ela vocab 7

abeyance

noun
State of being inactive, suspended or
set aside
Postponement or suspension

ambivalent

adjective
Having opposite and conflicting
ideas about someone or something
Ambiguous; of two minds

beleaguer

Verb
To surround with an army
To trouble or harass
Encircle or pester

carte blanche

Noun
Full freedom or authority to act at
one’s own discretion
Literally “blank paper”
You can do whatever you want

cataclysm

Noun
Sudden, violent, or devastating
upheaval
A HUGE flood
Disaster or catastrophe

debauch

Verb
To corrupt morally; to carouse
Noun
An act or occasion full of vice

fastidious

Adjective
Overly demanding; hard to please
Finicky

gambol

Verb
To jump or skip about playfully
Frolic, romp

imbue

verb
To soak or stain thoroughly
Infuse
Or
To fill the mind

inchoate

Adjective
Just beginning; not fully formed or
shaped
Embryonic

lampoon

Noun
A malicious satire
Verb
To satirize, ridicule, or parody

malleable

Adjective
Capable of being formed into
different shapes, pliable,
impressionable, adaptable

nemesis

Noun
An agent or force inflicting
vengeance or punishment; an
avenger

philistine

Adjective
Lowbrow; lacking in, hostile to, or
smugly indifferent to cultural and
artistic values
Noun
Such a person
The opposite of a refined person

savoir-faire

noun
The ability to say and do the right
thing in any situation
Social competence