercation

n. a noisy argument or disagreement, especially in public
The siblings' altercation in the store was enough to get them both grounded.

annals

n. a record of events by year
The historians found late 18th century annals about the political events in America.

chary

adj. cautiously/suspiciously reluctant to do something
He was chary about allowing his face to be put on Instagram.

clique

n. a group of people who spend time together and are very exclusive
The girls formed a clique at lunch and didn't let anyone sit with them.

decrepit

adj. elderly and infirm
The decrepit bicycle hardly works.

affinity

n. an attraction to someone or something
I have a strong affinity for music.

ambivalent

adj. having mixed feelings about something
She was ambivalent about which meal to choose off the menu.

emaciated

adj. unhealthily thin
Many third world countries suffer severe poverty rates, and emaciated children can't find food to eat.

infatuated

adj. filled with an excessive, shallow, or foolish love for something
All the girls were infatuated with the attractive new kid.

engender

v. to bring into being (an interest, idea, concept)
Mariah Carey's performance engendered a great deal of discomfort on New Year's Eve.

enclave

n. a district or region enclosed within a larger region
I'm excited to explore the many enclaves in Sydney, Australia this summer.

poignant

adj. painfully moving
I cannot watch "The Titanic" because the scene where Leonardo DiCaprio dies is too poignant.

insatiable

adj. unable to be satisfied (positively)
Her desire to sing was insatiable, she always wanted to pick up the guitar and play a tune.

proselytize

v. to convert someone to a faith or belief
The young religious people tried to proselytize us to join their cause.

indigenous

adj. naturally living or growing in a certain area
Some indigenous plants of the desert include cacti and succulents.

cessation

n. a stopping, temporary, or a final point
Although they were friends since kindergarten, the argument was the cessation of their friendship.

acrimony

n. bitterness or ill feeling
The acrimony she felt when her brother broke her phone was terrifying.

exacerbate

v. to make (a problem/bad situation/feeling) worse
The bad grade he got on the test only exacerbated his already doleful mood.

illicit

adj. forbidden by law/rules/custom
The transaction was illicit; if they got caught they'd be put in jail.

inexorable

adj. impossible to stop or prevent
The rebellion was simply inexorable, for nobody liked the government.

infirmity

n. a physical or mental weakness
We took off our skis and rushed up to the girl to check for infirmities.

compunction

n. a feeling of uneasiness because of guilt
She told her parents she didn't eat any chocolate but later felt compunction.

ameliorate

v. to make better
To ameliorate my standing with the coach, I helped out at every practice.

baleful

adj. expressing hatred
The feud between the girls was obvious due to the baleful expressions on each of their faces.

circumvent

v. to avoid through craftiness
It would be hard to circumvent all the traps set up to protect the diamond necklace.

euphemism

n. a polite term for saying something unpleasant
I used a euphemism to describe her mother's death, for she was very upset.

profane

adj. to treat without respect
His profane behavior was caught on video and caused him to lose the election.

servitude

n. a lack of freedom
The prisoner was in servitude to the government; she had to serve a lifetime stuck in the dreadful prison.

heresy

n. the expression of shocking or "unacceptable" views
When scientists put forth new ideas, it was often considered heresy against the church.

berate

v. to scold or criticize (someone) angrily
the child was berated for breaking the prized sculpture.

condone

v. to accept and allow (offensive/wrong behavior) to continue
In the courthouse, rambunctious activities would not be condoned.

diminutive

adj. extremely or unusually small
They had a diminutive amount of money in their account and couldn't purchase the item.

expendable

adj. designed to be used only once and then abandoned/destroyed
The minor detail was not of concern and was therefore expendable.

recompense

v. to make amends to (someone) for loss or harm suffered
The victim of the crash was recompensed for his injuries.

repast

n. a meal
We were called for a repast before leaving.

omnivorous

adj. taking in all kinds of things
Her omnivorous approach to learning allowed her to excel in many subjects.

epitaph

n. words written on a tombstone
The epitaph on his grave included only the year he was born and the year he died.

obituary

n. a notice of death, usually public
The obituary in the newspaper reflected him as a very accomplished man.

inter

v. to put in the ground
The coffin was interred with the body in it.

lacerate

v. to tear or cut roughly
She had severe lacerations over her body after falling into a rose bush.

galvanize

v. to excite to action
The coach galvanized the players by threatening them with sprints.

rendition

n. an interpretation or translation of a performance
I prefer the "You Don't Own Me" by Grace and G-Eazy rendition to the original from the 60s.

colloquial

adj. characterized by informal language
Text messaging often uses colloquial language.

castigate

v. to punish by criticizing sharply
My mom always castigates Tom and I for putting our elbows on the table during dinner.

stipend

n. a fixed amount of pay for work done
The employee received a $100 stipend for his work on the presentation.