English 12: Vocab Quiz #3

farcical

ridiculous and not worth taking seriously

fidelity

faithfulness; loyalty

haphazardous

characterized by lack of order or planning, by irregularity, or by randomness

hazardous

risky, dangerous

hierarchy

a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked into different levels of importance

holocaust

case of large scale destruction

imminent

about to happen

impenetrable

impossible to pass through or enter

impoverish

make poor, exhaust the strength or vitality of

inaudible

not able to be heard

indolent

wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy

intangible

unable to be touched or grasped; not having physical presence

jettison

to throw goods overboard to lighten the load on a boat or an airplane

lamentable

deplorably bad or unsatisfactory

machination

plot or scheme

maudlin

self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness

meagre

lacking in quantity or quality

melancholy

a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause

mercenary

primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics

- a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army

misapprehension

a mistaken belief about or interpretation of something

nonchalance

the state of being nonchalant

obscene

offensive or disgusting by accepted standards of morality and decency

pathos

a quality that evokes pity or sadness

petulant

(of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered

plausible

(of an argument or statement) seeming reasonable or probable

poignant

evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret

precocious

(of a child) having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual

presumption

an idea that is taken to be true, and often used as the basis for other ideas, although it is not known for certain

reciprocate

respond to (a gesture or action) by making a corresponding one

reverberate

(of a loud noise) be repeated several times as an echo

rigorous

extremely thorough, exhaustive, or accurate

rudimentary

involving or limited to basic principles

smattering

a slight superficial knowledge of a language or subject

stodgy

dull and uninspired

transcend

to rise above or go beyond the limits of something, or to be more important or better than something else

transient

lasting only for a short time; impermanent

ubiquitous

present, appearing, or found everywhere

utilitarian

designed to be useful or practical rather than attractive

vernacular

the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region

voracious

wanting or devouring great quantities of food