30 Days to a Better Vocabulary

AP Lit practice

Vicarious

escaping from the real world to live through something or someone else, enjoyed by one person through his sympathetic but indirect participation in the experience of another (real or fictional) person; substitutional

Rationalize

the unconscious process of thought by which one justifies a discreditable act, and by which one offers to oneself and the world a better motive for one's actions than the true motive

Gregarious

--a friendly person; likes to be with other people; preferring company of others to solitude

Obsequious

-someone who is excessively polite for personal gain (a waiter is obsequious if he thinks he will get a large tip)

-servilely attentive; fawning

Maudlin

-tearfully or excessively sentimental

-someone made foolish and silly by too much drinking

-Comes from Mary Magdalene

Ascetic

-someone who is given to severe self-denial and austerity, practices rigid abstinence (commonly b/c of religion); practicing extreme self denial

-shuns luxuries and physical pleasures of life

Pander

-to minister to the gratification of the passions and prejudices of others, to one's own profit (to cater to base desires)

Sublimate

-to express primitive and socially unacceptable drives in constructive ways that are socially acceptable, usually through completely conscious processes

Wanton

-someone who indulges in every passion; lewd and lascivious; lives it up without thinking of consequences

-unchaste, lewd, licentious, marked by arrogant recklessness of justice, of the feelings of others; having no just provocation; willfully malicious

Effete

-when plants are worn out and incapable of producing

-when humans or their institutions are worn out, sterile, devoid of vigor, weakened by luxury, self-indulgence, and soft living

obstetrician

provides care for pregnant women, delivers babies, and gives post-natal attention to mothers (commonly also a gynecologist)

pediatrician

specializes in the treatment of infants and very young children

podiatrist

treats the minor ailments of your feet (aka chiropodist)

osteopath

works on the theory that diseases arise chiefly from the displacement of bones, with resultant pressure on nerve centers and blood vessels; treats the manipulation of the affected parts

ophthalmologist

a medical doctor and often a trained surgeon who treats the troubles and disease of the eyes (called oculist or eye doctor)

optometrist

checks and corrects vision, usually by prescribing and fitting glasses

optician

a technician who grinds lenses to an ophthalmologist's or optometrist's prescription; who makes or sells eyeglasses, binoculars, and other optical instruments

gynecologist

specializes in the diseases that are peculiar to women (commonly also an obstetrician)

dermatologist

specializes in diseases of the skin (rash, acne, allergies, lesions, psoriasis, eczema, etc.

psychiatrist

a medical specialist in mental ailments, emotional problems, psychoses, neuroses, etc.

Orthodontist

specializes in straightening crooked teeth and in correcting bad "bites- (malocclusions)"

Atheist

-someone who doesn't believe in God

Agnostic

-someone who believes that no human will ever know if there is a god or not

Fate

-someone who believes that everything that happens is predetermined

Egoism

-someone who is completely indifferent to the needs, feelings, or wishes of others, they base their actions on personal gain and direct benefit

Altruism

-someone who has a devotion to the interests and needs of others (opposite of egoist)

Stoic

-someone who is free from passion, unmoved by joy and grief, and suffer mental and physical pain without complaint

Chauvinist

-someone who is overly patriotic to an illogical and ludicrous extreme

-after Nicolas Chavin who was devoted to Napoleon

Jingoist

someone who thinks that their country is always right and who is in favor of aggressive acts against other countries

Liberals

-someone who doesn't belong to a political party, and is independent in thought and action; prefers a changing, dynamic, experimenting government (an extreme liberal is called a radical)

Conservative

--someone who doesn't believe in change; prefers the government to follow familiar, tried, tested and safe policies (an extreme conservative is called a reactionary)

Epicurean

-someone who believes the most successful life, with the most pleasure and the least pain, is the most successful life (NOT an epicure- someone who enjoys the delights of the table)

Monogamy

a one-to-one marriage; a man or woman has only one current spouse at any time

Bigamy

Illegal involvement by one person in two or more concurrent marriages

Polygamy

A custom in which a man has more than one wife

Misogamy

the hatred of marriage

Monotheism

The belief in a single, supreme deity

Bicuspid

A tooth with two prongs

Polyglot

-someone who speaks many tongues or languages

Misanthropy

-the hatred of man or mankind

Monos

“one”

Gamos

“marriage”

Bis

“twice” or “two”

Polys

“many”

Miso

"to hate"

Theos

“god”

Cuspis

“point”

Glotta

“tongue”

Anthropos

“man”

Theology

the study of God and religion

Philanthropy

love of mankind (literally a lover of his fellowmen)

Anthropology

the study of man (science of human development and history)

Philology

Study of language (literally a love of words)

Expiate

make amends for

Importune

To harass or press someone with persistent and urgent requests; to beg ceaselessly, entreat, or beseech repeatedly.

Impute

To ascribe, attribute, or assign responsibility for an action, fault, or discreditable motive to someone, typically in a critical or accusatory manner.

scintillate

sparkle with wit or humor

mulct

deprive of a possession unjustly

Ostracize

exclude from public or private favor; ban

deprecate

disapprove of (the actions of someone)

procrastinate

put off until a future time; delay

rusticate

spending time in the country

vegetate

live in a passive way

Coquette

a girl who promises a lot, flirts, and delivers very little

Circe

A girl who's greatest pleasure comes from luring men to their destruction

Amazon

A girl who is tall, strapping, a slightly masculine

Virago

A domineering, bad-tempered, and scolding individual.

Adonis

An exceptionally handsome, physically attractive young man.

Judas

An untrustworthy male who is a traitor and will sell out his best friend for money

Futilitarian

A pessimist who believes that human effort is useless and devoid of purpose.

Vulgarian

A coarse, crude, or unrefined person, especially one possessing wealth without taste.

Pedant

One who displays ostentatious, tedious concern for academic rules and minute details.

Esthete

One who cultivates a deep appreciation of beauty, art, and good taste.

demagogue

A political leader who gains support by appealing to popular desires, prejudices, and emotions rather than rational argument.

martinet

A rigid, strict disciplinarian who insists on exact adherence to rules and etiquette.

sycophant

A person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage; a flatterer.

tyro

A beginner, novice, or newcomer to a particular craft or field.

virtuoso

A master performer who has reached the pinnacle of technique and skill in the fine arts or music.

philologist

A specialist engaged in the scholarly study of language, linguistic history, and literary texts.

clairvoyant

A person claiming the psychic ability to perceive events, objects, or futures beyond ordinary sensory contact.

philatelist

A hobbyist or scholar who collects and studies postage stamps.

numismatist

A person who studies or collects coins, paper money, and medals.

gourmet

A connoisseur of fine food and drink with a discerning and knowledgeable palate.

connoisseur

An expert judge of supreme quality and artistry in matters of culture, art, food, or wine.

pyromaniac

An individual driven by an obsessive, morbid impulse to deliberately ignite fires.

dipsomaniac

An individual suffering from an uncontrollable, periodic craving for alcoholic beverages.

megalomaniac

An individual afflicted with grandiose delusions about their own greatness, power, or identity.

monomaniac

An individual whose mental fixation or irrationality is limited to one single topic or delusion.

kleptomaniac

An individual with an uncontrollable, recurrent urge to steal items without economic need.

ceraunophobia

An excessive, irrational fear or morbid dread of thunder.

astraphobia

An intense, irrational fear or morbid dread of lightning.

ophidiophobia

An intense, irrational fear or morbid dread of snakes.

nyctophobia

An intense, irrational fear or morbid dread of the dark or nighttime.

acrophobia

An intense, irrational fear or morbid dread of heights.

pyrophobia

An intense, irrational fear or morbid dread of fire.

aquaphobia

An intense, irrational fear or morbid dread of water.

ailurophobia

An intense, irrational fear or morbid dread of cats.

cynophobia

An intense, irrational fear or morbid dread of dogs.

agoraphobia

An intense, irrational fear or morbid dread of open, crowded, or public spaces.

triskaidekaphobia

An extreme, irrational fear or superstition surrounding the number thirteen.