English III H Vocab

Inveigh

To speak or write of with hostility.

Ennui

Boredom and dissatisfaction.

Diffident

Modest or shy because of lacking self-confidence.

Coterie

A small, exclusive group of people with shared interests.

Politic

Seemingly sensible and judicious.

Indefatigable

Tirelessly persistent.

Sophistry

A misleading argument made to deceive others.

Litigious

Unreasonably prone to settle disputes through the legal system.

Toady

One who is overly obedient to an important figure; the act of sucking up to someone.

Puissant

Powerful or influential.

Bilious

Affected by nausea; or spiteful and ill-tempered.

Bandy

Bow-legged; to discuss in a casual or uninformed manner; or a hockey-like sport.

Risible

Laughable.

Voluble

Able to speak fluently.

Sepulchral

Relating to entombment.

Soporific

Sleep-inducing.

Desultory

Without reason or enthusiasm.

Restive

Difficult to control due to impatience, dissatisfaction, boredom, etc.

Florid

Having a flushed complexion or excessively intricate.

Umbrage

Offense or annoyance; or a shadow cast by trees.

Cacophony

Many discordant noises sounding together at once.

Remonstrate

To protest forcefully.

Caveat

A condition or stipulation.

Dun

Dull and grayish brown, or to persistently demand something.

Charlatan

A person who makes fraudulent claims to be able to do something they cannot.

Torpid

Mentally and/or physically inactive.

Vilify

To speak or write about very harshly.

Sublime

Exceedingly pleasant or to change directly from a solid to gaseous state of matter.

Prolixity

The use of so many unnecessary words that it becomes boring.

Supernal

Relating to the sky or the heavens.

Loquacity

The quality of talking a lot.

Sidereal

Relating to distant stars.

Plaudits

An expression of praise or commendation.

Importune

To persistently pester someone about something.

Reprove

To criticize someone.

Fastidious

Attentive to detail.

Supine

Lying flat on one’s back.

Gormandize

To eat an excessive amount of good food.

Nadir

The lowest point of fortune.

Captious

Tending to object over unimportant things.

Prodigious

To a great degree or abnormal.

Artifice

Clever or cunning tricks.

Debunk

Expose as fake.

Intuit

To understand instinctively.

Vestigial

A remnant of something that used to be more substantial.

Parsimony

An unwillingness to spend money or resources.

Plinth

A heavy base supporting a statue or vase.

Simian

An ape or monkey, or ape-like.

Effusive

Expressing gratitude or pleasure without restraint.

Avuncular

Relating to an uncle or a benevolent relationship.

Probity

The quality of having strong morals, honesty, and decency.

Draconian

Unnecessarily harsh.

Hoi polloi

The people (derogatory).

Maelstrom

A powerful whirlpool.

Expunge

To eliminate.

Nonplussed

Surprised to the extent of not knowing how to react.

Doctrinaire

Seeking to pass a doctrine without regard to practical considerations.

Halcyon

Denoting a period of time that was happy and peaceful.

Antediluvian

Pertaining to the period before the biblical flood.

Prevaricate

To speak or act evasively.

Otiosity

Uselessness or indolence.

Aggrandize

To increase the status or scope of something.

Indubitable

Impossible to doubt.

Refulgent

Shining brightly.

Profundity

Of great depth of thought and wisdom.

Comely

Pleasant to look at.

Lassitude

A lack of energy, physically or mentally.

Discursive

Unfocused; switching from idea to idea.

Axiomatic

Self-evident and undeniable.

Verbose

Described in more words than are needed.

Surreptitious

Kept secret to avoid disapproval.

Remunerate

To pay someone for their services.

Indolence

Avoidance of activity; laziness.

Bastion

A protective part of a fortification sticking out from the wall.

Supercilious

Behaving or looking as if one is superior to others.

Assuage

To lessen an unpleasant feeling; to pacify.

Sinecure

A position that requires little work to make a substantial sum of money.

Prescience

Knowing something before it happens; foresight.

Malapropism

The mistaking of a word with a similar one; often has a comical effect.

Phlegmatic

Unemotional and calm; stoic.

Stolid

Calm, dependable, and showing little emotion.

Infelicitous

Unfortunate or not appropriate.

Replete

Full of something; to gorge; a large supply.

Comestible

An item of food or edible.

Demur

To object to something or the action of objecting to something.

Redoubtable

Formidable, especially as an opponent.

Irascible

Easily angered.

Sobriquet

An affectionate nickname.

Saturnine

Slow, somber, and bitter.

Subjugate

To take absolute control over, especially by conquest.

Inchoate

Just begun and so not fully developed.

Incipient

Just beginning to happen or develop.

Smarmy

In a way that gets close to someone by excessive and insincere flattery.

Unctuous

In a way that gets close to someone by excessive and insincere flattery; oily.

Prodigality

Excessive or extravagant spending; lavishness.

Laconic

Using few words.

Cupidity

Greed for money or possessions.

Jocular

Humorous or joking.

Hauteur

Haughtiness or arrogance of manner.

Histrionic

Overly theatrical in character or style.