Megaton English 10 Word List

Alliteration

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in neighboring words.

Legacy

A gift by will, something handed down by an ancestor or predecessor.

Mettle

Courage or Spirit.

Mirth

Gladness or merriment usually accompanied by laughter.

Muse

To ponder.

Mutinous

Rebellious, unruly.

Prodigious

Extraordinary in bulk, quantity, or degree, great in size, enormous.

Prodigy

One with exceptional talents or powers; an extraordinary accomplishment.

Prostration

A stretching out due to lacking vitality and being completely overcome.

Replicate

To repeat, to copy, or to duplicate.

alchemist

one who practices medieval chemistry or tries to change metals into gold

allegory

The device of using character symbolically to represent an abstract idea.

augury

an omen or prophecy

baseness

the quality of lacking higher values

bestow

to grant or to give

conceit

An elaborate, fanciful metaphor

confound

to cause one to become confused

contaminant

something that causes impurity; something that defiles or pollutes

covert

secret, concealed

crave

to desire intensely

enfranchise

to give or to bestow something such as the right to vote or citizenship

exalt

to glorify, to praise, to raise in rank

gravity

seriousness, importance

grievous

characterized by severe suffering or sorrow, serious or grave

hideous

very ugly, offensive, shocking

homage

a reverential regard; respect shown by external action

instigation

urging, provocation; initiation

kindle

to start a fire, to stir up

knotty

so complicated that it can probably not be solved; full of knots

malefactor

criminal

Rhetoric

The art of using words effectively in speaking or writing; inflated language

Rout

To gouge out or to make a furrow in; to expel by force

Soothsayer

A person who is able to predict the future

Spurn

To reject or to refuse with hostility

Sterile

Incapable of reproducing

Taper

To decrease in thickness or width

Tarry

To delay in coming or going

Unassailable

Undisputable

Vanquished

Conquered or overpowered

Vouchsafe

To grant in a condescending manner

altruistic

unselfishly concerned for the welfare of others, generous

ambivalent

having contrary feelings or attitudes; uncertain to the course of action

angular

lean, sharp-cornered, or gaunt

aversion

strong disclination or disliking

discern

to differentiate between 2 or more thing

disdain

intense dislike, to treat with scorn or contempt, to reject as unworthy

disparage

to degrade, to speak of someone or something in a derogatory manner

disparity

inequality, the condition or fact of being unequal in age, rank, or degree

syntax

the rules or patterns of grammatical sentences, sentence structure

vulgarity

something offensive to good taste and refinement

allusion

a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something

embellish

to decorate, to make beautiful with ornamentation

engender

to cause, to produce, to create

innocuous

harmless, producing no injury

insipid

boring and stupid

laud

to praise, to extol

obscure

difficult to see, vague

osentatious

showy, pretentious

prodigal

wasteful, a person given to extravagance

repudiate

to reject, to disown, to disavow

analogy

a partial similarity between like features of two different things

antithesis

a direct opposite, a contrast

ascend

to move upward, to rise from a lower station

austere

strict, stern; unadorned, ascetic

autonomous

independent, self-contained

banal

common, ordinary, lacking freshness, hackneyed

reticence

restraint in speech, reluctance to speak

revere

to honor, to regard with respect

subtle

delicate, elusive, not obvious

superfluous

beyond what is needed or required, an overflow

aphorism

a tense saying embodying a general truth

benign

not causing harm, of gentle disposition, beneficial

capricious

changing suddenly, fickle

dawdle

to waste time, to spend time idly, to move in a lackadaisical manner

defamation

act of harming or ruining another's reputation

esoteric

understood only by a small group or a select few

extol

to praise, to glorify

fastidious

reflecting a meticulous or demanding attitude, critical to an extreme

furtive

secret in an underhanded way, stealthy

taciturn

quiet, not verbose

abstruse

difficult to understand, recondite, concealed

apostrophe

a figure of speech that addresses an imaginary or absent person

gregarious

sociable and outgoing

hypocrite

one who is insincere or deceitful

innate

existing from birth, inborn

lethargic

sluggish, languid

melancholy

depression of spirits

opaque

not allowing the passage of light, not transparent ; hard to understand

prolific

abundantly fruitful, marked by great productivity

reprove

to scold or to rebuke for a misdeed usually with kindly intent

affable

friendly, courteous, amiable

audacity

excessive boldness, rashness, daring

contrite

extremely apologetic, remorseful, repentant

credulous

believing on slight evidence, gullible

depravity

moral corruption, a wicked or perverse act

deprecate

to disapprove regretfully, to belittle, to express mild disapproval

didactic

instructive, designed to teach

dormant

inactive, sleeping

enigmatic

mysterious, inexplicable, puzzling

tranquil

peaceful, calm