DHS First Semester Vocabulary Words Lang/Lit 1H Mrs. England

abstruse

adj; hard to understand

affable

adj; friendly, easygoing

alienate

v; to push someone away, or cause him to separate from people

amity

n; friendship

antiquated

adj; Too old to be useful, outdated, obsolete

arbitrary

adj; selected by random choice and without solid reason

arrogant

adj; Acting superior, obnoxious, smart, or rude

assail

v; attack with words or force

astute

adj; wise, insightfully clever, shrewd

averse

feeling repelled; wanting to avoid

belie

v; to give an impression that is the opposite of the way things really are, to misrepresent

benign

adj; gentle; kind-hearted, mild

bolster

v; to support, to reinforce

candor

n; honesty, frankness

censure

v; to criticize

clemency

n; mercy

complacent

adj; self-satisfied; unconcerned

composure

n; calmness, equanimity

contingent

dependent upon other circumstances; conditional

converge

v; to meet at a common point

cordial

adj; friendly, welcoming, gracious

cupidity

n; greed (for money or posessions)

daunted

adj; dismayed, disheartened, discouraged

deplore

v; to express regret or disapproval, complain, criticize

desultory

adj; lacking a plan, aimless

digress

v. leave the main subject temporarily in speech or writing; to go off on a tangent

disdain

n; feeling scorn or contempt

dissolution

n; Separation into parts; the process of dissolving

dogmatic

adj; Sticking to long held beliefs, even when faced with contrary evidence; closed minded

elated

adj; Extremely happy; overjoyed

emulate

v; to imitate

enigma

n; mystery; puzzle

erratic

adj; unpredictable; differing from what is normal or expected

euphemism

n; A word or phrase that used to make an unpleasant idea sound better

expurgate

v; to remove objectionable words, ideas, or symbols from text

extraneous

adj; unnecessary, irrelevant

fastidious

adj; difficult to please

fledgling

n; beginner

fulminate

v; to explode, either with sound or anger

garish

adj; flashy; gaudy

gravity

n; seriousness

harbor

v; to provide refuge; to hide

heed

v; to notice; to pay attention to

hyperbole

n; an extreme exaggeration

imminent

adj; about to take place; happening soon

impetuous

adj; taking sudden action; hasty; impulsive

inadvertent

adj; unintentional

incompatible

adj; In capable of existing together in peace

incredulous

adj; Unwilling or unable to believe

infamy

n; A bad reputation; notoriety

infer

v; to figure out based on given information; conclude; deduce

insolent

adj; rude; haughty

intractable

adj; stubborn; immovable

irascible

adj; easily angered

jeopardy

n; the threat or possibility of danger

jubilant

adj; filled with joy

laconic

adj; Quiet; of few words; terse

legacy

n; something inherited, either from an ancestor or from the past itself

loath

adj; reluctant; unwilling

lucid

adj; Easy to understand; transparent; clear thinking

malefactor

n; Person who tries to hurt others; criminal

meager

adj; small in size or amount; thin; weak

mellifluous

adj; Smooth; sweetly floating

mitigate

v; to make less severe; mollify

mundane

adj; ordinary; earthly (not spiritual); practical; temporary

novelty

n; something new or unusual

nurture

v; to provide care and support; train or educate; to nourish

obscure

adj; Hazy; unfamiliar; difficult to understand

obtuse

adj; dull; blunt; unintelligent; lacking sharpness

optimist

n; Someone who always believe things will turn out OK

paragon

n; Model of excellence; the best

penury

n; extreme poverty; destitution

pervade

v; to spread throughout every part

phlegmatic

adj; calm; unemotional

ponderous

adj; slow; weighty; labored

preclude

v; to prevent; to make impossible

pretentious

adj; showy; making ridiculous claims; excessively ambitious

profound

adj; filled with wisdom and insight; beyond the superficial; deep

proximity

n; nearness; closeness

quandary

n; A state of confusion or doubt; dilemma

rampant

adj; unrestrained; widespread

recluse

n; person who prefers to be alone all the time; someone withdrawn from the rest of society

reprove

v; scold; criticize; disapprove of

reserve

n; The ability to control your emotions and actions; self-restraint

revere

v; to greatly respect

sanction

v; approve; give consent

scrutinize

v; examine closely; inspect carefully

seditious

adj; trying to stir up a revolt against an authority figure

slander

n; Negative oral remarks about another person that are untrue

sporadic

adj; occuring infrequently and without predictability; occasional

stealth

n; secretive behavior

subtle

adj; hard to see or understand; elusive

surreptitious

adj; secretive; furtive; clandestine

tangent

n; A line that touches a curb at just one point; a comment that is off the main topic

tenacious

adj; persistent; strong; determined to hold on

tirade

n; a long and bitter Speech; diatribe

trite

adj; overused; common, stale

ubiquitous

adj; existing everywhere at the same time

unkempt

adj; messy, sloppy

vacillate

v; Move back-and-forth between choices; unable to decide