English 1AS Diction List

Sterile (*adjective)*

*Free from germs | To describe a clean, antibacterial entity*

Sterile (*adjective)*

*Unimaginative, uninventive, etc. | Lacking creativity and originality* 

Illusive (*adjective)*

*Producing an illusion | An unreal nature*

Blithe (*adjective)*

*A display of laid-back nonchalance that is considered disrespectful*

Listless (*adjective)*

*When one’s manner is lethargic, spiritless, unenthusiastic, etc.*

Dejected (*adjective)*

Dispirited

Defunct (*adjective)*

*Ceasing to function | Inactive | No longer available*

Lavish (*adjective)*

*Lush, opulent, luxurious, etc.*

Lugubrious (*adjective)*

*Sounding/appearing to be dreary and mournful*

Abstract (*adjective)*

*Conceptional internal ideations | Theoretical*

Pensive (*adjective)*

*Engaging in meditative contemplation*

Impertinent (*adjective)*

*Not displaying respect*

Illustrious (*adjective)*

*To be acclaimed and adored for previous accomplishments*

Illicit (adjective)

Outlawed/banned by the law, rules, or customs

Orthodox (adjective)

Traditional/established, typically in reference to religion or politics

Pedantic (adjective)

Knowledgeable on obscure facts and details | Educated on narrowed trivial aspects

Didactic (adjective)

Informative, instructive, etc

Ostensibly (adverb)

Seemingly (as opposed to real/true), typically based on appearance alone

Warily (adverb)

With suspicion, caution, etc.

Exploits (verb)

An audacious and valiant feat | A bold, fearless event

Elude (verb)

To evade danger in a skillful/crafty way

Lament (verb)

To express grief with a passion

Rouse (verb)

Become awake | To gain consciousness

Fray (verb)

Friction that evolves into wearing away

Lavish (verb)

To bestow something in generous/extravagant quantities

Despair (verb)

Abandoning/giving up hope

Refrain (verb)

Resisting from doing something | Choosing not do to an action

Abstract (verb)

To extract/remove something

Transgress (verb)

To go beyond the set rules negatively | Behaviorally crossing lines

Console (verb)

To express sympathy/aid during a time of hurt/disappointment

Chastise (verb)

To highly berate/scold

Deride (verb)

Treat/speak to someone with contempt

Deride (verb)

Show a low opinion of someone or something

Dissemble (verb)

To put on a false behavior/persona | Make believe with the intent of deceiving

Grope (verb)

To explore/feel around blindly/with uncertainty (especially with one’s hands)

Grope (noun/verb)

An act of/ the act of feeling/fondling someone for pleasure (especially against one’s will)

Reverie (noun)

Daydreaming/dreamy thinking

Stoic (noun)

Undergoing hardship/pain without expressing said challenges.

Bravado (noun)

Boldness expressed to impress and/or intimidate another | Reflecting one’s boldness onto another.

Stupor (noun)

Being close to unconsciousness | Being in a state of insensibility/senselessness

Retribution (noun)

A penalty inflicted as payback for committing an unlawful act

Lament (noun)

An expression of sorrow/grief

Temerity (noun)

Unrestrained audacity | Dramatic amount of nerve

Fray (noun)

An event involving vigorous aggression | A noisy fight

Ignominy (noun)

Public mortification/dishonor | Shame/disgrace

Despair (noun)

In a state of feeling as if all hope is lost | Losing aspiration & desire

Refrain (noun)

The chorus of a song | When a singer is joined by a chorus of voices

Trepidation (noun)

An apprehension that something bad is about to happen | Concern

Contrition (noun)

A state of regretful remorse | A state of sadness

Zealot (noun)

A fervent advocator/supporter of something

Sterile (adjective)

*An operating room must be* __________ *to ensure no external harm to the patients.*

Sterile (adjective)

*Working with Sarah on the art project was a chore due to her* ____________ *ideology.* 

Illusive (adjective)

____________ *mirages are common in the Sahara desert, deceiving wary travelers.*

Blithe (adjective)

*I am shocked about my friend’s* __________ *attitude in regard to her failing grades.*

Listless (adjective)

*Tommy regarded his report card* ________(ly) *until he saw how horrible his grades were.*

Dejected (adjective)

*The football team looked* _________ *after losing the big game.*

Defunct (adjective)

*My phone is entirely ________ after I dropped it into the pool.*

Lavish (adjective)

*Annie walked into the* _________ *Warbucks estate in a state of wonder.* 

Lugubrious (adjective)

*The musicians played a* _________ *melody that brought the audience to tears.*

Abstract (adjective)

*Modernized standards have made the once* _________ *concept of beauty linear.*

Abstract (adjective)

*My failed attempts at finding shapes in* ________ *paintings puzzle me to this day.*

Pensive (adjective)

*I looked over at Luke and frowned at his* _________ *expression, wondering what he must be pondering.*

Impertinent (adjective)

*I hope he didn’t think I was being ___________ when I asked him about his private life.*

Illustrious (adjective)

*Schitt’s Creek tells the story of a once __________ family who moved to a small town in the middle of nowhere.*

Illicit (adjective)

*Tommy was shunned from his friend group for having an ________ affair.*

Orthodox (adjective)

*He took an* _____________ *approach to the problem and used a mix of herbs to calm his sore head.*

Pedantic (adjective)

*The* __________ *aspects of the lecture were too refined to keep up with.*

Didactic (adjective)

*My older sisters have become too ___________ seeming to always try to boss me around.*

Ostensibly (adverb)

*While the teacher used the restroom, the students were* ___________ *working on their classwork.*

Warily (adverb)

*A scared Lucy got onto the rollercoaster* __________.

Exploits (verb)

*The famous historian writes about their legendary* __________ *across the globe.*

Elude (verb)

*The burglar was able to* ___________ *the police and steal thousands of dollars from the bank.*

Lament (verb)

*I* ___________(ed) *the loss of my dog for quite some time.*

Rouse (verb)

*My mother* _________(d) *me out of slumber for school.*

Rouse (verb)

*The constant bullying* _________(d) *a great sense of anger in me.*

Fray (verb)

*My favorite blue jeans became* ________(ed) *from constant usage.*

Lavish (verb)

*I cannot* ________ *enough praise on Taylor Swift.*

Despair (verb)

*Lost in the depths of the woods, Jess couldn’t help but* ___________ in finding her way out*.*

Refrain (verb)

*I had to* ________ *from screaming at my sister for stealing my clothes.*

Abstract (verb)

*Knowing how to* __________ *fresh water from a stream is a crucial hiking tool.*

Transgress (verb)

*Hugo was banned from the class trip because he* __________(ed) *the rules.*

Console (verb)

*I watched the teacher* ___________ *Billy after he fell off the seesaw.*

Chastise (verb)

*My mom had to* __________ *my sister for spending too much time on electronics.*

Deride (verb)

*He* _________(ed) *his student’s attempt to solve the biggest mathematical problem in history.*

Deride (verb)

*The bully constantly _________(s) my friends for being unathletic.*

Dissemble (verb)

*This year’s Halloween costumes did an amazing job at* ___________(ing) *the candy-givers.*

Grope (verb)

*I* _________(d) *around my backpack for a hair tie but couldn’t find one amongst the mess.*

Grope (noun/verb)

*I fear going out alone at night in the prospect of a stranger* ________(ing) *me.*

Reverie (noun)

*I was lost in* _________ *until the teacher told me to pay attention.*

Stoic (noun)

*I knew something was wrong when I started noticing* ___________ *undertones in conversation.*

Bravado (noun)

*Sophie told the stories of her summer vacation with astounding* __________*.*

Stupor (noun)

*A heartbroken Mark found himself in a constant drunken* ____________. 

Retribution (noun)

*The school bully was given massive ___________ for the way he treated his peers.*

Lament (noun)

*My sister's pitiful* _________(s) *echoed throughout our house upon losing her pet fish.*

Temerity (noun)

*My peers were shocked at the raw* ___________ *Rebecca used against the teacher.*

Fray (noun)

*To break up the fight, Mr. Jones had to crawl through the* __________*.*

Ignominy (noun)

*The __________ of going to jail is enough to keep me in good graces with the police.*

Despair (noun)

*Tommy and Bella’s lemonade stand barely made any profit, plunging them into* _________

Refrain (noun)

*The melody of this* ________ *is quite catchy.*

Trepidation (noun)

*I stepped foot into the haunted house with* ___________*.*