unit 8 vocab

aberration

a lapse from a sound mental state

ad hoc

improvised

bane

poison

bathos

an anticlimax, comedown

cantankerous

ill-tempered, quarrelsome

casuistry

specious argument

de facto

in reality, actually

depredation

the act of preying upon or plundering

empathy

a sympathetic understanding of or identification with the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of someone or something else

harbringer

a forerunner, herald

hedonism

devotion to or pursuit of pleasure

lackluster

dull

malcontent

disoriented with or in open defiance of prevailing conditions

mellifluous

honeyed

nepotism

undue favoritism to or excessive patronage of one’s relatives

pander

to cater to or provide satisfaction for the low tastes or vices of others

peccadillo

a minor sin or offense

piece de resistance

an outstanding accomplishment

remand

to send or order back

syndrome

a group of symptoms or signs that collectively characterizes or indicates a disease, disorder, abnormality, etc.