Lit & Film: Elect. 1 Vocab List 1-20

abolish

To put an end to; to eliminate. Slavery in America was officially abolished in 1863.

acrimonious

Bitter, resentful. The acrimonious controversy destroyed some friendships.

affront

To offend. The guest’s jokes about the food affronted his hosts. An open insult or indignity: His jokes about the food were an affront to his hosts.

ameliorate

To relieve, as from hardship. Reduced taxes ameliorated economic conditions.

apocryphal

Of doubtful authenticity; fake. Biographers must distinguish true stories from apocryphal ones.

arsenal

A collection, especially of military arms. The US agreed to reduce its nuclear arsenal.

auspicious

Promising success. Fine weather in the spring is auspicious for farmers.

brevity

Shortness, conciseness. A poem of such brevity is a bad choice for a speech contest.

burgeon

To sprout, bloom, flourish. Wildflowers burgeoned as spring turned to summer.

catastrophic

Disastrous. Allowing Hitler to gain power was a catastrophic error.

circumlocution

Wordy, roundabout language. The circumlocution in the report confused me.

cogent

Convincing, logical. The attorney made a cogent case for her client.

conspirator

One who cooperates in an unlawful purpose. Conspirators plotted a revolution.

convoluted

Twisted or coiled. His confusing logic is as convoluted as a pretzel.

debunk

To expose as false. Doctors debunked the claims of the company promoting a Spam diet.

denounce

To criticize publicly. The angry player denounced the firing of his coach.

despondency

Dejection, hopelessness. Disappointment in love caused his despondency.

din

Continued noise, especially of many sounds. Racing fans love the din of the drag strip.

distraught

1. Deeply distressed. He tried to comfort the distraught widow. 2. Insane.

drivel

Nonsense. A book review called his poems childish drivel. To talk nonsense.