Vocabulary Units 1-5

Approbation

The expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval

Assuage

To make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench

Coalition

A combination, union, or merger for specific purpose

Decadence

Decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence

Elicit

To draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person)

Hackneyed

Used so often as to lack freshness or originality

Hiatus

A gap, opening, break (in sense of having an element missing)

Innuendo

A hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense)

Intercede

To plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third part or go-between in a disagreement

Meritorious

Worthy, deserving recognition and praiseP

Petulant

Peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset

Prerogative

A special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence

Provincial

narrow in mind or outlook; a person with a narrow point of view

Simulate

To make a pretense of imitate; to show the outer signs of

Transcend

To rise above or beyond, exceed

Ameliorate

To improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming

Aplomb

Poise, assurance, great self-confidence; perpendicularity

Bombastic

Pompous or overblown in language; full of high sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas

Callow

Without experience; immature, not fully developed; lacking sophistication and poise; without feathers

Drivel

To utter nonsense or childish twaddle; to waste or fritter away foolishly

Epitome

A summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality

Exhort

To urge strongly, advise earnestly

Infringe

To violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds

Ingratiate

To make oneself agreeable and thus gain favor or acceptance by others

Intrinsic

Belonging to someone or something by its very nature, essential, inherent; origination in a bodily organ or part

Millennium

A period of one thousand years; a period of great joy

Occult

Secret, hidden from view, not detectable by ordinary means

Permeate

To spread through, penetrate, soak through

Precipitate

To fall as moisture; to bring about suddenly

Stringent

Strict, severe, rigorously or urgently binding or compelling

Surmise

To think or believe without certain supporting evidence, to guess; a likely idea that lacks definite proof

Abominate

To hae an intense dislike or hatred for

Ascribe

To assign or refer to, attribute

Circuitous

Roundabout, not direct

Commiserate

To sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress

Enjoin

To direct or order, to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way; to prohibit

Expedite

To make easy, cause to progress faster

Ferment

A state of great excitement, agitation, or turbulence; to be in or work in such a state

Inadvertent

Resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental

Nominal

Too small to be considered or taken seriously

Noncommittal

Not decisive or definite, unwilling to take a clear position

Proclivity

A natural or habitual inclination or tendency

Sangfroid

Composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances

Seditious

Resistant to lawful authority; having the purpose of overthrowing an established government

Tenuous

Thin, slender, not dense, lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance; lacking a sound basis, poorly supported

Vitriolic

Bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting

Wheedle

To use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end

Affable

Courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to

Aggrandize

To increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater

Amorphous

Shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion

Archetype

An original model on which something was pattered or replicated; the ideal example of a particular type of person or thing

Aura

That which surrounds; a distinctive air or personal quality

Contraband

Illegal traffic, smuggled goods; illegal, prohibited

Erudite

Scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic

Gossamer

Thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; a very thing light cloth

Inscrutable

Incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically

Insular

Relating to characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience

Irrevocable

Incapable of being changed or called back

Propensity

A natural inclination or prediction towards

Querulous

Peevish, complaining, fretful

Remonstrate

To argue with someone against something, protest against

Repudiate

To disown, reject, or deny the validity of

Resilient

Able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly

Reverberate

To re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly

Scurrilous

Coarsely abusive, vulgar or low, foul-mouthed

Sedulous

Persistent, showing industry and determination

Sleazy

Thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethically low, mean, or disreputable

Amnesty

A general pardon for an offense against a government; in general, any act of forgiveness or absolution

Autonomy

Self-government, political control

Blazon

To adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely

Caveat

A warning or caution to prevent misunderstandings discourage behavior

Equitable

Fair, just, embodying principles of justice

Extricate

To free from entanglements or difficulties; to remove with effort

Flout

To mock, treat with contempt

Fractious

Tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable

Precept

A rule of conduct or action

Salutary

Beneficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome

Scathing

Bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm

Scourge

(v.) To whip, punish severely; (n). A cause of affliction or suffering; a source of severe punishment or criticism

Soporific

(adj.) Tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy; (n.) something that induces sleep

Straitlaced

Extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish, puritanical

Transient

(adj.) Lasting only a short time, fleeting; (n.) one who stays only a short time

Unwieldy

Not easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity

Vapid

Dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force

anomalous

abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual

aspersion

a damaging or derogatory statement; the act of slandering or defaming

bizarre

extremely strange, unusual, atypical

brusque

abrupt, blunt, with no formalities

cajole

to coax, persuade through flattery or artifice; to deceive with soothing thoughts or false promises

castigate

to punish severely; to criticize severely

contrive

to plan with ingenuity; to bring about through a plan

demagogue

a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

disabuse

to free from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking

ennui

weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest, boredom

fetter

(n.) a chain or shackle placed on the feet (often used in plural); anything that confines or restrains; (v.) to chain or shackle; to render helpless or impotent

heinous

very wicked, offensive, hateful

immutable

not subject to change, constant

insurgent

(n.) one who rebels or rises against authority; (adj.) rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority; surging or rushing in or on

megalomania

a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, talent, etc., far in excess of reality

sinecure

a position requiring little or no work; an easy job