Unit 5 Vocab

Assiduous

involved in constant activity, diligence

Barbarity

disposition to willfully inflict pain and suffering on others; cruelty

Barbarous

having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others; brutal

Comity

peaceful coexistence; harmony

Deletion

something left out; omission

Depletion

the amount by which something is lessened; as in decrease

Despotism 

a system of government in which the ruler has unlimited power; tyranny

Disavow

to declare not to be true; to deny

Discord

a lack of agreement or harmony

Discourse 

talking or a talk between two or more people; conversation

Dissolution 

the act or process of a whole separating into two or more parts or pieces

Dysphemism 

a derogatory or unpleasant term used instead of a pleasant or neutral one; swear

Endeavor (v) 

to devote serious and sustained effort; to strive

Formidable 

causing fear, dread, or apprehension; having qualities that discourage approach or attack; tending to inspire awe or wonder

Impel 

to urge or drive forward or on by or as if by the exertion of strong moral pressure; to impart motion to

Infantilize 

treat (someone) as a child or in a way that denies their maturity in age or experience

Levy (v)

to impose or collect by legal authority; to enlist or conscript for military service

Magnanimity 

loftiness of spirit enabling one to bear trouble calmly, to disdain meanness and pettiness, and to display a noble generosity

Manifold 

marked by diversity or variety; consisting of or operating many of one kind combined

Palaver 

to talk profusely or idly; a long conference usually between people of different cultures or levels of sophistication

Perfidy 

the quality or state of being faithless or disloyal; an act or an instance of disloyalty

Ravage

to wreak havoc on; affect destructively

Reactionary

relating to, marked by, or favoring reaction

Redress

relief from distress, to set right/make up for; compensate

Strident 

characterized by harsh, insistent, and discordant sound; commanding attention by a loud or obtrusive quality

Tenure

the act, right, manner, or term of holding something

Transient 

passing especially quickly into and out of existence; one that is transient, such as a guest or boarder who stays only briefly, or a person traveling about usually in search of work

Transmogrify

to change or alter greatly and often with grotesque or humorous effect

Usurp

to seize and hold in possession by force or without right; to take the place of by or as if by force 

Visceral

felt in or as if in the internal organs of the body; not intellectual; dealing with crude or elemental emotions