English 11 Final: Vocab 2026

innuendo

(n.) a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense)

coalition

a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose

haitus

a gap, opening, break

provincial

limited in knowledge of the world; narrow-minded

meritorious

worthy, deserving recognition and praise

unctuous

(adj.) Excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable

petulant

peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset

jaded

(adj.) wearied, worn-out, dulled (in the sense of being satiated by excessive indulgence)

ameliorate

to improve, to make better

exhort

(v.) to urge strongly, advise earnestly

surmise

(v.) to think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to conjecture or guess; (n.) likely idea that lacks definite proof

ingratiate

(v.) to make oneself agreeable and thus gain favor or acceptance by others (sometimes used in a critical or derogatory sense)

permeate

(v.) to spread through, penetrate, soak through

drivel

(n.) saliva or mucus flowing from the mouth or nose; foolish, aimless talk or thinking; nonsense; (v.) to let saliva flow from the mouth; to utter nonsense or childish twaddle; to waste or fritter away foolishly

inveigh

(v.) to make a violent attack in words, express strong disapproval

precipitate

(v.) to fall as moisture; to cause or bring about suddenly; to hurl down from a great height, to give distinct form to; (adj.) characterized by excessive haste; (n.) moisture; the product of an action or process

wheedle

to use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end

expiate

(v.) to make amends, make up for; to avert

enjoin

to direct or order; to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way; to prohibit

expedite

to make easy, cause to progress faster

nominal

existing in name only

inadvertent

resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental

adventitious

(adj.) resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause or character; accidental, not essential; (medicine) acquired, not congenital

tenuous

(adj.) thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance or significance; lacking a sound basis, poorly supported

sleazy

(adj.) thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethically low, mean, or disreputable; slick in character

querulous

(adj.) peevish, complaining, fretful

inscrutable

(adj.) incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically

amorphous

(adj.) shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion

gossamer

(adj.) thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; (n.) a very thin, light cloth

contraband

(n.) illegal traffic, smuggled goods; (adj.) illegal, prohibited

aura

(n.) that which surrounds (as an atmosphere); a distinctive air or personal quality

propensity

(n.) a natural inclination or predilection toward

soporific

(adj.) tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy; (n.) something that induces sleep

precept

a rule of conduct or action

transient

(adj.) lasting only a short time, fleeting; (n.) one who stays only a short time

caveat

a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior

vapid

(adj.) dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force

straitlaced

(adj.) extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish, puritanical

unwieldy

not easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity

fractious

(adj.) tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable

immutable

unchangeable

surreptitious

(adj.) stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation; made or accomplished by fraud

amomalous

abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual

insurgent

(n.) one who rebels or rises against authority; (adj.) rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority; surging or rushing in or on

transgress

(v.) to go beyond a limit or boundary; to sin, violate a law

transmute

(v.) to change from one nature, substance, or form to another

castigate

(v.) to punish severely; to criticize severely

disabuse

(v.) to free from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking

brusque

(adj.) abrupt, blunt, with no formalities

heinous

(adj.) very wicked, offensive, hateful

bizzare

(adj.) extremely strange, unusual, atypical

vicarious

(adj.) performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another

vulnerable

(adj.) open to attack; capable of being wounded or damaged; unprotected

redoubtable

inspiring fear or awe; illustrious, eminent

austere

(adj.) severe or stern in manner; without adornment or luxury, simple, plain; harsh or sour in flavor

cadaverous

pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse

prate

to talk a great deal in a foolish or aimless fashion

piliage

(v.) to rob of goods by open force (as in war), plunder; (n.) the act of looting; booty

disconcert

to confuse; to disturb the composure of

punctilious

(adj.) very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety

acrimonious

(adj.) stinging, bitter in temper or tone

bovine

(adj.) resembling a cow or ox; sluggish, unresponsive

consternation

dismay, confusion

corpulent

(adj.) fat; having a large, bulky body

disavow

to deny responsibility for or connection with

culpable

deserving blame, worthy of condemnation

dilatory

(adj.) tending to delay or procrastinate, not prompt; intended to delay or postpone

egregious

(adj.) conspicuous, standing out from the mass (used particularly in an unfavorable sense)

equivocate

(v.) to speak or act in a way that allows for more than one interpretation; to be deliberately vague or ambiguous

evanescent

(adj.) vanishing, soon passing away; light and airy

gratuitous

(adj.) freely given; not called for by circumstances, unwarranted

imperious

(adj.) overbearing, arrogant; seeking to dominate; pressing, compelling

invective

(n.) a strong denunciation or condemnation; abusive language; (adj.) abusive, vituperative

motley

(adj.) showing great variety; composed of different elements or many colors; (n.) a jester's costume; a jester

munificent

extremely generous, lavish