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Vocab Midterm
English Vocabulary Midterm 2010
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| approbation | n. the expression of approval, praise, official approval |
| assuage | v. to make easier or milder, relieve, appease, satisfy |
| coalition | n. a combination, a union, or merger for specific purposes |
| decadence | n. decline, decay or deterioration; excessive self-indulgence |
| elicit | v. to draw forth |
| expostulate | v. to attempt to dissuade someone from some course of decision by earnest reasoning |
| hackneyed | adj. used so often as to lack originality |
| hiatus | n. a gap, opening, break (having an element missing) |
| innuendo | n. a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (usually in a derogatory sense) |
| intercede | v. to plead on behalf of someone else; serve as a third party, go-between |
| jaded | adj. wearied, worn-out, dulled(in the sense of being satiated by excessive indulgences |
| lurid | adj. causing shock, horror, or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow in color;lack of restraint |
| meritorious | adj. worthy, deserving recognition and praise |
| petulant | adj. peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset |
| prerogative | n. a special right or privilege; special quality showing excellence |
| provincial | adj. pretaining to an outlying area; local; narrow-minded n. a person with a narrow point of view |
| simulate | v. to make a pretense of, imitate; show the outer signs of |
| transcend | v. to rise above or beyond, exceed |
| umbrage | n. shade cast by trees, foliage giving shade; overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion |
| unctuous | adj. excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable |
| ameliorate | v. to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming |
| aplomb | n. poise, assurance, great self-confidence; perpendicularity |
| bombastic | adj. pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas |
| callow | adj. without experience; immature, not fully developed; lacking sophistication and poise; without feathers |
| drivel | n. saliva or mucus flowing from the mouth or nose; foolish, aimless talk or thinking; nonsense; v. to let saliva flow from the mouth, to utter nonsense |
| epitome | n. a summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality |
| exhort | v. to urge strongly, advise earnestly |
| ex officio | adv.,adj. by virtue of holding a certain office |
| infringe | v. to violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds |
| ingratiate | v. to make oneself agreeable and thus gain favor or acceptance by others |
| interloper | n. one who moves in where he or she is not wanted or has no right to be, an intruder |
| intrinsic | adj. belonging to someone or something by its very nature; inherent; essential |
| inveigh | v. to make violent attack in words, expressing strong disapproval |
| lassitude | n. weariness of body or mind, lack of energy |
| millennium | n. a period of one thousand years; a period of great joy |
| occult | adj. mysterious, magical, supernatural; secret, hidden from view; not detectable by ordinary means; v. to hide, conceal; n. matters involving the supernatural |
| permeate | v. spread throughout, penetrate, soak through |
| precipitate | v. to fall as moisture; to cause or bring about suddenly; to hurl down from a great height; to give distinct form to; adj. excessive haste; n. moisture |
| stringent | adj. strict, severe, rigorously or urgently binding or compelling; sharp or bitter to the taste |
| surmise | v. to think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to guess; n. an idea lacking definite proof |
| abominate | v. to have an intense dislike or hatred for |
| acculturation | n. the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by the contact of those of another; the resultant blend |
| adventitious | adj. resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause or character; accidental not essential |
| ascribe | v. to assign or refer to; attribute |
| circuitous | adj. roundabout, not direct |
| commiserate | v. to sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress |
| enjoin | v. to direct or order; to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way; to prohibit |
| expedite | v. to make easy, cause to progress faster |
| expiate | v. to make amends, make up for; to avert |
| ferment | n. a state of great excitement, agitation, or turbulence; v. to be in or work in such a state; to produce alcohol by chemical action |
| inadvertent | adj. resulting from or marked by lack of attention; accidental |
| nominal | adj. existing in name only, not real; too small to be considered or taken seriously |
| noncommittal | adj. not decisive or definite; unwilling to take a clear position or to say yes or no |
| peculate | v. to steal something that has been give into one's trust; to take improperly for one's own use |
| proclivity | n. a natural or habitual inclination or tendency (especially of human character or behavior) |
| sangfroid | n. composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances |
| seditious | adj. resistance to lawful authority; having the purpose of overthrowing an established government |
| tenuous | adj. thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity |
| vitriolic | adj. bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting (like a strong acid) |
| wheedle | v. to use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end |
| affable | adj. courteous and plesant, sociable, easy to speak to |
| aggrandize | v. to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater |
| amorphous | adj. shapeless, without deinite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion |
| aura | n. that which surrounds(as an atmosphere); a distinctive air or personal quality |
| contraband | n. illegal traffic, smuggled goods; adj. illegal |
| erudite | adj. scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic |
| gossamer | adj. thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; n. a very thin light cloth |
| infer | v. to find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the basis of thought; to hint, suggest, imply |
| inscrutable | adj. incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically |
| insular | adj. relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience |
| irrevocable | adj. incapable of being changed or called back |
| propensity | n. a natural inclination or predilection toward |
| querulous | adj. peevish, complaining, fretful |
| remonstrate | v. to argue or plead with someone against something, protest against, object to |
| repudiate | v. to disown, reject, or deny the validity of |
| resilient | adj. able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly |
| reverberate | v. to re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly |
| scurrilous | adj. coarsely abusive, vulgar or low(especially in language), foul-mouthed |
| sedulous | adj. persistent, showing industry and determination |
| sleazy | adj. thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; inferior in quality or character; ethically low, mean, or disreputable |
| amnesty | n. a general pardon for an offense against a government; an act of forgiveness or absolution |
| autonomy | n. self-government |
| axiomatic | adj. self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle or rule |
| blazon | v. to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely |
| caveat | n. a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior |
| equitable | adj. fair, just, embodying principles of justice |
| extricate | v. to free from entanglements or difficulties; to remove with effort |
| filch | v. to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts |
| flout | v. to mock, treat with contempt |
| fractious | adj. tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable |
| precept | n. a rule of conduct or action |
| salutary | adj. beneficial, helpful; heathful, wholesome |
| scathing | adj. bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm |
| scourage | v. to whip, punish severely; n. a cause of affliction or suffering; a source of severe punishment or criticism |
| sepulchral | adj. funeral, typical of the tomb, extremely gloomy or dismal |
| soporific | adj. tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy; n. something that induces sleep |
| straitlaced | adj. extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct |
| transient | adj. lasting only a short time, fleeting; n. one who stays only a short time |
| unwieldy | adj. no easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity |
| vapid | adj. dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness or force |
| anomalous | adj. abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual |
| aspersion | n. a defaming or derogatory statement; the act of slandering or defaming |
| bizarre | adj. extremely strange, unusual, atypical |
| brusque | adj. abrupt, blunt, with no formalities |
| cajole | v. to coax, persuade through flattery or artifice; to deceive with soothing thoughts or false promises |
| castigate | v. to punish severely; to criticize severely |
| contrive | v. to plan with ingenuity, invent; to bring about as the result of a scheme or plan |
| demagogue | n. a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power |
| disabuse | v. to free from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking |
| ennui | n. weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest, boredom |
| fetter | n. a chain or chackle placed on the feet; anything that confines or restrains; v. to chain or shackle; to render helpless or impotent |
| heinous | adj. very wicked, offensive, hateful |
| immutable | adj. not subject to change, constant |
| insurgent | n. one who rebels or rises against authority; adj. rising in revolt refusing to accept authority; surging or rushing in or on |
| megalomania | n. a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, talent, etc., far in excess of reality |
| sinecure | n. a position requiring little or no work; an easy job |
| surreptitious | adj. stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation; made or accomplished by fraud |
| transgress | v. to go beyond a limit or boundary; to sin, violate a law |
| vicarious | adj. performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another |
| austere | adj. severe or stern in matter; without adornment or luxury, simple, plain; harsh or sour in flavor |
| beneficent | adj. performing acts of kindness or charity; conferring benefits, doing good |
| cadaverous | adj. pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse |
| concoct | v. to prepare by combining ingredients, make up; to devise, invent, fabricate |
| crass | adj. coarse, unfeeling, stupid |
| debase | v. to lower in character, quality or value; to degrade, adulterate |
| desecrate | v. to commit sacrilege upon, treat irreverently; to contaminate, pollute |
| disconcert | v. to confuse; to disturb the composure of |
| grandiose | adj. grand in an impressive or stately way; marked by pompous affectation or grandeur, absurdly exaggerated |
| inconsequential | adj. trifling, unimportant |
| infraction | n. a breaking of a law or obligation |
| mitigate | v. to make milder or softer, to moderate in force or intensity |
| pillage | v. to rob of goods by open force(as in war), plunder; n. the act of looting; booty |
| prate | v. to talk a great deal in a foolish or aimless fashion |
| punctilious | adj. very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety |
| redoubtable | adj. inspiring fear or awe; illustrious, eminent |
| reprove | v. to find fault with, scold, rebuke |
| restitution | n. the act of restoring someone or something to the rightful owner or to a former state or position; making good on a loss or damage |
| stalwart | adj. strong and sturdy; brave; resolute; n. a brave strong person, a strong supporter |
| vulnerable | adj. open to attack, capable of being wounded or damaged, unprotected |
| acrimonious | adj. stinging, bitter in temper or tone |
| bovine | adj. resembling a cow or ox; sluggish, unresponsive |
| consternation | n. dismay, confusion |
| corpulent | adj. fat; having a large, bulky body |
| disavow | v. to deny responsibility for or connection with |
| dispassionate | adj. impartial; calm, free from emotion |
| dissension | n. disagreement, sharp difference of opinion |
| dissipate | v. to cause to disappear; to scatter, dispel; to spend foolishly |
| expurgate | v. to remove objectionable passages or words from a written text; to cleanse or purify |
| gauntlet | n. an armored or protective glove; a challenge; two lines of men armed with weapons with which to beat a person forced to run between them; an ordeal |
| hypothetical | adj. based on an assumption or guess; used as a provisional or tentative idea to guide or direct investigation |
| ignoble | adj. mean, low, base |
| impugn | v. to call into question; to attack as false |
| intemperate | adj. immoderate, lacking in self-control, inclement |
| odium | n. hatred, contempt; disgrace or infamy resulting from hateful conduct |
| perfidy | n. faithlessness, treachery |
| relegate | v. to place in a lower position; to assign, refer, turn over; to banish |
| squeamish | adj. inclined to nausea; easily shocked or upset; excessively fastidious or refined |
| subservient | adj. subordinate in capacity or role; submissively obedient; serving to promote some end |
| susceptible | adj. open to; easily influenced; lacking in resistance |
Created by:
catherinex2
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