Honors English 3-4 - Semester 2 List 5 Vocabulary

  1. Nonchalance - cool indifference or lack of concern; casualness

  2. Nostalgia - a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations

  3. Obliterate - destroy utterly; wipe out

  4. Obsolete - no longer produced or used; out of date

  5. Omnipotent - (of a deity) having unlimited power; able to do anything

  6. Orifice - an opening (such as a vent, mouth, or hole) through which something may pass

  7. Palpitate - (of the heart) beat rapidly, strongly, or irregularly

  8. Pallid - (of a person’s face) pale, typically because of poor health

  9. Paragon - a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality

  10. Parody - an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect

  11. Pensive - engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought

  12. Perjury - the offense of willfully telling an untruth in a court after having taken an oath or affirmation

  13. Philanthropist - a person who seeks to promote the welfare of others, especially by the generous donation of money to good causes

  14. Pinnacle - the highest or culminating point, as of success, power, fame, etc

  15. Plethora - a large or excessive amount of something

  16. Posterity - succeeding or future generations

  17. Pragmatic - dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations

  18. Precarious - dependent on chance circumstances, unknown conditions, or uncertain developments

  19. Precipitous - dangerously high or steep

  20. Prevaricate - speak or act in an evasive way

  21. Prodigious - remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree

  22. Nondescript: Lacking distinctive or interesting features or characteristics; bland.

  23. 22. Novel: New or unusual in an interesting way; fresh.

  24. Pivotal: Important in relation to the development or success of something else; crucial.

  25. Philistine: A person who is hostile or indifferent to cultures and the arts, or who has no understanding of them. 

  26. Placate: To make someone or a group of people less angry or hostile. 

  27. Redolent: Strongly similar or suggestive of something.

  28. Redress: To set right an unfair or undesirable situation.

  29. Red Tape: Excessive adherence to rules and formalities; especially in bureaucracies or public business.

  30. Referendum: A direct and official vote by voters on a single political question; usually a specific issue, proposal, or law.

  31. Regale: To occupy someone by entertaining or amusing them with talk. 

  32. Superlative: Of the highest quality or degree; the best alternative.

  33. Surly: Menacing or threatening in appearance. 

  34. Surreptitiously: In ways that attempt to avoid notice or attention; secretively.  

  35. Sybarite: A person who is notably self-indulgent in expensive things or pleasure; a pleasure seeker.

  36. Sycophant: A person who is excessively obedient or flattery with someone important to gain favor or advantage; a bootlicker. 

  37. Taciturn: Of a person, reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little

  38. Whet: Excite or stimulate someone’s desire, interest, or appetite. 

  39. Wispy: Fine, thin, delicate, or vague; typically describing smoke, hair, or anything barely perceptible. 

  40. Wistful: Having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing; yearning.

  41. Zany: Amusingly unconventional and peculiar; bizarre.