Vocab 8 - 12

acrimony (noun): bitterness & resentment, especially in speech, attitude, or tone

1. The ACRIMONY between the two former friends was obvious; they scowled at one another whole spewing constant insults. 

solace (noun): somebody or something that provides comfort in times of sadness

1. While I may have lost the game, I took SOLACE in the fact that my team and I truly enjoyed a fabulous season. 

exorbitant (adj): far greater than is reasonable or manageable

1. I cannot believe the EXORBITANT price of American Girl dolls; they cost over $100 for simple rubber and cloth doll!

censure (verb or noun): verb form—to express disapproval or condemnation, particularly in official form (for example, by a vote of a legislature) noun form—severe criticism or official expression of disapproval or condemnation

1. The senator was CENSURED for taking bribes; his punishment was to lose his seat, and he went home in shame. 

2. When the teacher showed an inappropriate film in his classroom, he faced CENSURE from his principal; he nearly lost his job and had to sit through a hearing with the school board. 

reprimand (verb): to scold/punish somebody for a wrongdoing

1. When Søren ate his candy without asking, I REPRIMANDED him by telling him he was not being a good listener and sending him to his room. 

lackadaisical (adj): without much enthusiasm, energy, or effort

1. Coach Jeffrey was frustrated with his team’s LACKADAISICAL effort; they barely even tried, and they played sluggish and lazy. 

insipid (adj): dull and lacking in lively qualities.

1. The INSIPID dancer may have completed all the moves perfectly, but she lacked that bounce in her step that gives a routine true spunk and liveliness.  

archaic (adj): old and out of use because it comes from a time period long past

1. Some people say typewriters are simply ARCHAIC; even though they are rarely used and old, I still like to use them to write poetry. 

punctilious (adj): showing great care in small details, particularly when it comes to behavior and etiquette.

1. My PUNCTILIOUS Aunt Kathy is so obsessed with manners that my cousins get grounded for a week if they get caught chewing with their mouth open!

2. It is good to have a PUNCTILIOUS secretary because there is no such thing as being to attentive to detail when it comes to office work.  

irreverent (adj): disrespectful. 

1. I am frustrated with the IRREVERENT behavior from some of my students; their disrespect is ruining things for all the other kids who are in class to learn something. 

   aspersion (noun): the act of slandering or defaming someone; a damaging rumor

   1. This wicked ASPERSION will destroy my career; I cannot believe Juila started such a slanderous and false rumor! 

2. candid (adj): frank and sincere; direct honesty

   1. I may have been a bit too CANDID when I told Marcia her shoes were flashy; while I was telling the truth, I may have hurt her feelings. 

3. capricious (adj): tending to make sudden and unpredictable changes

   1. Søren can be so CAPRICIOUS due to his youth; one day he loves something and the next day he screams the he hates it!

4. despot (noun): a tyrant; somebody who behaves in a tyrannical way

   1. Sometimes toddlers can behave like DESPOTS, yelling orders at people and bossing them around.

5. diaphanous (adj): so delicate it is transparent

   1. Her shirt was pretty, but because it was DIAPHANOUS, she had to wear another shirt underneath so that people could not see her bra. 

6. detritus (noun): debris or discarded material

   1. Although the party was long over, the DETRITUS remained; I was picking up pizza boxes, popcorn kernels, and soda cans for hours. 

7. equivocate (verb): to speak vaguely or ambiguously, especially to mislead.

   1. Criminals often talk in circles; they EQUIVOCATE their interrogators in order to avoid being caught.  

8. iconoclast (noun): somebody who challenges or overturns traditional beliefs, customs, and values

   1. Gloria Steinem was an ICONOCLAST who championed women’s rights by fighting against the traditional, male dominated authority. 

9. mendicant (noun): an extremely poor person, a beggar.

   1. Sadly, Sandy’s mental illness was never treated and she ended up a MENDICANT, begging on the streets for food and money, never truly aware of who of where she was. 

10. pedestrian (adj): ordinary, unimaginative, or uninspired 

    1. I found the play prosaic; its PEDESTRIAN plot was nothing new because its dull story has been told so many times in the same repetitive way. 

11. visceral (adj): characterized by instinct (from the “gut”) rather than reasoned thinking

    1. My desire to save the drowning boy was visceral; I wasn’t thinking about my own safety or the possible failure of my reckless endeavor, and I nearly got us both killed.  

12. ostentatious (adj): marked by an obnoxious display of wealth and/or success designed to impress people

    1. I cannot believe she showed up to build house for Habitat for Humanity driving that ostentatious yellow Ferrari! 

13. nascent (adj): in the process of emerging, being born, or starting to develop

    1. The nascent plant was only a little bud and still needed to develop into a full flower. 

14. loquacious (adj): tending to talk a great deal

    1. Many people think Søren is quiet because he can be so shy, but he is actually rather loquacious and never stops talking once you get to know him. 

15. inept (adj): lacking competence or skill for a particular task

    1. My inept brother cannot hammer in a nail, let alone build a bookshelf from scratch!

16. derivative or derivate (adj): copied from somewhere & not original

    1. While he did write the story himself, the derivative plot is trite and has been told far too many times.

17. accolade (noun): an expression of high praise and esteem for somebody’s achievements

    1. After I saved the kittens from the burning house, the ASPCA showered me with accolades, giving me a plaque and medal of honor. 

18. indigent (adj): poor/impoverished, lacking in the necessities of life, such as food, clothing, & shelter

    1. The massive amounts of indigent people in Haiti made the effects of the earthquake all the more devastating; they lacked the necessities of life as it was, and such destruction only made it worse. 

19. mitigate (verb): to make something less harsh, severe, or violent

    1. After I pleaded with the judge, she mitigated my sentence, lowering it from one week in jail to a $500 fine. 

20. perfidy (noun): treachery or deceit, betrayal

    1. When my own sister lied to the cops, blaming me for the crime she committed, I could not believe her perfidy; I never thought my own flesh and blood would betray me like that! 

21. assuage (verb): to provide relief from something stressful or painful

    1. The cruise ship tried to ASSUAGE the problem of flooded bathroom passes by offering free airline tickets to every passenger; the captain thought it would lessen the passenger’s anger at the wet mess.  

22. anodyne (noun): something that soothes, comforts, or relaxes

    1. Warm cookies and milk are the perfect ANODYNE for a long and hard day; they always make me feel calm and well. 

23. acclivity/declivity (noun): an upward (acclivity) or downward (declivity) slope on a hill.

    1. Once the ACCLIVITY of the hill become too steep to hike, I had to pick up Søren to help him make it up the trail, but he had no problem coming down along the DECLIVITY. 

24. undulation (noun): a wavy motion or curving form/outline, especially one in a series such as a wave.

    1. The UNDULATIONS of the ballerina were both beautiful and intricate.

    2. After I threw the rock into the pond, the water rippled in UNDULATIONS larger than I expected, rocking the boat to a dangerous level.  

25. unequivocal (adj): cannot be doubted or misinterpreted

    1. The results of the scientist’s experiments were so strong this his findings were considered entirely UNEQUIVOCAL and are now simply facts that cannot be argued. 

26. sanguine (adj): cheerfully optimistic and hopeful

    1. Having studied at length for the exam and spoken to my teacher in advance, I entered the test completely SANGUINE, happy that I knew I would succeed.

27. equanimity (noun: composure, evenness of temper even under stress

    1. I was shocked at the EQUANIMITY of the pilot during the extreme turbulence; he stayed calm and didn’t even break a sweat, which helped ease the fears of the passengers. 

28. tepid (adj): showing little enthusiasm or warmth

    1. Although she loves chocolate and flowers, her response to his Valentine’s gift was TEPID, for she simply did not share his romantic feelings; seeing him only as a friend, she was very unenthused.

29. vacillate (verb): to be indecisive, to change one’s mind repeatedly back and forth

    1. I stood in front of the candy counter for nearly fifteen minutes because Søren VACILLATED between a Twix bar and gum; he just couldn’t make up his mind! 

30. trivialize (verb): to treat something as though it is less important than it really is.

    1. The movie completely TRIVIALIZED the horrible crime; it made it seem as though burning a building after robbing it was no big deal by making a joke of such a serious offense! 

31. exigent (adj): needing immediate attention

    1. Because the deadline for my college application is this Monday, the need to fix the error on my transcript it EXIGENT. 

32. polemic (n): a passionate argument in favor of something or someone (often controversial)

    1. Despite the valid arguments contradicting his argument, Mitch’s POLEMIC has not changed; he still fervently argues his position to point of even screaming!

33. acolyte (n): somebody, especially a young person, who assists and/or follows a mentor

    1. Sonja is always trailed by her little ACOLYTES; they copy nearly everything she does and look up to her so much. 

34. nullify (v): to make something invalid/void; to cancel something out

    1. I hope the face that I forgot to properly fill out the paperwork does not NULLIFY my win; I worked on to earn that medal, and I do not want it taken away on a technicality!

35. vilify (v): to make abusive and extremely hurtful statements about somebody

    1. The Pleasanton Weekly has stopped becoming a place for news; rather, it is now only a forum to VILIFY teachers, as nearly every article about the budget crisis includes insults to educators. 

36. endemic (adj): having to do with a particular place or among a particular group

    1. The disease appears to be ENDEMIC to the Northern area of town, as only the people there are exhibiting symptoms.

37. celerity (n): quickness in movement

    1. I was surprised to see my aging dog move with such CELERITY after that cat; I didn’t realize she could still move that fast!

38. caustic (adj): very sarcastic, in a way that is bitter and causes intensely bad emotions

    1. While some find his humor funny, I just find is CAUSTIC; his angry bitterness outweighs any wit he tries to convey. 

39. repository (n): a place in which something is stored

    1. I thought it was just a house that nobody lived in, but it turned out to be a REPOSITORY for weapons; there were over a thousand guns and rounds of ammunition in the garage alone!

40. torpor (n): lack of mental or physical energy

    1. This constant rain has brought me into a dull TORPOR that I just can’t pull out off; I am so sluggish and depressed from these wet, gray skies!