English 10 Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards for English 10 vocabulary words from Dr. Fox's BLCS class.

audacity

chutzpah, impudence; a willingness to take bold risks or rude and disrespectful behavior

beatific

blissfully happy. In Christianity, imparting holy bliss like that of a saint

bereft

deprived or lacking something

capricious

given to sudden unexplained changes of mood or behavior

consecrate

to dedicate something to God or a higher power or cherished purpose

dubious

doubting or hesitant

decrepit

old and worn out

exude

to ooze, give off, or display something

foist

to impose an unwelcome or unnecessary person or thing on someone

fulminate

to express a passionate protest

furtive

attempting to avoid notice or attention

galvanize

to shock or excite someone

macabre

disturbing and horrifying, often pertaining to death or injury

myopia

literally, nearsightedness or an inability to see things that are far away. Figuratively, a lack of imagination

pious

religiously devout

reconnaissance

a general examination or survey of a region, usually followed by a detailed survey; military observation of a region to locate an enemy or ascertain strategic features

redolent

having a pleasant odor (of something in particular), suggestive of something

undulate

to make a smooth wavelike motion

veneration

great respect

vertigo

a sensation of dizziness and loss of balance

alight

to dismount or descend, to come down

assuage

to relieve or calm something

conjecture

to guess from available evidence

despondent

extremely sad and gloomy, without hope

efface

to wipe out, to erase completely

enigma

a puzzle or riddle, an inexplicable situation

equivocate

to avoid making a decision, to change one’s mind continuously

execrate

to curse; to abhor or loathe

exhort

to urge, advise, or encourage energetically

gesticulate

to gesture, to signal through motion

henceforth

from this point forward, from now on

hitherto

up to this time, until now

mutable

changeable, inconstant

novel

new and different

purloin

to steal

serenity

a state of calm, peacefulness

sublime

of high moral, artistic, intellectual, or spiritual value; inspiring awe in an almost religious way

tumult

violent commotion and disturbance

uncouth

impolite, discourteous, awkward

vindicate

to clear (someone) of blame or suspicion

amiable

friendly, pleasant, agreeable

antipathy

instinctive, natural dislike

ardour

passion, intense devotion and feeling

assail

to attack or assault physically or verbally

benevolent

kindly, charitable, well-meaning

chastise

to discipline or criticize

chimerical

imaginary, wildly fanciful, unrealistic

convalescence

the period of recovery after an illness

docile

tame, easy to teach or control, obedient

eccentricity

oddity, peculiarity, a weird habit

effusive

pouring out/overflowing with emotion, lacking reserve

erroneous

containing error, incorrect, mistaken

fluctuate

to change continually, shift back and forth or up and down

indefatigable

incapable of fatigue, untiring

countenance

facial expression, visage

dilatory

slow, causing delay and procrastination

irrevocable

unalterable, impossible to reverse

pedantry

obnoxiously careful attention to rules and details

progeny

descendants or offspring

salubrious

promoting health, healthful

ambiguous

unclear, having multiple possible meanings

autonomy

the capacity to rule or direct yourself

clandestine

kept secret or done secretly, usually because it’s illegal or immoral

condone

to accept or allow a particular behavior or choice

destitute

extremely poor, missing basic necessities of life

disinter

to dig up something that has been buried, like a corpse or a secret

frivolous

not having any purpose or value

insolent

rude and impudent

inundate

to flood or overwhelm with things to deal with

malleable

easy to shape or manipulate

morose

sullen, ill-tempered, down in the dumps

ominous

giving the impression that something bad is going to happen; threatening

precocious

developing earlier than expected

ponderous

huge, heavy, massive, clumsy

stoic

without emotion or feeling (n)- a person who doesn’t show emotion

strenuous

requiring great effort

superfluous

more than necessary, too much (negative connotation)

tenacity

determination, emotional strength mixed with persistence

vehement

showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense

vigilance

the quality of being awake and alert

apt

appropriate or suitable, having a tendency to do something

beguile

to charm or enchant someone, sometimes in a deceptive or tricky way

benign

harmless, gentle

bolster

to add to or support (n) a pillow/cushion (because it supports your head)

breach

a gap or a break in something that used to be strong (v) to create a gap or break through something strong

chaste

refraining from extramarital or all sex, virginal

credulous

gullible, believing without much evidence. Opposite of incredulous

guile

cunning, slyness. Opposite of naivete

impediment

an obstacle or setback

impudent

not showing due respect for another person; overly cocky, rude

languish

to grow weak and feeble from lack of change or movement

maim

to wound or injure permanently

malicious

intending harm

odious

absolutely terrible, deserving of hate

prate

to talk foolishly without stopping; to chatter on and on

requite

to return a favor or feelings appropriately

ruminate

to think deeply about something

satiate

to fill or satisfy

surreptitious

secret, stealthy, under-cover

usurp

to take a position of power by force