Semester One Vocabulary

Abstruse

Difficult to understand, obscure

Amity

A friendly relationship

Arrogant

Having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities

Averse

Having a strong dislike of or opposition to something

Bolster

Support or strengthen; prop up

Clemency

Mercy; lenience

Contingent

Subject to chance; occurring or existing only due to something else

Cupidity

Greed for money or possession

Desultory

Lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm

Dissolution

The closing down or dismissal of an assembly, partnership, or official body

Emulate

Match or surpass a person or achievement, typically by imitation

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrasing

Fastidious

Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

Garish

Obstrusively bright and showy, lurid

Heed

Pay attention to, take notice of

Impetuous

Acting or done quickly and without thought or care

Incredulous

Unwilling or unable to believe something

Insolent

Showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect

Jeopardy

Danger of loss, harm, or failure

Legacy

the long-lasting impact of particular events, actions, etc. that took place in the past, or of a person’s life

Malefactor

A person who commits a crime or some other wrong

Mitigate

Make less severe, serious, or painful

Nurture

Care for and encourage the growth or development of

Optimist

A person who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future or the success of something

Pervade

Spread through and be perceived in every part of

Preclude

Prevent from happening, make impossible

Proximity

Nearness in space, time, or relationship

Recluse

A person who lives a solitary life and tends to avoid other people

Revere

Feel deep respect or admiration for something

Seditious

Inciting or causing people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch

Stealth

Cautious and surreptitious action or movement

Tangent

A completely different line of thought or action

Trite

Overused and consequently of little impart; lacking originality or freshness

Vacillate

Alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive

Wane

Decrease in vigor, power, or extent; become weaker

Affable

Friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to

Antiquated

Old-fashioned or outdated

Assail

Make a concerted or violent attack on

Belie

Fail to give a true notion or impression of something; disguise or contradict

Candor

The quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness

Complacent

Showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s own achievements

Converge

Tend to meet at a point

Daunted

Make someone feel imtimidated or apprehensive

Digress

Leave the main subject temporarily in speech or writing

Dogmatic

Inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true

Enigma

A person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand

Expurgate

Remove matter thought to be objectionable or unsuitable from a text or account

Fledgling

A person or organization that is immature, inexperienced, or underdeveloped

Gravity

Extreme or alarming importance, seriousness

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally

Inadvertent

Not resulting from or achieved through deliberate planning

Infamy

The state of being well-known for some bad quality or deed

Intractable

Hard to control or deal with

Jubilant

Feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph

Loath

Reluctant, unwilling

Meager

Lacking in quantity or quality

Mundane

Lacking interest or excitement; dull

Obscure

Not discovered or known about; uncertain

Paragon

A person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a perfect quality

Phlegmatic

Having an unemotional and stolidly calm disposition

Pretentious

Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc. than is actually possessed

Quandary

A state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation

Reprove

Reprimand or censure someone

Sanction

Give official permission or approval for an action

Slander

The action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation

Subtle

So delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyze or describe

Tenacious

Tending to keep a firm hold of something; clinging to or adhering closely

Ubiquitous

Present, appearing, or found everywhere

Vapid

Offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging

Wax

Cover or treat something with wax or a similar substance, typically to polish or protect it

Alienate

Cause someone to feel isolated or estranged

Arbitrary

Based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system

Astute

Having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one’s advantage

Benign

Gentle and kindly

Censure

Express severe disapproval of someone or something, especially in a formal statement

Composure

The state or feeling of being calm and in control of oneself

Cordial

Warm and friendly

Deplore

Feel or express disapproval of something

Disdain

The feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one’s consideration or respect; contempt

Elated

Ecstatically happy

Erratic

Not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable

Extraneous

Irrelevant or unrelated to the subject being dealt with

Fulminate

Express vehement protest

Harbor

Keep a thought or feeling, typically a negative one in one’s mind, especially secretly

Imminent

About to happen

Incompatible

So opposed in character as to be incapable of existing together

Infer

Deduce or conclude information from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements

Irascible

Having or showing a tendency to be easily angered

Laconic

Using very few words

Lucid

Expressed clearly; easy to understand

Mellifluous

Of a voice or words - sweet or musical; pleasant to hear

Novelty

The quality of being new, original, or unusual

Obtuse

Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand

Penury

Extreme poverty; destitution

Ponderous

Slow and clumsy because of great weight

Profound

Very great or intense

Rampant

Especially of something unwelcome or unpleasant, flourishing or spreading unchecked

Reserve

A supply of a commodity not needed for immediate use but available if required

Scrutinize

Examine or inspect closely and thoroughly

Sporadic

Occuring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated