Lang + Am/Lit 2 (H) Second Quarter Vocab List

acquiescent (n)

ready to accept or agree without protest/hesitation

acrimony (n)

state of bitterness or harsh feeling

ambidextrous (adj) {two meanings}

able to use the right and left hands equally well, or to do two things equally well

amorphous (adj)

lacking a definite shape, form, or organization

analogous (adj)

being similar or comparable to something else

antithesis (n)

something that is the exact opposite of something else

archaic (adj)

having characteristics of the past or belonging to an early time

assiduous (adj)

showing great care, attention, and persistent effort

atrophy (v)

to waste away, shrink, or become weaker because of the lack of use

avarice (n)

excessive desire of wealth and property (similar to cupidity)

banal (adj)

lacking in originality, freshness, or novelty (similar to trite)

blight (n)

something that frustrates hope, impairs, or destroys a situation

bumptious (adj)

unpleasantly, loudly, or overconfidently being full of oneself

capacious (adj) {two meanings}

having a lot of space inside, able to hold a great deal

caustic (adj)

strongly critcize, sarcastic, bitter in a way that hurts someone

circumspect (adj)

thinking carefully about potential circumstances and consequences before doing something

cloister (n) {two meanings}

a covered walkway in a cathedral; a state of seclusion

concise (adj)

giving a lot of information clearly in a few words

consonance (n) {two meanings}

state of agreement, a pleasant combination of sounds

conviction (n)

a strongly held belief or opinion

copious (adj)

large/abundant in supply or quantity

criteria (n)

the standards used to judge or make a decision on something. is the plural version of criterion.

decadence (n)

state of cultural/social decline marked by excessive satisfaction in pleasure or luxury

deride (v)

to mock or insult someone with disrespect

despondent (adj)

feeling extreme discouragement or depression because of a situation that seems impossible to fix

dilatory (adj)

slow to act or intending to cause a delay

discord (n) {two meanings}

lack of agreement or trust between people, or an unpleasant combination of sounds

divergence (n) {two meanings}

the process of moving apart, or a difference that develops between two things

doleful (adj)

expressing deep grief or sadness

efficacy (n)

the ability to produce a desired result

endemic (adj)

being native or restricted to a certain region or community

ephemeral (adj)

lasting for a very short time

erudition (n)

extensive knowledge acquired through reading and study

eulogize (v)

to praise someone very highly in a speech or writing

exalt (v) {two meanings}

to elevate in rank or power, or to praise someone

extol (v)

to praise someone with high enthusiasm and admiration

flaccid (adj)

soft, limp, lacking firmness or strength

foresight (n)

the ability to predict or anticipate for what will happen in the future

frugal (adj) {two meanings}

managing money wisely or careful with resources

garner (v)

to collect, gather, or earn something valuable

glutton (n) {two meanings}

someone with extreme tolerance for something, or a person who overeats alot

hamper (v) {two meanings}

to hold back or slow down something, to make an action difficult

hedge (v) {two meanings}

to protect someone from loss, to avoid commitment

homogeneous (adj) {two meanings}

being of the same kind and alike, having a uniform structure throughout

immutable (adj) {two meanings}

unchanging over time, or unable to be changed

impede (v)

to slow down the progress of something

impudence (n)

the quality of being rude, shameless, and disrespectful towards others

incongruous (adj)

out of place, lacking harmony or not matching with surroundings

incorrigible (adj)

describes something incapable of being corrected or improved

inert (adj)

lacking the strength to move or act

ingenuous (adj)

being innocent, sincere, and trusting

insipid (adj)

lacking interesting qualities or flavor

insolvent (adj)

describes being unable to pay debts

irreverent (adj)

showing a lack of respect or seriousness for things that are usually taken seriously

jaunty (adj)

expressing a lively, cheerful, and self-confident manner

jocular (adj)

characterized or said as a joke or being playful

kindle (v) {two meanings}

to start a fire, awaken or inspire an emotion

latent (adj)

present and hidden but is capable of developing soon

loathe (v)

to dislike greatly with disgust

loquacious (adj)

full of fluent and excessive talk

magnate (n)

a person holding great power or rank in a specific area

malleable (adj)

being easily influenced or controlled by others

meticulous (adj)

showing great attention to detail, very careful and precise (similar to fastidious)

minute (adj) {three meanings}

extremely small, unimportant, close attention to detail

myriad (adj)

countless, having a great number and variety

nuance (n)

a subtle/small difference in or variation in something

objurgate (v)

to scold someone harshly with strong feeling

obsolete (adj)

no longer produced or used, something that is out of date

ominous (adj)

giving the impression that something bad is going to happen

opulence (n) {two meanings}

great wealth and luxuriousness or abundant supply of something

paltry (adj)

something that is meager in amount, worthless, insignificant

paucity (n)

a small, insufficient amount of something

pernicious (adj)

having a very damaging effect in a gradual way

pithy (adj)

being concise while remaining forceful and direct

platitude (n)

a dull or overused statement that is delivered as it if were meaningful, though it lacks real insight

potent (adj)

being powerful, influential, effective

predilection (n)

an established preference or special liking for something

prodigious (adj)

impressively great in ability, size, or extent

prudent (adj)

acting with good judgement, care, or wisdom

qualify (v) {two meanings}

to meet the requirements, or modify a statement

ratify (v)

to give formal or legal approval to an agreement

redolent (adj)

having a strong smell or strongly reminiscent to something

relevancy (n)

the quality of being closely connected or important to the matter at hand

repudiate (v)

to formally reject and refuse to be associated with something

rotund (adj)

plump, round, full of voice

sardonic (adj)

grimly mocking or showing scorn for something

scrupulous (adj)

extremely honest or extremely attentive to details

sententious (adj)

trying to sound wise or important in an annoying way

solemn (adj)

describes being very serious, formal, or somber

specious (adj)

seeming true and logical, but actually wrong and misleading

stymie (v)

to prevent or stand in the way of a progress

succinct (adj)

briefly and clearly expressed with no unnecessary language

superfluous (adj)

being more than enough, unnecessary

tantamount (adj)

equivalent in value, significance, or seriousness to something

terse (adj)

using very few words to the point of seeming blunt unfriendly

torpid (adj)

mentally or physically inactive, lacking energy

trepidation (n)

a feeling of fear or anxiety about something that may happen

undermine (v)

to secretly make something weaker, less confident or effective

unerring (adj)

always right, making no mistakes

vagrant (n)

a person who has no established home or work, and wanders from place to place