Janie's Vocab Words

Abundant

present in large quantities

Living next to a lake means we have an abundant supply of water

Accurate

correct; free from error

Make sure your address is accurate before submitting an order online

Acquire

To come into possession of

When my grandfather died, I acquired his baseball card collection.

Adamant

Refusing to change an opinion

The defendant was adamant that he was innocent.

Adequate

Enough to meet a specific task or purpose

Though his resume was adequate**,** the company doubted whether he’d be a good fit.

Adjacent

Close to or next to

The park is adjacent to the school.

Adverse

Unfavorable; against one’s desires

I had an adverse reaction to my medication and had to stop taking it.

Affable

Friendly, easy to talk to

As the most affable of the teachers, Mr. De Soto was the math teacher all the students wanted.

Ambiguous

Having several potential meanings; unclear and difficult to understand

When I asked HR what my chances were of getting the job, they gave me a very ambiguous reply.

Ambitious

Having a powerful desire for success or achievement

Kelsey is so ambitious she's settling for nothing less than the presidency.

Annihilate

To destroy or kill

The dictator sent orders to annihilate the group of rebels.

Antipathy

A strong feeling of dislike

Her antipathy toward the professor was obvious: she rolled her eyes whenever he entered the classroom.

Apparent

Readily seen or understood

Alexis said she was fine, but the tears in her eyes made it apparent she was lying.

Ascent

Upward movement; advancement

Ruthless and cunning, Mable refused to let anyone come in the way of her ascent to the country's highest political office.

Attribute

To give credit

Be sure to attribute credit to your sources when writing a research paper.

Arbitrary

Based on a whim or random decision

Flipping a coin is an arbitrary way to make a decision.

Arduous

Requiring a lot of effort

After you cross the bridge, there’s an arduous walk up the hill.

Benevolent

Kind, generous

Many cultures believe in benevolent spirits.

Bias

A preconception that prevents objectivity

It’s important to avoid bias when investigating a crime.

Bolster

To support, strengthen, or fortify

If we work together, we should be able to lift and then bolster the couch.

Burgeoning

Growing quickly; flourishing

It didn't take long for my burgeoning cake business to have more customers than I could handle.

Bypass

To avoid

The longtime cab driver knew the exact backstreet to take in order to bypass the traffic pileup.

Candid

Direct, blunt

Josh is candid about his desire to become an actor.

Candor

The trait of being honest and frank

I admire her candor, especially when nobody else bothers to speak up.

Capitilize

To use to your advantage

I’d like to capitalize on your math skills by having you work the cash register.

Catalyst

Something that causes a change or new event

Everett's unfair conviction was the catalyst for his lifelong interest in justice and criminal reform.

Ceaseless

Unending, without pause

No matter where you were on the island, it was possible to hear the ceaseless sound of the sea.

Censure

To express strong disapproval

Every parent in our district censured the education cuts.

Clarify

To make clear or intelligible

Whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed, I try to take a walk to try to clarify my thoughts and decide what to do next.

Coincide

To happen at the same time

It wasn’t until after I booked my ticket that I realized the concert coincided with my finals.

Competent

Sufficiently qualified

We need to hire a competent web developer to create a good website for our company.

Complacent

Satisfied, with no desire to change or improve

Though he had never won any awards or even been published, he was complacent with his life as a poet.

Complement

To make perfect or complete

This wine perfectly complements this platter of gourmet cheese.

Conceal

To hide

Bram wore his hat low to conceal the scar on his face.

Concur

To agree

Brian believes women should be paid as much as men, and I concur.

Condense

To reduce to a shorter form; to make more compact

Rhiannon's boss asked her to condense the 15-page report into a one-page memo.

Confine

To limit or restrict; to enclose within bounds

After breaking curfew for the third time, Tony's parents confined him to the house for a month.

Confluence

A coming together of people or things; a joining

The confluence of hot and cold air created a powerful thunderstorm.

Consecutively

One after another in uninterrupted succession

The robber was ordered to serve his two sentences consecutively, with the shorter sentence being served first.Con

Console

To give comfort; to lessen grief

Maggie always remembered that Sebastian was the first to console her after her dog died.

Contention

A dispute; opposition; rivalry

As they'd been enemies since childhood, Meena expected bitter contention from Jane when she voiced her opinion.

Contours

Line or edge that defines the bounds of an object

The winding road followed the contours of the Vosges Mountains.

Contradict

To be in contrast with

The camera footage contradicts his alibi.

Controversial

Highly debatable and causing contention

Millions of viewers watched the controversial debate take place.

Conventional

Abiding by accepted standards

Ebba lives a conventional life in the suburbs.

Convey

To pass on or transfer (information)

I have trouble conveying my thoughts in French.

Copious

Abundant

Jiro always takes copious notes during history class.Co

Cordial

Friendly; courteous

Because she was the one to break their engagement, Anya was nervous about seeing Eric again, but he was nothing but cordial.

Crucial

Critical; extremely important

Once General Grant received crucial information about the position of enemy troops, he was able to plan his strategy.

Crude

Rudimentary; unrefined

My own painting appeared crude and childlike compared to the prize winner's masterpiece.

Cumbersome

Unwieldy; burdensome

The bag of overstuffed pillows was light, but its cumbersome shape made it difficult to carry.

Deceive

To trick or deceive

My ex-boyfriend deceived me  by pretending to be a millionaire.

Deference

Respect; regard

Her deference to the elderly makes her the perfect candidate for an internship at the retirement center.

Defiency

A lack

Many sailors were stricken by scurvy until it was learned the disease was caused by a Vitamin C deficiency.

Depict

To represent

Mama was furious after the caricaturist depicted her with a unibrow and buck teeth.

Deplete

To overuse over time so that resources become scarce.

The lost campers quickly depleted their supply of food.

Desolate

Bare, empty

The moon is one giant, desolate landscape.

Derive

To deduce; to obtain from a source or origin

Many English words are derived from German.

Devoid

Lacking

As he charged, the knight's face was devoid of any fear.

Dexterity

Skill in moving the hands or body; cleverness

The brain surgeon used great dexterity as she made the tiny incision.

Digress

To stray from the main topic

I don't mean to digress from your story, but have you seen this new YouTube video?

Diminish

To shrink or reduce

Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet to diminish red wine stains.D

Disrepency

An inconsistency or difference

A discrepancy in her tax returns caused Geraldine to receive half the refund she was owed.

Dismantle

To take apart

To stem rampant corruption, the new CEO dismantled the entire C-suite and hired new managers.

Distinctive

Distinguishing

Aunt Lola's distinctive turquoise hair always makes her easy to find in a crowd.

Dominant

Ruling, controlling; being in a position of authority

The dominant male gorilla is the only one permitted to produce offspring.

Efficient

Maximizing productivity

Now that I’m following a schedule at work, I’m much more efficient.

Eliminate

To remove

Our team lost the match and was eliminated from the competition.

Eminent

Superior or distinguished; high in position or status

Our town made news when the eminent magician came to perform at our local theater.

Engrossed

To fully occupy the mind or attention

Lydia was so engrossed in her magazine that she missed her train stop.

Erode

To wear away (figuratively or literally)

The constant lies eroded my trust in James.

Estimate

An approximate value

Try to get an estimate of the number of people attending the concert.

Eternal

Without beginning or end

Many people who are afraid of dying have searched for the secret to eternal life.

Exemplify

To serve as a superior example of a thing

Mark Twain's writings exemplified the humorist style.

Expend

To use up (as in energy or money)

Be careful not to expend all your energy in the first half of a marathon.

Expedite

To speed the process

You'll need to expedite the shipping if you want the gift to arrive in time for your brother's birthday.

Expertise

Expert knowledge or skill in a particular skill

The doctor's expertise is in knee surgeries.

Expose

To reveal or unmask

The emails sent to the journalist exposed the company's corruption.

Etensive

Covering a large area; great in number

Ash bought the car for a great price, but its issues were extensive.

Fastidious

Hard to please; taking excessive care

Mrs. Pelton was fastidious and never had so much as a speck of dirt on her clothes.

Flaw

An imperfection or defect

Alexei was devastated when she discovered an unsightly flaw in the diamond her fiance had given her.

Fluctuate

To be unstable; to rise and fall

Stocks can fluctuate on a daily basis, making it difficult to determine when to buy or sell one.

Frenetic

Frantic, frenzied

After three cups of coffee, Wally ran through the house, filled with frenetic energy.

Functional

Capable of working or operating

The television looked impressive, but it wouldn't be functional until Dad fixed the wiring problem.

Grandeur

Being awesome or impressive

The Palace of Versailles was designed to show the grandeur of the French court.

Historic

Important in history

July 20, 1969, is a historic day: it's the first day men walked on the moon.

Hitherto

Up until now

All attempts to lead into gold have hitherto been unsuccessful.

Hostile

Harmful, dangerous

The voices around the corner sounded angry, hostile even.

Hypothetical

Supposed; related to a hypothesis

For my physics homework, I must come up with a hypothetical situation.

Indifferent

Apathetic, not caring

Anjuli's father was indifferent to her Tik Tok fame.

Immense

Huge, vast

Alone in the immense forest, the hiker could see nothing but trees.

Imminent

About to happen

As the black clouds towered in the sky, Madeleine knew the storm was imminent.

Inconceivable

Unimaginable

Manuel found it inconceivable that Alfred Hitchcock never won a Best Director Oscar.

Informal

Casual, without ceremony

I wasn't expecting the party to be so informal and wished I'd worn sandals instead of heels.

Inhibit

To hinder or prohibit

Keeping the wound clean and covering it with a bandage will inhibit infection.

Innovative

New or different

The inventor's innovative designs for flying machines stunned his audience.

Intricate

Complex; having many interrelated parts

It takes Alma at least a week to complete each intricate weaving.

Jumbled

An unorganized mess; confused or muddled

The young boy searched for his homework among the jumbled clutter on his bedroom floor.

Languid

Slow; lacking energy

During the languid days of summer, there's nothing I like more than sitting on the porch with a glass of lemonade.

Latter

The second of two things

Between sitting at home and going to the beach, I prefer the latter.