Honors English 2 - WOW 1-10

WOW words weeks 1-10

Abate (v)

to lessen, reduce, or make an intensity decrease

Abhor (v)

to hate deeply; to regard with disgust and loathing

Accordance (n)

agreement; in harmony with something

Accrue (v)

to accumulate or increase over time, especially with money or benefits

Adroit (adj)

skillful and clever, especially in using one’s hands or mind

Adulation (n)

excessive praise or admiration

Aesthetic (adj)

concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty

Affably (adv)

in a friendly, good-natured, and pleasant manner

Affinity (n)

a natural liking or sympathy for someone or something

Affliction (n)

something that causes pain or suffering

Ambiguous (adj)

Open to more than one interpretation; having a double meaning

Amicable (adj)

Characterized by friendliness and good will

Anachronistic (adj)

belonging to a different time period than the one being portrayed

Anecdote (n)

a short, interesting or amusing story about a real person or event

Anguish (n)

severe mental or physical pain or suffering

Antithesis (n)

the direct opposite of something else

Arid (adj)

extremely dry or barren; lacking in interest or vitality

Assent (v)

to express approval or agreement, especially with a proposition

Assiduous (adj)

Showing great care, attention, and diligence

Assimilate (v)

to take in information or ideas and understand them fully; to conform to the customs and attitudes of a group or nation

Avenged (v)

to inflict harm on someone in retaliation for an injury or wrong done by them

Avenger (n)

one who takes revenge for an injury or wrong

Babel (n)

a scene of noise and confusion

Bashful (adj)

reluctant to draw attention to oneself; shy

Belligerent (adj)

Hostile or aggressive; ready to fight

Benevolent (adj)

well meaning and kindly; generous

Bereft (adj)

deprived of or lacking something

Beseeching (adj)

asking someone to do something with a lot of emotion; begging

Blasphemous (adj)

showing disrespect towards something sacred

Bountiful (adj)

large in quantity; abundant

Brazen (adj)

bold and without shame

Buffeted (v)

to strike or hit repeatedly and violently

Calamity (n)

an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster

Calculating (adj)

acting in a way that is selfishly manipulative; scheming

Candor (n)

the quality of being open, honest, and frank in expression

Catharsis (n)

the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions

Chide (v)

to scold or reprimand

Circuitous (adj)

longer than the most direct way

Clairvoyant (adj)

having or exhibiting the ability to see or know things that are beyond the range of ordinary perception

Clandestine (adj)

kept secret or done secretively, especially because it is illicit

Clemency (n)

mercy; lenience

Commiserate (v)

to express or feel sympathy or pity; to sympathize

Competence (v)

the ability to do something successfully or efficienctly

Conflagration (n)

an extensive fire that destroys a great deal of land or property

Conjectures (n)

opinions or conclusions formed on the basis of incomplete information

Connotation (n)

an idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal meaning

Consecrate (v)

to make or declare something sacred

Conspicuous (adj)

standing out so as to be clearly visible; attracting attention

Contraband (n)

goods that have been imported or exported illegally

Copious (adj)

abundant in supply or quantity

Countenance (n)

a person’s face or facial expression

Culmination (n)

the highest or climactic point of something

Deleterious (adj)

causing harm or damage

Demarcation (n)

a dividing line or boundary

Denounce (v)

to publicly declare something or someone as wrong or evil

Desecrating (v)

treating something with disrespect or violence; violating something sacred

Despondent (adj)

in low spirits from loss of hope or courage

Destitute (adj)

without the basic necessities of life

Diabolical (adj)

relating to or characteristic of the Devil; evil

Diatribe (n)

a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something

Discord (n)

lack of agreement or harmony between people or things

Discredit (v)

to harm the good reputation of someone or something

Disdain (n)

the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one’s consideration or respect

Divergent (adj)

tending to be different or develop in different directions

Dominion (n)

sovereignty or control; the territory of a sovereign or government

Duped (v)

to deceive or trick someone

Earnest (adj)

Resulting from or showing sincere and intense conviction

Egregious (adj)

outstandingly bad; shocking

Elated (adj)

ecstatically happy

Elixir (n)

a magical or medicinal potion

Empathy (n)

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

Emulate (n)

to match or surpass a person or achievement, typically by imitation

Endowed (v)

to be given a quality, ability, or asset

Enervating (adj)

causing one to feel drained of energy or vitality

Enumerating (v)

to mention a number of things one by one; to count

Ephemeral (adj)

lasting for a very short time

Estranged (adj)

no longer close or affectionate to someone; alienated

Euphemism (n)

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt

Evanescent (adj)

soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence

Exasperation (n)

a feeling of intense irritation or annoyance

Exemplary (adj)

serving as a desirable model; representing the best of its kind

Fathom (v)

to understand a difficult problem or person after much thought

Fervent (adj)

Having or displaying a passionate intensity

Feror (n)

intense and passionate feeling

Fettered (v)

to restrain with chains or shackles; to confine or restrict

Flounders (v)

to struggle or stagger clumsily in mud or water; to struggle mentally

Flourish (v)

to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as a result of a favorable environment

Fortuitous (adj)

happening by chance rather than design; happening by lucky chance

Frivolous (adj)

not having any serious purpose or value

Frugality (n)

the quality of being economical with money or food; thriftiness

Furtively (adv)

in a way that attemps to avoid notice or attention; secretively

Gregarious (adj)

fond of company; sociable

Guile (n)

sly or cunning intelligence

Hackneyed (adj)

lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite

Haggard (adj)

looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering

Hallow (v)

to honor as sacred

Harrowing (adj)

acutely distressing

Homage (n)

special honor or respect shown publicly

Hordes (n)

a large group of people

Illustrious (adj)

well known, respected, and admired for past achievements