American Literature - Pastiche Vocab

Clamor

loud or confused noise; people shouting loudly insistently

Decorous

in keeping with good taste

Lithe

thing or graceful of a person's body

Archaic

very old or old-fashioned

Dulcet

sweet and soothing

Pedant

excessively concerned with minor details

Banality

something that is trite, obvious, or predictable; a commonplace

Capitulate

cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand; surrender

Blandishment

a flattering or pleasing statement or action used to persuade someone gently to do something

Succumb

fail to resist pressure, temptation, or some other negative force OR die from effect of a disease or injury

Loom

to appear as a large, often frightening or unclear shape or object

Efface

erase (a mark) from a surface OR make oneself appear insignificant or inconspicuous

Feasible

capable of being done or carried out OR capable of being used or dealt with successfully

Lurid

unpleasantly bright in color OR deliberately containing many shocking details

Sprawling

spreading out over a large area in an untidy or irregular way

Fretful

anxious and restless

Inexplicable

Unable to be explained

Derision

contemptuous ridicule or mockery

Reverence

deep respect for someone or something

Kindred

one's family and relations

Slough

cast off or shed something OR to get rid of something unwanted

Cordial

a sweet, strong alcoholic drink

Calamity

an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster

Sanctity

the state or quality of being holy, sacred, or saintly OR ultimate importance and inviolability

Hobgoblin

mischievous imp or sprite

Hinder

create difficulties for someone or something resulting in obstruction

Inaudible

unable to be heard

Gaudy

extravagantly or showy, typically so as to be tasteless

Sporadic

occurring occasionally, singly, or in irregular or random instances

Dissipate

disappear or cause to disappear

Magnanimous

generous in forgiving, above small meanness

Langour

Lack of physical or mental energy

Ecstasy

intense joy or delight

Amiable

having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner

Arcane

understood by few; mysterious or secret

Anathema

something or someone that one vehemently dislikes

Septic

infected either microorganism especially harmful bacteria

Scourge

a whip OR a person or thing that causes great trouble or suffering

Itinerant

traveling from place to place

Deterrence

the action of discouraging an event through instilling doubt or fear of the consequences

Leper

a person suffering from leprosy

Pogrom

an organized massacre of a particular ethnic group

Emulation

an effort to match or surpass a person or achievement typically by imitation

Tacit

understood or implied without being stated

Resounding

unmistakeable ; emphatic OR loud enough to reverberate

Subversive

(adj.) intended to undermine or overthrow; (n.) one who advocates or attempts to undermine a political system

Intersectionality

categorizing things such as race

Benign

kind and gentle; harmless

Gatekeep

to control or limit access to something

Elicit

to draw forth, bring out from some source

Endorse

approve; support

Diaspora

a dispersion of people from their homeland

Proprietor

an owner of a store or other business

Subdued

quiet and rather reflective or depressed

Bestow

to give as a gift

Transcendent

going beyond the limits of ordinary experience

Aversion

strong disinclination, disliking

Disparage

to belittle, speak slightingly of; to undervalue

Sinecure

(n.) a position requiring little or no work; an easy job

Transience

forgetting what occurs with the passage of time