English vocab

acquisitive

(adj.) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property

arrogate

to claim or take without right

banal

hackneyed, trite, commonplace

belabor

(v.) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

carping

(adj.) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n.) petty, nagging criticism

coherent

(adj.) holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful

congeal

(v.) to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid

emulate

to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model

encomium

a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute

eschew

to avoid, shun, keep away from

germane

(adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

insatiable

so great or demanding as not to be satisfied

intransigent

refusing to compromise, irreconcilable

invidious

offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment

largesse

generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions

reconnalssance

a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination

Substantlate

(v.) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to

taciturn

(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little

temporize

(v.) to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise

tenable

capable of being held or defended

accost

to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way

avid

desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager

brackish

having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink

celerity

swiftness, rapidity of motion or action

devious

(adj.) straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way

gambit

(n.) in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of a minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type

halcyon

(n.) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj.) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent

histrionic

(adj.) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic

incendiary

(adj.) deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; (n.) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife

maelstrom

(n.) a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction

myopic

(adj.) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment

overt

(adj.) open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized

pejorative

(adj.) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling

propriety

(n) the state of being proper, appropriateness; (pl) standards of what is proper or socially acceptable

sacrilege

improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred

summarily

(adv.) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely

suppliant

(adj.) asking humbly and earnestly; (n.) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor

talisman

(n.) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

undulate

(v.) to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or formacquisitive

arrogate

to claim or take without right

banal

hackneyed, trite, commonplace

belabor

(v.) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

carping

(adj.) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n.) petty, nagging criticism

coherent

(adj.) holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful

congeal

(v.) to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid

emulate

to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model

encomium

a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute

eschew

to avoid, shun, keep away from

germane

(adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

insatiable

so great or demanding as not to be satisfied

intransigent

refusing to compromise, irreconcilable

invidious

offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment

largesse

generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions

reconnalssance

a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination

Substantlate

(v.) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to

taciturn

(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little

temporize

(v.) to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise

tenable

capable of being held or defended

accost

to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way

avid

desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager

brackish

having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink

celerity

swiftness, rapidity of motion or action

devious

(adj.) straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way

gambit

(n.) in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of a minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type

halcyon

(n.) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj.) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent

histrionic

(adj.) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic

incendiary

(adj.) deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; (n.) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife

maelstrom

(n.) a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction

myopic

(adj.) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment

overt

(adj.) open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized

pejorative

(adj.) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling

propriety

(n) the state of being proper, appropriateness; (pl) standards of what is proper or socially acceptable

sacrilege

improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred

summarily

(adv.) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely

suppliant

(adj.) asking humbly and earnestly; (n.) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor

talisman

(n.) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

undulate

(v.) to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form