English Vocab

  • abstinence: (n) the act of refraining from pleasurable activity, e.g., eating or drinking

  • adversity: (n) misfortune, an unfavorable turn of events

  • aesthetic: (adj) pertaining to beauty or the arts

  • anachronistic: (adj) out-of-date, not attributed to the correct historical period

  • anecdote: (n) short, usually funny account of an event

  • arid: (adj) extremely dry or deathly boring

  • assiduous: (adj) persistent, hard-working

  • benevolent: (adj) friendly and helpful

  • camaraderie: (n) trust, sociability amongst friends

  • censure: (v) to criticize harshly

  • condescending: (adj) possessing an attitude of superiority, patronizing

  • conditional: (adj) depending on a condition, e.g., in a contract

  • conformist: (n) person who complies with accepted rules and customs

  • congregation: (n) a crowd of people, an assembly

  • convergence: (n) the state of separate elements joining or coming together

  • deleterious: (adj) harmful, destructive, detrimental

  • disdain: (v) to regard with scorn or contempt

  • discredit: (v) to harm the reputation of, dishonor or disgrace

  • empathy: (n) identification with the feelings of others

  • enervating: (adj) weakening, tiring

  • emulate: (v) to imitate, follow an example

  • exasperation: (n) irritation, frustration

  • ephemeral: (adj) momentary, transient, fleeting

  • fortuitous: (adj) happening by luck, fortunate

  • frugal: (adj) thrifty, cheap

  • haughty: (adj) arrogant and condescending

  • hedonist: (n) person who pursues pleasure as a goal

  • impetuous: (adj) rash, impulsive, acting without thinking

  • incompatible: (adj) opposed in nature, not able to live or work together

  • inevitable: (adj) certain, unavoidable

  • integrity: (n) decency, honesty, wholeness

  • intuitive: (adj) instinctive, untaught

  • jubilation: (n) joy, celebration, exultation

  • novice: (n) apprentice, beginner

  • nonchalant: (adj) calm, casual, seeming unexcited

  • orator: (n) lecturer, speaker

  • ostentatious: (adj) showy, displaying wealth

  • precocious: (adj) unusually advanced or talented at an early age

  • parched: (adj) dried up, shriveled

  • pretentious: (adj) pretending to be important, intelligent or cultured