Level 2 VOCAB

  • ambivalent: having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone

  • buttress: to increase the strength of or justification for; to reinforce

  • abate: decrease, recede

  • unobtrusive: not conspicuous or attracting attention

  • tenuous: very weak or slight

  • evoke: to bring or recall to the conscious mind

  • conjecture: the formation or expression of an opinion or theory without sufficient evidence for proof

  • substantiate: to provide evidence to support or prove the truth of

  • mitigate: to make something less severe, serious, or painful

  • contempt: the feeling that a person or thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn

  • deference: humble submission and respect

  • hinder: create difficulties for someone or something, resulting in delay or obstruction

  • implicit: implied but not plainly expressed

  • invoke: to cite or appeal to someone or something as an authority for an action or in support of an argument

  • dormant: having normal physical functions suspended or slowed down for a period of time; in or as if in a deep sleep

  • divergent: tending to be different or develop in different directions

  • obsolete: no longer produced or used; out of date

  • accentuate: make more noticeable or prominent

  • copious: plentiful in number

  • disseminate: to scatter or spread widely

  • eclipse: to make less outstanding or important by comparison

  • empirical: based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience than theory or pure logic

  • augment: to expand or increase

  • uncanny: strange or mysterious, especially in an unsettling way

  • supplant: to supersede and replace; to take the place of

  • placate: to make someone less angry or hostile

  • pretentious: attempting to impress by showing greater importance, talent, culture, etc. than is possessed

  • palpable: capable of being touched or felt

  • omit: to leave out or exclude something or someone

  • transpose: cause two or more things to exchange places

  • entail: involve something as necessary or inevitable part or consequence

  • lament: express regret or disappointment about something

  • vindicate: to clear someone or something of blame or suspicion

  • prelude: to prevent something from happening or being possible

  • insidious: treacherous, spreading harm stealthily

  • calamitous: disastrous

  • adept: very skilled, expert

  • fickle: erratic

  • aesthetic: pertaining to the appreciation of beauty

  • unattainable: impossible to achieve

  • corollary: a statement or condition that logically results from a proven argument

  • prevail: to win

  • prevailing: widespread; generally accepted

  • misconstrue: to interpret something incorrectly, often leading to a misunderstanding

  • antithesis: the direct opposite

  • autonomous: acting independently

  • prohibitive: serving as an obstacle or barrier

  • decry: to denounce; discredit

  • defame: to libel or slander; to ruin the good name of someone

  • feign: to represent falsely; to fake

  • stipulate: to specify or demand a requirement or condition as part of an agreement

  • deplorable: regrettable

  • disparate: different; incompatible

  • magnanimous: forgiving; generous

  • synopsis: a brief summary or overview of a longer text or event

  • harrowing: frightening or traumatic

  • paucity: scarcity or lack of

  • clandestine: done in secret

  • reverberate: to echo or resound repeatedly; to have a lasting impact or influence

  • cursory: not thorough; superficial

  • posthumous: occurring after one's death

  • propensity: a tendency towards something

  • municipal: relating to the local government or administration of a city or town

  • supple: flexible

  • replete: completely filled

  • prolific: very productive

  • sway: to have control or influence over someone or something

  • culpable: deserving of blame

  • deride: to ridicule or mock

  • overt: not hidden; obvious

  • miser: a stingy person

  • heterodox: contrary to or differing from established beliefs or accepted doctrines

  • ornate: elaborately or heavily decorated

  • introspective: meditative, thoughtful

  • credulity: gullibility, a tendency to be too ready to believe something

  • irrefutable: impossible to deny or disprove

  • amicable: agreeable

  • resolute: determined

  • mutable: changeable

  • discordant: conflicting; disagreeable in sound

  • benevolent: kind and helpful

  • epitome: a perfect example

  • tactful: sensitive in dealing with others

  • paltry: lacking in importance; trivial

  • arduous: involving strenuous effort; requiring a lot of work

  • disparity: difference

  • dispassionate: calm; fair

  • elucidate: to explain or clarify

  • myriad: a vast number

  • unpretentious: modest

  • eclectic: getting ideas from a diverse range of sources

  • candid: direct

  • malleable: capable of being shaped or formed

  • candor: honesty

  • recurrent: occurring repeatedly or at regular intervals

  • incongruous: not corresponding or agreeing

  • inadvertent: unintentional

  • abate: decrease, recede

  • ascertain: to determine or discover

  • coherent: logically connected

  • appraise: to estimate the value of something

  • inundate: to overwhelm; to flood

  • immutable: unchangeable

  • supersede: to replace with something better

  • hamper: to prevent the free movement or action of

  • deleterious: harmful to one's health

  • judicious: showing sound judgment

  • impede: to delay or prevent someone or something by obstructing them

  • acumen: sharpness of judgment or insight

  • audacious: bold; fearless