vocab 9

1. affinity; noun – natural attraction to a person or liking for a thing; relation; connection.

Harvey’s affinity for math led him to excel in our computer course.

2. catharsis; noun – an emotional purification or relief. The tragedy on stage brought about a

catharsis among the spectators.

3. deprecate; verb – to express strong disapproval of. If you continually deprecate Jeremy’s

efforts, thereby deflating his self-confidence, he may stop trying.

4. embroil; verb – to involve in a quarrel. The rival party sought a way to embroil the

government in a dispute over the economy.

5. formidable; adjective – hard to overcome; to be dreaded. Seemingly a mild-mannered

reporter, Clark Kent was actually the formidable Superman.

6. hypothetical; adjective – supposed; assumed. Saying that he has an aversion to hypothetical

questions, the governor refused to reply.

7. inadvertent; adjective – not done on purpose, careless. I regarded the inadvertent comment

as immaterial, but it proved to be significant.

8. levity; noun – lightness; lack of seriousness; fickleness. Brad’s levity contrasted sharply with

his roommate’s solemnity.

9. perfidy; noun- treachery; betrayal of trust. The double agent was obviously a man capable of

acts of perfidy.

10. redundant; adjective – wordy; exceeding what is necessary or normal; lavish; overflowing.

I wonder if authors who are called prolific are really merely redundant.

11. saturate; verb – to soak through and through; to fill completely. What we need now, said the

farmer, is a heavy rain that will saturate the soil for a good six inches.

12. talon; noun – the claw of a bird or prey; a human finger or hand that looks or grasps like a

claw; any object suggestive of a claw. The hawk’s talon closed on its prey, locking it in a vise-

like grip.

13. undermine; verb – to dig or to make a tunnel under; to wear away and weaken the support

of; to injure or to weaken in a slow or sneaky way. The constant pressure of water in the

subterranean channels can undermine the building’s foundation.

14. validate; verb- to declare or make legally sound; to substantiate; to verify. Floyd said he

had an unimpeachable witness to validate his claims.

15. wanton; adjective – immoral; senseless; deliberately malicious; excessive. The partisans

condemned the dictator’s wanton disregard for human rights.