English 12A Vocabulary Unit 3

Cavort

(v.) To romp or prance around exuberantly; to make merry

Credence

(n.) Belief, mental acceptance

Decry

(v.) To condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate

Dissemble

(v.) To disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression

Distraught

(adj.) Very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict

Eulogy

(n.) A formal statement of commendation; high praise

Evince

(v.) To display clearly, to make evident, to provoke

Exhume

(v.) To remove from a grave; to bring to light

Feckless

(adj.) Lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable

Murky

(adj.) Dark and gloomy, obscure; lacking in clarity and precision

Nefarious

(adj.) Wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards

Piquant

(adj.) Stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative

Primordial

(adj.) Developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest stage; fundamental, basic

Propinquity

(n.) Nearness in place or time; kinship

Substantive

(adj.) real, having a solid basis; considerable in number or amount; meaningful and on topic

Unwonted

(adj.) Not usual or expected; not in character

Utopian

(adj.) Founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical

Verbiage

(n.) Language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness; a manner of expression

Verdant

(adj.) Green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgement

Viscous

(adj.) Having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity