English) First Semester Final Exam

Abhor

to hate strongly, to loathe

Banal

boring

Dauntless

fearless

Debase

to lower in quality or value

Fastidious

very attentive to detail

Immaterial

irrelevant without relevance

Laconic

using few words

Magnanimous

generous, noble

Obliterate

to completely destroy

Quaint

pleasingly odd or old fashioned

Abide

to put up with, to remain in place

Abominable

detestable

Belie

to contradict, to misrepresent

Candid

direct, frank

Debunk

to expose falsehood, to discredit

Fiasco

a complete failure

Hapless

ill-fated, unlucky

Lament

to mourn

Oblivious

unaware

Pallid

pale in color, dull

Quell

to pacify or quiet

Absolve

to acquit, pardon

Accolade

praise, distinction

Bellicose

war-like, hostile

Elucidate

to clarify, explain

Finicky

picky

Gluttony

consuming excessive amounts

Harbinger

forerunner or omen

Obscure

hard to understand, hidden or remote

Paltry

lacking in importance, trivial

Parched

dehydrated, dried out

Acrid

harsh, bitter, sour

Adage

old saying or proverb

Addendum

an addition

Circuitous

roundbabout, indirect

Degrade

to dishonor or reduce in value

Fitful

intermittent, irregular

Harrowing

frightening or traumatic

Incongruous

not corresponding, not agreeing

Mirth

merriment, glee

Paucity

scarcity, dearth

Sanctimonious

hypocritically pious

Adhere

to cling or follow without devotion

Adroit

skillful, accomplished, highly competent

Adulterate

to corrupt or make impure

Circumvent

to bypass or go around

Clandestine

done in secret

Flagrant

openly scandalous

Flaunt

to display or show off

Hasten

to rush or hurry

Inherent

naturally a part of

Listless

lacking energy or enthusiasm

Obtuse

lacking quickness of perception, not sharp

Pensive

deep in thought

Adverse

unfavorable, antagonistic, unlucky, harmful

Affable

friendly, easy to approach

Affinity

fondness, liking, similarity

Cliched

overused, trite

Coalesce

to unite or come together

Depict

to draw, portray

Flounder

to struggle awkwardly

Haughty

arrogant, snobbish

Loquacious

talkative

Ominous

menacing, threatening

Perpetuate

to continue, to keep from dying out

Agile

well-coordinated or nimble

Aligned

precisely adjusted, committed to one side or party

Blithe

carefree and lighthearted

Colloquial

informal

Expedite

to speed up, to make easier

Flout

to mock or scoff at

Insolent

insulting, disrespectful

Morose

gloomy, melancholy

Ravenous

extremely hungry

Secular

worldly, not spiritual

Altercation

noisy dispute, a vehement argument

Altruistic

selflessness; unselfish concern for welfare of others

Ambiguous

uncertain, subject to multiple interpretations

Brusque

abrupt in manner or speech

Contrite

remorseful, penitent

Derelict

abandoned, neglectful of duty

Hiatus

a pause or lapse

Multifaceted

having many aspects or varieties

Pique

to provoke or stimulate

Placid

peaceful

Recalcitrant

stubborn, disobedient

Tacit

not spoken

Assonance

rep. of vowel sounds within words (ex:great flakes; between trees)

Consonance

rep. of consonant sounds at the end of words (ex: mike likes his new bike)

Quatrain

four lines

Couplet

two lines

Penta

meaning five

Iamb

2 beats/ 1 foot

Alliteration

rep. of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (ex: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.)

Caesura

a pause or break in a line of poetry

Epithet

adjectives that point out special traits of people or things, compound adjective, usually has a dash (Ex: "hell-forged" and "strong-hearted")

Kenning

a descriptive phrase or compound word that replaces a noun(Ex: they will call Grendel "demon slayer" or "the almighty's enemy")

Physiognomy

Use of physical appearance to suggest attributes of a persons character or personality

Heroic Couplets

2 paired lines of poetry, written in iambic pentameter (meter), must rhyme, Introduced by Chaucer

Allegory

A story with purpose of teaching a moral lesson, characters and events represent abstract qualities or ideas, writer intends a secondary meaning, characters are often personifications of abstractions like greed, envy, etc.