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ENGLISH 10H VOCABF
english 10 honors final vocab 250 words
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| egregious | adj. outstandingly or deliberately bad |
| gregarious | adj. tending to enjoy the company of others |
| eschew | v. to avoid; to shun |
| unobtrusive | adj. not readily noticeable |
| circumlocution | n. use of indirect language; evasion in speech |
| loquacious | adj. tending to talk too much |
| circumspect | adj. heedful of consequences |
| asinine | adj. stupid or silly |
| amble | v. to walk slowly or leisurely |
| serendipity | n. the faculty of making fortunate and unexpected discoveries by accident |
| ingenuous | adj. without sophistication or worldliness; artless |
| vicissitudes | n. sudden or unexpected changes or shifts encountered in life |
| denigrate | v. to deny the validity or importance of; to belittle |
| svelte | adj. slender or graceful in figure or outline; slim |
| sultry | adj. very hot or humid; sensual |
| tepid | adj. moderately warm |
| succulent | adj. full of juice; interesting |
| sullen | adj. showing a brooding ill humor; gloomy in tone or color; sluggish |
| anomaly | n. deviation from the normal or common order |
| superfluous | adj. beyond what is required or sufficient; extra |
| bucolic | adj. of or characteristic of the countryside or its people |
| misanthrope | n. a person who hates or scorns mankind |
| misogynist | n. a person who hates women |
| frenetic | adj. frantic; frenzied |
| sanguine | adj. cheerfully confident; ruddy |
| cathartic | adj. producing a purifying or figuratively cleansing effect; releasing emotion or tension, esp. through art |
| platitude | n. a trite remark or statement presented as if it were original or clever; lack of originality |
| sluggard | n. a slothful or lazy person |
| disseminate | v. to scatter widely; to spread abroad |
| persevere | v. to persist in or remain constant to a purpose, idea or task in the face of obstacles or discouragement |
| sylvan | adj. having to do with woods, trees or forests |
| precarious | adj. dangerously lacking in security or stability; based on uncertain premises |
| fastidious | adj. difficult to please; paying careful attention to detail |
| prosaic | adj. matter-of-fact; straightforward; lacking imagination and spirit |
| sycophant | n. a person who tries to gain favor by flattering persons of influence |
| taciturn | adj. habitually not talkative; uncommunicative |
| malevolent | adj. showing ill will; having evil intent |
| pedant | n. one who pays undue attention to book learning and formal rules without having an understanding of practical affairs |
| ambivalent | adj. having mutually conflicting feelings or thoughts such as love and hate; being uncertain about what to do |
| insidious | adj. spreading harmfully in a subtle or stealthy way; tempting but harmful |
| vagary | n. an extravagant or erratic notion or action; a flight of fancy |
| alacrity | n. cheerful willingness; speed; quickness |
| tumultuous | adj. rough; stormy; noisy; disorderly; highly agitated emotionally |
| iniquity | n. sinfulness; wickedness; a grossly immoral act |
| sublime | adj. noble; majestic; highly spiritual, moral, or intellectual |
| bastion | n. fortification; well-fortified position; defensive wall |
| magnanimity | adj. generosity, esp. in forgiveness |
| pine | v. to suffer intense longing; to wither or waste away from longing |
| expedient | adj. appropriate to a particular purpose; serving to promote one's own interests |
| peccadillo | n. a very minor or slight sin or offense; a trifling fault |
| probity | n. integrity; uprightness; honesty; decency |
| panacea | n. a cure-all; a solution for all problems or ills |
| immolation | n. an act of sacrificing a victim; often by fire |
| pejorative | adj. expressing contempt or disapproval; a word expressing contempt of disapproval |
| prostrate | adj. lying flat; to cast oneself face down on the ground in humility, submission, or admiration |
| pulchritude | n. physical beauty |
| fettered | adj. confined or restrained; chained or shackled |
| prurient | adj. having, inclined to have, or characterized by lascivious or lustful thoughts |
| propitious | adj. giving or indicating a good chance of success; favorable |
| querulous | adj. complaining; fretful |
| tremulous | adj. fearful; quivering |
| miasma | n. poisonous atmosphere once thought to rise from swamps; thick or evil atmosphere |
| lachrymose | adj. weeping; inclined to weeping; sorrowful |
| specious | adj. having the ring of truth but actually having faulty logic; deceptively attractive |
| transient | adj. not permanent |
| impervious | adj. incapable of being penetrated; incapable of being affected |
| chutzpah | brazenness; gall |
| jocular | adj. given to joking; meant in jest |
| proscription | n. the act of denouncing or forbidding; prohibition; a decree of condemnation to death or banishment for an enemy of the state |
| soporific | adj. tending to induce sleep; drowsy |
| malentendu | a misunderstanding |
| pecuniary | adj. having to do with money |
| sonorous | adj. giving out a deep, resonant sound; rich and full in sound |
| impunity | n. exemption from punishment, penalty, or harm |
| sagacious | adj. having sound judgement; wise |
| insatiable | adj. incapable of being satisfied |
| strident | adj. loud, harsh, and grating |
| malapropism | n. a ludicrous misuse of a word |
| placate | v. to allay the anger of, esp. by yielding concessions |
| vituperative | adj. spoken abusively |
| juxtapose | v. to place side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast |
| stark | adj. bare, blunt; extreme; harsh in appearance; complete or utter; extremely simple or plain |
| decimate | v. to destroy or kill a large part of; to select by a lot and kill one in every ten of |
| pique | v. to cause or feel resentment; to injure the feelings of; to provoke or arouse |
| histrionics | n. exaggerated emotional behavior intended for effect (used with plural verb); theatrical arts (used with singular verb) |
| palatable | adj. acceptable to the taste; acceptable to the mind or sensibilities |
| ostensible | adj. appearing as such but not necessarily so; seeming; professed |
| anecdote | n. a short account of some interesting or humorous experience |
| surreptitious | adj. performed, made, or acquired by secret or stealthy means |
| malleable | adj. capable of being shaped or formed; capable of being altered or influenced |
| irascible | adj. easily provoked to anger; very irritable |
| umbrage | n. offense; annoyance; the vaguest feeling of suspicion or doubt (often with give, take, or feel) |
| rail | v. to utter bitter complaint (often followed by at or against) |
| impugn | v. to challenge as false (another's statements or motives); cast doubt upon |
| indigenous | adj. originating or characteristic of a particular region (often followed by to); naturally; innate |
| diatribe | n. a bitter, sharply abusive attack or criticism |
| connive | v. to cooperate secretly; to avoid noticing something that one is expecting to oppose or condemn |
| spurious | adj. not genuine, authentic or true; not from the claimed, pretended or proper source |
| drivel | n. childish, silly or meaningless talk or thinking; nonsense |
| feral | adj. not domesticated; wild; ferocious; brutal |
| dappled | adj. spotted or mottled |
| cynical | adj. extremely suspicious of the motivations of other people |
| obsequious | adj. full of or exhibiting servile compliance; subservient |
| obtuse | adj. insensitive; blockheaded; lacking quickness in comprehension |
| whimsical | adj. playful or fanciful; characterized by erratic behavior or unpredictability |
| ubiquitous | adj. being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent |
| copious | adj. abundant; plentiful; large in quantity |
| insipid | adj. dull, bland; lacking flavor or zest; unpalatable; lacking excitement or interest |
| predilection | n. a partiality in favor of something; a natural preference for something |
| debacle | n. a sudden, disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat; a total failure |
| mollify | v. to allay the anger of; to lessen in intensity; to soothe |
| innocuous | adj. having no adverse effect; harmless; lacking significance or impact; insipid |
| ignominious | adj. characterized by shame or disgrace; deserving disgrace |
| obfuscate | v. to render obscure; to darken; to confuse; to make confusing |
| maudlin | adj. effusively or tearfully sentimental |
| sardonic | adj. mocking; scornful |
| nebulous | adj. cloudy, misty or hazy; lacking definite form |
| alduterate | v. to make impure or inferior by adding superfluous or improper ingredients; to contaminate |
| incredulous | adj. disbelieving; skeptical; expressing disbelief |
| laconic | adj. using or marked by the use of few words, esp. to the point of rudeness |
| subjugate | v. to bring under domination; to subdue; to make obsequious or servile |
| ethereal | adj. characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible; heavenly |
| incipient | adj. beginning to exist or appear |
| untenable | adj. not capable of being defended or maintained |
| mercurial | adj. emotionally unpredictable; rapidly changing in mood |
| crass | adj. so crude and unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination and sensibility |
| esoteric | adj. intended for or understood by only a particular group |
| effervescent | adj. emitting small bubbles as gas comes out of a liquid; showing high spirits |
| stygian | adj. gloomy and dark; infernal; hellish |
| dearth | n. scarcity; lack |
| indolent | adj. disinclined to exert oneself; habitually lazy |
| cacophony | n. jarring, discordant sound; harsh or unharmonious use of language |
| assiduous | adj. constant in application or attention; persistent |
| blithe | adj. filled with merriment; cheerful; casual or carefree |
| penultimate | adj. next to last |
| sibilant | adj. of, characterized by, or producing a hissing sound, as the sound of "s" or "sh" |
| eclectic | adj. choosing what appears to be the best from diverse sources, systems, or styles; consisting of components selected from diverse sources |
| ameliorate | v. to make or become better; improve |
| enervate | v. to deprive of strength or vitality; weaken |
| didactic | adj. intended to instruct; morally instructive |
| halcyon | adj. calm and peaceful; tranquil; prosperous |
| nemesis | n. an unbeatable rival; one that inflicts retribution or vengeance |
| atrophy | v. the emaciation or wasting of tissues, organs, or the entire body; to waste away |
| narcissistic | adj. exhibiting excessive love or admiration of oneself |
| protean | adj. readily taking on different shapes or forms; variable |
| somnolent | adj. drowsy; sleep; inducing sleep |
| herculean | adj. of unusual size, power, or difficulty |
| stentorian | adj. extremely loud |
| zephyr | n. the west wind; a gentle breeze |
| anachronism | n. the representation of something existing or happening at other than its proper or historical time |
| sui generis | adj. unique; individual |
| quixotic | adj. idealistic without regard to practicality |
| tawdry | adj. gaudy or cheap in nature or appearance; tastelessly showy |
| guile | adj. insidious, treacherous cunning or deceit |
| amorphous | adj. without definite form; shapeless; lacking organization |
| writhe | v. to squirm, as in pain, struggle, or embarrassment; to suffer intensely |
| erudite | adj. characterized by deep and extensive learning; having or showing wide knowledge; scholarly |
| iconoclast | n. a person who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or institutions |
| salient | adj. strikingly conspicuous; prominent |
| recalcitrant | adj. stubbornly resistant to authority, domination, or guidance |
| dilettante | n. a person who an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or in a branch of knowledge |
| cloy | v. to supply with too much of something, esp. with something too rich or sweet; to cause to feel full to excess |
| sacrosanct | adj. regarded as sacred and inviolable (often used loosely out of religious context) |
| abstruse | adj. difficult to understand |
| hackneyed | adj. overused and thus cheapened; trite |
| vitriolic | adj. full of bitterness; caustic; sharply critical |
| demagogue | n. a leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the people |
| indefatigable | adj. incapable of being tired; tireless |
| arduous | adj. demanding great care, effort, or labor; difficult; testing |
| evanescent | adj. vanishing or likely to vanish; fleeting |
| cerulean | the color of the sky on a serene, crystal-clear day |
| taupe | brownish gray to dark yellowish brown |
| verdant | green of plants |
| saffron | golden yellow to orange-yellow |
| azure | very light sky blue |
| sepia | dark grayish yellowish brown to dark or moderate olive brown |
| chartreuse | brilliant greenish yellow to yellowish green |
| indigo | dark blue to grayish, purplish blue |
| cerise | deep pinkish red |
| periwinkle | purplish blue - kind of a pastel indigo |
| ecru | grayish to pale yellow or light grayish yellowish brown or very light tan |
| vermillion | red with a bit of orange; orangish red |
| onerous | adj. troublesome or oppressive; burdensome |
| charlatan | n. a person who claims to possess knowledge or skill that he does not have |
| hedonist | n. one who holds that pleasure is the chief good; one who believes that only that which is pleasant is intrinsically good |
| brouhaha | n. an uproar; hubbub |
| palpable | adj. capable of being handled, touched, or felt; tangible |
| florid | adj. heavily decorated or embellished; flushed with rosy color |
| choleric | adj. easily angered; bad-tempered |
| putrid | adj. decomposed and foul smelling; rotten; morally rotten |
| carp | v. to find fault and complain constantly |
| apropos | adv. appropriate; pertinent; appropriately; pertinently; with of: with reference to; speaking of |
| acquiesce | v. to consent or comply passively or without protest |
| vapid | adj. lacking liveliness, zest, or interest; flat |
| elucidate | v. to make clear or plain; clarify |
| venal | adj. open or susceptible to bribery; capable of betraying one's honor, duty, or scruples for a price |
| apocryphal | adj. of questionable authorship or authenticity |
| pugnacious | adj. eager to fight; having a quarrelsome disposition |
| vicarious | adj. endured or done by one person substituting for another; felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another |
| unctuous | adj. having the quality or characteristics of oil or ointment; felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another |
| bridle | v. to lift the head and draw in the chin as an expression of scorn or resentment; take offense |
| paean | n. a song of joyful praise or exultation; enthusiastic expression of joy or praise |
| apotheosis | n. exaltation; deification; an exalted or glorified example |
| colloquial | n. informal or conversation spoken language |
| flout | v. to show contempt for; to scorn |
| gratuitous | adj. unnecessary or unwarranted |
| incisive | adj. having or suggesting sharp mental perception; direct; effective |
| malinger | v. to pretend to be ill or injured in order to avoid duty or work |
| paucity | n. dearth, scarcity |
| petulant | adj. unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered; peevish |
| putative | adj. supposed; reputed; generally regarded as such |
| officious | adj. excessively forward in offering one's services or advice to others, especially where these services are unnecessary and unwanted |
| insouciant | adj. blithely unconcerned; nonchalant |
| eponym | n. a person whose name is or is the putative source of the name of something, such as a city, country, or era |
| pithy | adj. precisely meaningful, cogent, or terse |
| wizen | v. to wither or dry up; shrivel; shriveled or dried up; withered |
| ascetic | adj. given to severe self-denial and practicing excessive abstinence and devotion; a person who renounces the comforts of society |
| prodigious | adj. enormous; extraordinary; ominous |
| perfidious | adj. engaging in treachery; engaging in a deliberate breach of faith or trust |
| philistine | n. a smugly arrogant person with no appreciation of intellectual or artistic matters |
| aberration | n. a deviation from the standard |
| impetuous | adj. impulsive; extremely impatient |
| in situ | adj. in its original place |
| mea culpa | n. an acknowledgement of personal error fault |
| carpe diem | n. the admonition to seize the pleasures of the moment without thought for the future |
| caveat emptor | n. the axiom that a person who buys something does so at his own peril |
| de facto | adj. in reality; actual; actually; in practice without being officially established |
| sine qua non | n. an essential element or condition |
| non sequitur | n. an inference or a conclusion that doesn't follow from the premises or evidence; a statement that doesn't follow logically from what preceded it |
| ad hoc | adj. for a specific purpose, case, or situation |
| prima facie | adj. at first sight; before closer inspection |
| culpable | adj. responsible for wrong or error; blameworthy |
| élan | n. enthusiastic vigor and liveliness; style; flair |
| facetious | adj. playfully jocular; humorous |
| sinecure | n. a position or office that requires little or no work but provides a salary |
| lurid | adj. causing shock or horror; gruesome; stressing violence or sensationalism |
| sartorial | adj. of or relating to a tailor, tailoring, or tailored clothing |
| prerogative | n. an exclusive right or privilege held by a person or group, esp. a heredity or official right; a characteristically exclusive right |
| slovenly | adj. untidy; messy; careless; slipshod |
| caveat | n. a warning or caution |
| sang-froid | n. composure; imperturbability, especially in trying circumstances |
| susurration | n. a soft, whispering or rustling sound; a murmur |
| defenestrate | v. to throw a person out of a window |
| tintinnabulation | n. the ringing or sounding of bells |
| callipygian | adj. having beautifully proportioned buttocks |
| akimbo | adj. with the hands on the hips and the elbows bowed outward |
| suppurate | v. to form or discharge puss |
| hoary | adj. gray or white with or as if with age; very old or ancient |
| termagant | n. a quarrelsome, scolding woman; a shrew |
| peripatetic | adj. of or relating to walking; a person who walks from place to place |
| popinjay | n. a vain, talkative, conceited person |
| quid pro quo | n. an equal exchange or substitution |
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