End of Semester Vocab

belabor

(v.) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

carping

(adj.) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n.) petty, nagging criticism

coherent

(adj.) holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful

congeal

(v.) to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid

emulate

to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model

eschew

to avoid, shun, keep away from

germane

(adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

insatiable

so great or demanding as not to be satisfied

indivious

offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment

reconnaissance

a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination

substantiate

(v.) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to

tactiturn

(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little

tenable

capable of being held or defended

accost

(v) to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way

avid

(adj.) desirous of something to the point of greed, intensely eager

devious

(adj.) straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way

histrionic

(adj.) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic

maelstrom

(n.) a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction

myopic

(adj.) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation, lacking foresight or discernment

overt

(adj.) open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized

pejorative

(adj.) tending to make worse, expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, belittling

propriety

(n.) the state of being proper, appropriateness, standards of what is proper or socially acceptable

sacrilege

(n.) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred

talisman

(n.) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

credence

Belief, mental acceptance

decry

To condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate

dissemble

To disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression

distraught

Very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict

eulogy

A formal statement of commendation; high praise

exhume

To remove from a grave; to bring to light

feckless

Lacking in spirit and strength, ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable

murky

Dark & gloomy, obscure; lacking in clarity and precision

nefarious

Wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards

primordial

Developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest stage; fundamental, basic

unwonted

Not usual or expected; not in character

utopian

Founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical

verbiage

Language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness; a manner of expression

viscous

Having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity

atrophy

(n.) the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; (v.) to waste away

Bastion

(n.) a fortified place, stronghold

concord

(n.) a state of agreement, harmony, unanimity, a treaty, pact, covenant

disarray

(n.) disorder, confusion; (v.) to throw into disorder

flotsam

(n.) floating debris; homeless, impoverished people

frenetic

(adj.) frenzied, highly agitated

glean

(v.) to gather bit by bit; to gather small quantities of grain left in a field by the reapers

incarcerate

(v.) to imprison, confine, jail

incumbent

(adj.) obligatory, required; (n.) one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of

ludicrous

(adj) ridiculous, laughable, absurd

pecuniary

(adj.) consisting of or measured in money; of or related to money

stratagem

(n.) a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end