Vocabulary Power Plus for College and Career Readiness - Book 3 - Lesson Two

impotent

powerless; lacking strength

extenuate

to lessen seriousness by providing partial excuses

maelstrom

a whirlpool; turbulence; an agitated state of mind

emendation

a correction

impale

to pierce with a pointed object; to spear

bauble

a showy but useless thing

diaphanous

very sheer and light

labyrinth

a complicated network of winding passages; a maze

gloat

to look at or think about with great satisfaction

impediment

a barrier; an obstruction

bestial

savage; brutal

effete

worn out; barren

shard

a fragment

bland

mild; tasteless; dull

nihilism

a total rejection of established laws