Vocab unit 1

Pernicious

intending to cause harm

Ubiquitous

appearing everywhere

Non sequitur

a statement that does not logically follow a conversation's flow

Diatribe

a forceful and bitter verbal attack

Slipshod

showing a lack of care or thought

Nefarious

wicked or criminal

Precursor

A person or thing that comes before another of a similar kind

Impregnable

unable to be captured or broken into

Demure

shy or modest

Jingoistic

overly patriotic

Implacable

unable to be soothed

Affinity

a natural skill

Coquette

A woman who flirts to get what she wants

Harangue

A lecture at length in an aggressive way

Bemoan

express discontent or sorrow over

Misogynist

someone who hates women

Abhor

hate

Talisman

an object with magical powers to bring good luck

Placid

not easily upset or excited

Bovine

in the manner of a cow

Facetious

treating serious issues with inappropriate humor

Contrite

deeply remorseful for a bad action

Erudite

showing great knowledge or learning

Anomaly

something that deviates from what is expected or normal

Noxious

very harmful

Bilk

to cheat someone out of money

Replete

well-supplied with something

Blasphemy

profane talk about holy or sacred things

Absolution

formal release from guilt or punishment

Cantankerous

argumentative and uncooperative

Deride

to verbally rip apart

Debacle

a disaster

Temerity

excessive or foolish boldness

Ennui

dissatisfaction or exhaustion caused by boredom

Abstain

restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something

Haughty

arrogantly superior

Tenacious

not letting go of or giving up on something one holds dear

Acquiesce

accept something reluctantly, but without protest

lampoon

publicly ridicule

Curmudgeon

a bad-tempered person

Sojourn

a temporary stay

Gregarious

fond of company

Augment

to increase

Insidious

advancing in a gradual way to cause harm

Engender

to cause or give rise to

Nuance

a subtle difference

Covert

not openly displayed

Renown

the state of being known and celebrated by many

Tangent

a completely different line of thought

Kismet

destiny

Exonerate

remove blame or guilt for a wrongdoing

Altruism

a selfless act

Myopic

so focused on one small thing that the whole picture can't be seen

Galvanize

shock or excite, typically into taking action

Gauche

lacking social grace

Zenith

the top of a trajectory; the highest point

Futile

incapable of producing any result

Ruminate

to think deeply

Acrimony

tense bitterness in a relationship

Solace

comfort in a time of stress or sadness

Insipid

lacking taste or class

Pedestrian

lacking inspiration

Visceral

from the gut

Inept

having or showing no skill

Mitigate

to make less severe, serious or painful

Anodyne

something that kills pain

Vacillate

to alternate indecisively between two choices

Incendiary

designed to start fires or conflict

Depravity

moral corruption

Bulwark

a defensive wall

Cajole

persuade by flattering or gently teasing

Harbinger

something that marks the approach of something else

Impetuous

acting quickly without thought

Extemporaneous

spoken or done without preparation

Fetid

smelling very unpleasant

Perfunctory

carried out with minimum effort to satisfy the situation

Fracas

a noisy disturbance

Foible

a small flaw

Vacuous

showing a lack of thought or intelligence

reticent

not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings

farcical

in a ridiculous manner

egalitarian

relating to the idea that all people deserve equal rights

palpable

able to be touched or felt

charlatan (n.) 

a person pretending to have special talents or skills

atrophy

to gradually decline or waste away

quaff

to drink heartliy

collusion

secret or illegal

drivel

nonsense

stoic

able to endure hardship without showing pain or complaining

intrepid

brave and adventurous

balk

to be unwilling to accept an idea or request

gaunt

too thin, as in suffering from hunger or illness

persnickety

placing to much emphasis on aminor or unimportant details

whet

to sharpen the point of something