English IV - Vocabulary, First Semester Vocabulary #1 abstain (v) - to refrain from something voluntarily, especially from satisfying one s appetite. beneficent (adj.) - doing good. candid (adj.) - frank; straightforward; sincere coerce (v.) - to compel; to force dubious (adj.) - doubtful, uncertain fallacy (n) - a false idea; mistaken belief; error indolence (n.) - love of ease or inactivity; laziness lucid (adj.) - clear; easily understood nostalgia (n.) - a longing for experiences, things or people in the past precarious (adj.) - insecure; unsafe; dangerous Vocabulary #2 adamant (n.) - a legendary stone of the ancients so hard it could not be penetrated. adj. - unyielding; hard amenable (adj.) - easy to persuade; open to suggestion; agreeable augment (v.) - to increase; to enlarge chronic (adj.) - constant; habitual; with reference to a disease, long lasting cursory (adj.) - rapidly or hurriedly done eccentric (adj.) - different from the usual; odd; peculiar irrelevant (adj.) - off the subject; not applicable lethargy (n.) - a state of inaction or indifference; dislike of activity panacea (n.) - a cure-all; a general remedy for all ailments plebeian (adj.) - common, unrefined 1
Vocabulary #3 affable (adj.) - sociable, friendly, agreeable avarice (n.) - greediness; extreme desire for wealth bigot (n.) - a person stubbornly and intolerantly devoted to one set of ideas, one party, church, etc. charlatan (n.) - a person who pretends to have knowledge or ability; a quack; an impostor coherent (adj.) - sticking together, logically organized and consistent diffident (adj.) - shy; lacking in self-confidence feasible (adj.) - capable of being done; practicable loquacious (adj.) - talkative; enjoys talking pertinent (adj.) - relating directly to the subject veracity (n.) - truthfulness Vocabulary #4 altruism (n.) - concern for others, their interests, welfare, etc. derogatory (adj.) - showing an unfavorable opinion of someone of something; belittling dogmatic (adj.) - speaking as though one s opinions were established fact; positive; overbearing emulate (v.) - to imitate another person in order to equal or surpass the person expedient (adj.) - useful for producing a desired result; advisable; advantageous gregarious (adj.) - living in a flock or herd; fond of associating with others; sociable indigent (adj.) - needy, poor lucrative (adj.) - financially profitable obsolete - (adj.) - no longer in use; out-of-date opulence (n.) - wealth, riches, abundance as shown in luxurious living 2
Vocabulary #5 impunity (n.) - freedom from punishment incorrigible (adj.) - not capable of being corrected; not correctable incredulous (adj.) - unwilling to believe; doubting; skeptical insatiable (adj.) - not capable of being satisfied; greedy inanimate (adj.) - not living; without life or consciousness; dull lugubrious (adj.) - sad, mournful ostentatious (adj.) - showy, indicating fondness for unnecessary outward display phlegmatic (adj.) - sluggish; calm; not easily aroused plausible (adj.) - seeming to be true or reasonable reactionary (adj.) - favoring return to a state of affairs, especially in politics; (of a person or a set of views) opposing political or social liberalization or reform. audacious (adj.) - daring, bold, adventurous Vocabulary #6 enigma (n.) - a riddle; a puzzling problem or statement facetious (adj.) - humorous, funny; trying to be humorous immaculate (adj.) - spotlessly clean, pure implacable (adj.) - impossible to pacify, calm or appease inexplicable (adj.) - unexplainable; can not explain irrevocable (adj.) - impossible to withdraw, cancel, revoke latent (adj.) - in existence but hidden or concealed pernicious (adj.) - causing harm; very injurious; wicked propriety (n.) - fitness, suitability, proper behavior 3
Vocabulary #7 ambiguous (adj.) - having two meanings; unclear assiduous (adj.) - hardworking, persistent, steadily working deprecate (v.) - to express disapproval of someone or something facile (adj.) - easily done; working in an easy manner homogeneous (adj.) - all of the same kind; composed of persons or things that are alike immutable (adj.) - not changing; never changing impervious (adj.) - impossible to penetrate or affect obsequious (adj.) - overly polite and obedient; slave like; fawning pecuniary (adj.) - relating too money; consisting of money; financial reiterate (v.) - to repeat Vocabulary #8 affluent (adj.) - rich, prosperous apathy (n.) - lack of emotion, feeling or excitement connive (v.) - to cooperate secretly with someone; to have a secret understanding with someone exonerate (v.) - to free someone from blame or from an accusation incongruous (adj.) - having inconsistent or inharmonious parts; lacking consistency or harmony inexorable (adj.) - unyielding; not changeable; not persuadable; relentless plaintiff (n.) - one who brings a lawsuit against another person. Antonym: defendant proximity (n.) - nearness to something sagacity (n.) - mental keenness; shrewdness sanguine (adj.) - hopeful, cheerful 4
Vocabulary #9 disparage (v.) - to lower the estimation of someone or something; to speak slightingly of someone or something mundane (adj.) - worldly, earthly nefarious (adj.) - very wicked peremptory (adj.) - very positive; not to be refused or denied; dogmatic posthumous (adj.) - happening after death surfeited (adj.) - overfed to the point of nausea; having had too much of something tacit (adj.) - silent, unspoken taciturn (adj.) - not speaking, not talkative tenacious (adj.) - holding fast or likely to hold fast; stubborn voracious (adj.) - greedy in eating; very eager; insatiable Vocabulary #10 antipathy (n.) - a dislike of something or someone connotation (n.) - the suggested or implied meaning of a word or expression beyond its actual meaning cryptic (adj.) - having a hidden meaning; obscure; mysterious dilemma (n.) - a situation in which one must choose between two unsatisfactory alternatives exorbitant (adj.) - excessive; beyond what is customary or reasonable impeccable (adj.) - faultless impotent (adj.) - powerless, not necessarily in a physical sense ingenuous (adj.) - frank, sincere, naive intangible (adj.) - not capable of being touched; describing an object which is not material perfunctory (adj.) - done mechanically, without thought or interest 5
Vocabulary #11 circumspect (adj.) - considering all angles of a situation before taking action; careful malevolent (adj.) - wishing evil; showing ill will. Antonym: benevolent malicious (adj.) - evil; arising from evil intentions; hurtful to others malign (v.) - to speak evil of someone or something officious (adj.) - offering to help or advice which has not been asked for; meddling in other s business ostracize (v.) - to banish from society or from social privileges plagiarize (v.) - to pass off as one s own the work (ideas, writings, etc.) of someone else pseudo (adj.) - false, counterfeit, pretended recalcitrant (adj.) - stubbornly resisting authority; disobedient vindictive (adj.) - having a strong desire for revenge; revengeful culpable (adj.) - deserving blame; blameworthy ostensible (adj.) - apparent, pretended Vocabulary #12 platitude (n.) - a commonplace, trite remark (ie. Better to be safe than sorry ) replete (adj.) - filled to capacity salient (adj.) - standing out; prominent scrupulous (adj.) - very careful to do the right thing; giving conscientious attention to detail spurious (adj.) - not genuine; false subjugate (v.) - to conquer; to subdue; to force into one s power transitory (adj.) - lasting only a short time; temporary venerable (adj.) - deserving respect or admiration 6
Vocabulary #13 intrepid (adj.) - fearless, brave, daring notorious (adj.) - widely known but with a bad reputation omniscient (adj.) - knowing everything; very wise poignant (adj.) - painful; painfully moving or touching reticent (adj.) - silent, reserved, not inclined to say much sardonic (adj.) - bitterly scornful, sneering, sarcastic sinecure (n.) - a position of office which requires little or no work yet pays well; an easy job succinct (adj.) - expressed briefly and clearly; concise truculent (adj.) - fierce, cruel; showing a fierce manner ubiquitous (adj.) - being everywhere at the same time; present everywhere Vocabulary #14 chaos (n.) - confusion, complete disorder clandestine (adj.) - done with secrecy, usually for an evil purpose extant (adj.) - still in existence gullible (adj.) - easily deceived or cheated inscrutable (adj.) - not understandable ludicrous (adj.) - laughable; amusingly absurd ominous - (adj.) - threatening; foreshadowing something bad sacrilegious (adj.) - injurious to or disrespectful of sacred things or persons vacillate (v.) - to waver; to change one s mind back and forth vulnerable (adj.) - capable of being injured; open to attack 7