English Vocab 1-5

Aegis

protect

Antithesis

something direct opposite to another thing

Adventitious

by chance

Baroque

the baroque style

Bowdlerize

remove offensive form, causing text to become weaker

Altruism

unselfishness

Bauble

trinket

Ambiguous

open to multiple interpretations

Besmirch

make dirty

Carnal

sexual needs

Amorphous

without defined shape

Bestial

animal like

Bona fide

genuine

Celibate

virgin

Deference

respect

Besiege

lay siege to, surround

Bland

dull

Cataclysm

violent disaster

Debacle

fiasco

Ebullient

cheerful

Boor

unrefined person

Chagrin

annoyance

Deviate

diverge

Demeanor

manners

Elegy

poem for dead

Carrion

decaying flesh of dead animals

Diaphanous

delicate, translucent

Edify

educate (morally or intellectually)

Facetious

serious issue with dark humor

Fop

well dressed man

Enervate

exhaust

Effete

lost strength

Extenuate

causes an offense to seem less serious

Fortuitous

chance

Impair

weaken

Ephemeral

brief

Emendation

correction

Fecund

abundance of new growth

Hedonism

self indulgence

Imperfection

undesirable feature, incomplete

Erotic

sexual desire

Gloat

relish

Glower

scowl

Imperative

crucial

Nebulous

Hazy, unclear

Factious

divided

Impediment

hinderance

Impale

pierce with sharp object

Obloquy

verbal abuse

Non Sequitar

illogical conclusion

Fervent

bright, passionate

Impotent

powerless

Importune

beg

Perfunctory

action with minimum effort

Panegyric

text to praise

Ignoble

not noble

Labyrinth

maze

Obfuscate

unclear

Quasi-

almost

Pendantic

precise

Opulent

wealthy

Maelstrom

whirlpool

Optimum

best

Recapitulate

summarize

Quandary

dilemma

Perspicacity

sharpness

Nihilism

rejection of moral and religious morals

Sacrosanct

sacred

Rakish

dashing

Rectify

correct

Shard

sharp piece of glass

Pedestrian

walker, dull

Sadistic

pleasure from pain on others

Sanguine

optimistic