English 2H-B Final Vocab

abstruse

abstruse

hard to understand

S: obscure, perplexing, incomprehensible

amicable

characterized by or done in friendliness, without anger or bad feelings

S: friendly, good-natured, cooperative

amiss

faulty, incorrect, inappropriate, or not as it should be

S: faulty, wrong, awry

amity

friendliness and peaceful relations

S: harmony, companionship, goodwill

amorous

showing or feeling romantic love or sexual attraction

S: ardent, passionate, lustful

animosity

a feeling or spirit of hostility and resentment

S: hatred, hostility, loathing

atone

to make reparation for a sin or a mistake

S: apologize, redeem, reconcile

beguile

to win and hold somebody's attention, interest, or devotion; to mislead or deceive

somebody

S: enchant, captivate, mesmerize

bereft

deprived of somebody or something loved or valued; lacking in something desirable or necessary

S: devoid, deprived, left without

besiege

to surround a city, building etc. to try and take control of it; to gather around someone in an aggressive way

S: blockade, surround, mob

blatant

obtrusive and conspicuous in an offensive way, often intentionally

S: outright, shameless, impudent

boorish

rough and bad-mannered; coarse

S: crude, vulgar, uncivilized

cadaverous

looking very thin or pale; resembling a corpse

S: ashen, corpse-like, sallow

carrion

dead and putrefying flesh; flesh unfit for food

S: remains, corpse, body

centrifugal

physics: acting, moving, or pulling away from a center or axis; politics: tending to disperse political or administrative power away from a central authority

S: diverging, spreading, diffusive

chivalrous

1. courteous and considerate 2. relating to or reflecting the values of the medieval code of knighthood, especially courtesy, self-sacrifice, and a sense of fair play

S: courteous, respectful, gallant

circuitous

lengthy because very indirect; roundabout

S: roundabout, tortuous, labyrinthine

circumspect

taking into consideration all possible circumstances and consequences before acting

S: cautious, wary, guarded

clemency

mercy; the tendency to show mercy or leniency

S: mercy, leniency, indulgence

cognomen

a nickname or name that describes somebody, e.g. "Billy the Kid"; a surname or family name, especially the third name given to a citizen of ancient Rome, e.g. "Cicero" in "Marcus Tullius Cicero"

S: alias, moniker, nickname

coincide

to happen at or around the same time or to fall together at the same time

S: conjunction, accord, accompaniment

colloquial

appropriate to, used in, or characteristic of spoken language or of writing that is used to create the effect of conversation

S: informal, conversational, everyday

components

a part of something, usually of something bigger

S: ingredient, part, element

concentric

describes circles and spheres of different sizes with the same middle point

S: coordinated, aligned, parallel

concise

using as few words as possible to give the necessary information, or compressed in order to be brief.

S: pithy, succinct, brief

condolence

an expression of sorrow and sympathy, usually to somebody who is grieving over a death

S: sympathy, consolation, pity

congestion

a state of overcrowding in a street or other area, making movement slow or difficult

S: obstruction, blockage, overcrowding

contest

to challenge or question something

S: litigate, dispute, oppose

cumbersome

awkward to carry or handle because of weight, size, or shape

S: clumsy, unwieldy, inconvenient

curtail

to reduce the length or duration of something

S: reduce, trim, lessen

decadences

a process of decline or decay in a society, especially in its morals; a state of uninhibited immoral self-indulgence

S: decay, corruption, decline

decorum

propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance

S: respectability, demeanor, civility

dilate

to become, or cause something to become, wider, larger, or stretched; to talk or write at great length

S: enlarge, widen, expand

diverge

to move or extend in different directions from a common point; to become or be different; to turn aside from a path

S: deviate, separate, differ

elegiac

having a mournful quality (especially in a work of art)

S: melancholic, sorrowful, doleful

eloquence

the ability to speak forcefully, expressively, and persuasively

S: fluency, expressiveness, articulateness

elucidate

to explain or clarify something

S: explain, clarify, spell out

enigma

like a riddle; somebody or something that is not easily explained or understood

S: mystery, puzzle, paradox

entrenched

firmly held and hard to change

S: lodged, well-established, rooted

epochs

a significant period in history or in somebody's life

S: period of time, span, era

erratic

not predictable, regular, or consistent, especially in being likely to depart from expected standards at any time

S: unpredictable, variable, turbulent

esoteric

requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group; difficult to understand

S: abstruse, obscure, abstract

ethnocentric

a belief in or assumption of the superiority of the social or cultural group that a person belongs to

S: partiality, partisanship

flaccid

soft, limp, or lacking firmness; lacking energy, enthusiasm, or competence

S: flabby, nerveless, sapped

frank

open, honest, and sometimes forceful in expressing true feelings and opinions

S: candid, forthright, honest

gauche

clumsy; lacking grace or tact in social situations

S: awkward, gawky, clumsy

impediment

an impairment, especially one affecting speech; something that hinders progress

S: obstruction, hindrance, obstacle

impudent

showing a lack of respect and excessive boldness

S: impertinent, cocky, brazen

incorrigible

impossible or very difficult to correct or reform; impossible or very difficult to control or keep in order

S: hopeless, incurable, habitual

indiscretion

lack of tact or good judgment; something said or done that is tactless or unwise

S: irresponsibility, incaution, imprudence

inveterate

fixed in a habit or practice, especially a bad one; firmly established and of long standing

S: ingrained, habitual, deep-seated

irrevocable

irreversible; impossible to revoke, undo, or change

S: unchangeable, final, irreversible

jostle

to come in contact or into collision; to make one’s way by pushing and shoving

S: jolt, collide, bump into

.

laconic

using very few words

S: brief, concise, terse

larceny

the unlawful taking of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it permanently

S: burglary, theft, robbery

luminous

emitting or reflecting light; clear and easy to understand

S: brilliant, radiant, dazzling

masticate

transitive and intransitive verb to grind and pulverize food inside the mouth, using the teeth and jaws

S: munch, crunch, chew

menagerie

A varied mixture

S: exhibition, collection, assortment

militant

extremely active in the defense or support of a cause, often to the point of extremism

S: aggressive, fierce, combative

modicum

a small portion or limited quantity

S: smidgen, fragment, iota

mortician

funeral director

S: embalmer, undertaker, funeral manager

mortuary

a room or building in which dead bodies are kept until they are buried or cremated

S: morgue, funeral home, funeral parlor

nomenclature

a system of names assigned to objects or items in a particular science or art

S: classification, terminology, taxonomy

nominal

acting or being something in name only, but not in reality; representing very little cost when compared with the actual value received

S: official, formal, titular

noxious

harmful to life or health, especially by being poisonous

S: deadly, toxic, corrupting

obdurate

stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action; unmoved by pity or tender feelings

S: stubborn, obstinate, unyielding

obloquy

strong public criticism or verbal abuse; disgrace brought about by public abuse.

S: vilification, condemnation, criticism

orthodox

of, pertaining to, or conforming to beliefs, attitudes, or modes of conduct that are generally approved

S: conventional, accepted, traditional

ostentatious

marked by a vulgar display of wealth and success designed to impress people

S: flamboyant, flashy, showy

patronizing

to give money or support to someone or something; to talk to someone in a way that shows you believe you are more intelligent or better that other people

S: condescend, talk down to, look down on

placid

peaceful; tending or appearing to be calm and not easily excited, upset, or disturbed

S: peaceful, tranquil, calm

poignant

evoking a keen sense of sadness/regret or just general feelings.

S: heartbreaking, sentimental, emotional

posthumous

Occurring, awarded, or appearing after the death of the originator

S: delayed, post-mortem, post-obituary

prudent

having good sense in dealing with practical matters; using good judgment to consider likely consequences and act accordingly

S: wise, sensible, well advised

pugilist

the practice, sport, or profession of boxing

S: fighter, boxer, contender

pulchritude

physical beauty

S: allure, elegance, beauty

qualm

a sudden feeling of uncertainty or apprehension, especially a misgiving about an action or conduct

S: anxiety, sudden uncertainty, second thoughts

rendezvous

a meeting or appointment arranged for an agreed time and place

S: appointment, meeting, assignation

reticent

not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily

S: reserved, withdrawn, uncommunicative

ridiculing

to reduce or dismiss the importance or quality of somebody or something in a contemptuous way

S: mockery, scorn, contempt

risible

completely unreasonable and not at all sensible or acceptable

S: ridiculous, laughable, absurd

sanguine

cheerful and hopeful

S: optimistic, cheery, confident

saturnine

Slow and gloomy in manner OR moody and mysterious in features

S: somber, morose, dour

semblance

a small amount of something; an outward appearance or imitation of something

S: façade, appearance, guise

snivel

to behave in a whining, tearful, or self-pitying way; to sniff repeatedly

S: whimper, whine, weep

sodden

saturated with liquid, especially water; soaked through.

S: drenched, soaking, saturated

stereotype

an oversimplified standardized image of a person or group

S: lacking originality, conventional image, cliché

submerge

to put under water or to cover with water; to suppress

S: inundate, deluge, swamp

supplication

a humble and sincere appeal to somebody who has the power to grant a request

S: appeal, request, plea

tawdry

showy, but cheap and of poor quality

S: gaudy, flashy, loud

titter

to laugh in a nervous,  affected, or partly suppressed manner, to giggle or to snicker

S: chuckle, snicker, twitter

tractable

easily managed or controlled; willing to learn or be guided by another

S: malleable, compliant, obedient

translucent

allowing light to pass through, but only diffusely, so that objects on the other side cannot be clearly distinguished; having a glowing appearance, as if light were coming through

S: unblurred, clear, semi-transparent

triumvirate

a group of three people who share a position or power

S: triad, trinity, trilogy

unimpeachable

very reliable and trusted; not able to be doubted or questioned

S: trustworthy, dependable, reliable

veracity

the truth, accuracy, or precision of something; the truthfulness or honesty of somebody

S: truthfulness, accuracy, fidelity

verisimilitude

the appearance of being true or real; something that only appears to be true or real, e.g. a statement that is not supported by evidence

S: plausibility, lifelikeness, authenticity

veritable

being truly or very much so: a veritable triumph; used to emphasize a figurative concept

S: authentic, genuine, real

verity

the quality of being true or real

S: accuracy, truth, actuality

whet

1. To make a feeling, sense, or desire more keen or intense. 2. To sharpen the cutting edge or blade of a tool or weapon, usually by rubbing it on a stone.

S: sharpen, hone, file