English III AP Vocabulary Test

acquisitive

acquisitive

(adj.) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property

animadversion

(n.) a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval

banal

(adj.) hackneyed, trite, commonplace

cacophonous

(adj.) harsh-sounding, raucous, discordant, dissonant

celerity

(n.) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action

dissemble

(v.) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression

eschew

(v.) to avoid, shun, keep away from

evince

(v.) to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke

feckless

(adj.) lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable

halcyon

(n.) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj.) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent

intransigent

(adj.) refusing to compromise; irreconcilable

maelstrom

(n.) a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction

nefarious

(adj.) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards

pejorative

(adj.) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling

piquant

(adj.) stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative

progeny

(n.) descendants, offspring, children, followers, disciples

summarily

(adv.) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely

temporize

(v.) to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise

unwonted

(adj.) not usual or expected; not in character

verbiage

(n) language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness; a manner of expression

arrogate

(v.) to claim or take without right

articulate

(v.) to pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; to connect by a joint or joints; (adj.) expressed clearly and forcefully; able to employ language clearly and forcefully; jointed

belabor

(v.) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

cavort

(v.) to romp or prance around exuberantly; to make merry

credence

(n.) belief, mental acceptance

decry

(v.) to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate

emulate

(v.) to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model

encomium

(n.) a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute

gambit

(n.)in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of a minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type

germane

(adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

histrionic

(adj.) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic

invidious

(adj.) offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment

myopic

(adj.) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment

primordial

(adj.) developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest age; fundamental, basic

propriety

(n.) the state of being proper, appropriateness; (pl.) standards of what is proper or socially acceptable

sacrilege

(n.) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred

suppliant

(adj.) asking humbly and earnestly; (n.) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, a suitor

taciturn

(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little

talisman

(n.) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

viscous

(adj.) having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity

accost

(v.) to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way.

affinity

(n.) a natural attraction to a person, thing, or activity; a relationship, connection

brackish

(adj.) having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink.

carping

(adj.) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n) petty, nagging criticism

coherent

(adj.) holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful.

commensurate

(adj.) equal in size, extent, duration, or importance; proportionate; measurable by the same standards

dichotomy

(n.) a division into two contradictory or mutually exclusive parts; a branching or forking in an ancestral line

ensconce

(v.) to settle comfortably and firmly in position; to put or hide in a safe place

faux pas

(n.) a slip in manners or conduct; a social blunder

iconoclastic

(adj.) attacking or seeking to overthrow popular or traditional beliefs, ideas, or institutions

incendiary

(adj.) deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; (n.) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife.

largesse

(n.) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions

malleable

(adj.) capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced

noisome

(adj.) offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious

portentous

(adj.) foreshadowing an event to come; causing wonder or awe; self-consciously weighty, pompous

raconteur

(n.) a person who tells stories and anecdotes with great skill

tenable

(adj.) capable of being held or defended

truncate

(v.) to shorten by or as if by cutting off

unconscionable

(adj.) not guided or restrained by conscience, prudence, or reason; unscrupulous; immoderate

vacuous

(adj.) devoid of matter, substance, or meaning; lacking ideas orintelligence; purposeless