Vocab English 1A

Appall

To shock

Cognizant

Conscious of

Commiserate

To express sorrow

Expedient

Convenient

Hinderance

A barrier

Kindle

To inspire

Lavish

Overly luxurious

Ludicrous

Ridiculous

Negligent

Careless

Scrutinize

To inspect

Clamor

Loud noise

Contract

To become smaller

Duplicity

Deceit

Equivocal

Vague

Irresolute

Unable to decide

Rescind

To cancel

Stagnant

Motionless

Uniform

Alike

Untenable

Unable to be defended

Vilify

To speak evil of

Affable

Friendly, good natured, or easy to talk to

Apocryphal

Of questionable authority or authenticity

Cultivate

To nurture, improve, refine

Desultory

Wandering from subject to subject

Irascible

Easily angered, irritable

Loquacious

Very talkative

Obtuse

Lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression

Opaque

Impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light

Paucity

Scarcity; lack

Recapitulate

To summarize; to repeat briefly

Accolade

Tribute; honor; praise

Assuage

To make something unpleasant less severe

Cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

Censure

Harsh criticism or disapproval

Diatribe

An abusive, condemnatory speech

Edifice

A large, elaborate structure; an imposing building

Gravity

Seriousness

Infraction

A breaking of a law or obligation

Profane

Showing contempt toward sacred things

Somber

Dark, gloomy; depressed or melancholy in spirit

Blasphemy

Speech which offends religious sentiments

Enmity

Hatred, ill-will

Erroneous

Wrong; incorrect

Garner

To gather; to acquire

Heretic

Someone who goes against accepted religious beliefs

Incite

To rouse, stir up, urge on

Languish

To become weak or feeble; to lose strength

Peruse

To read carefully; scrutinize

Recluse

A person who leads a secluded or solitary life

Renounce

To give up or resign something