Personal Vocab
My personal vocab list from my reading.
Terms
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- Chary
- cautious, wary
- Sophism
- a fallacious argument, esp. one used deliberately to deceive.
- Recidivism
- habitual relapse into crime
- Broadside
- the simultaneous firing of all the armament on one side of a warship
- Rive
- split or tear apart violently : the party was riven by disagreements over Europe | figurative he was riven with guilt.
- Impugned
- challenged; to be doubted
- Sovereign
- greatest in status or authority or power
- Beguile
- trick. enchant someone, sometimes in a deceptive way.
- Apologist
- A person who argues in defense or justification of something
- Extemporaneously
- spoken or done without preparation
- Recognizance
- (law) a security entered into before a court with a condition to perform some act required by law
- Surrogate
- someone who takes the place of another person
- Diametrical
- used to emphasize how completely different two or more things are : he's the diametrical opposite of Gabriel.
- Reprisal
- a retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime
- Machiavellianism
- the political doctrine of Machiavelli: any means (however unscrupulous) can be used by a ruler in order to create and maintain his autocratic government
- Portly
- euphemisms for 'fat'
- Insolvent
- unable to pay debts owed
- Forthwith
- without delay or hesitation
- Mannerism
- a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display
- Gravitas
- high seriousness.
- Miscreant
- a person without moral scruples
- Halcyon
- denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful
- Wantonly
- in a licentious and promiscuous manner
- Sultry
- sexually exciting or gratifying
- Accoutrements
- accessories
- Indemnity
- legal exemption from liability for damages
- Mellifluous
- (of a voice or words) sweet or musical; pleasant to hear : the voice was mellifluous and smooth.
- Peculator
- someone who violates a trust by taking (money) for their own use
- Pecuniary
- relating to or involving money
- Fratricidal
- denoting strife within a single family or organization
- Metonymy
- substituting the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself (as in 'they counted heads')
- Rabid
- Affected with rabies or hydrophobia.
- Feign
- make believe with the intent to deceive
- Providence
- the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power
- Contempt
- the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn : he showed his contempt for his job by doing it very badly.
- Inculpate
- suggest that someone is guilty
- Subjugation
- the act of conquering
- Pare
- decrease gradually or bit by bit
- Regression
- returning to a former state
- Totalitarian
- of or relating to a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state : a totalitarian regime.
- Filial
- of or due from a son or daughter : a display of filial affection.
- Sublime
- inspiring awe
- Dullard
- a person who is not very bright
- Pathology
- the branch of medical science that studies the causes and nature and effects of diseases
- Banter
- be silly or tease one another
- Repulse
- force or drive back
- Citadels
- strong central fortress
- Rickshaw
- a small two-wheeled cart for one passenger
- Exigency
- a pressing or urgent situation
- Alderman
- elected member of a council
- Sartorial
- of or relating to a tailor or to tailoring
- Amalgam
- a combination or blend of diverse things
- Wheedle
- cajole
- Absolutism
- the acceptance of or belief in absolute principles in political, philosophical, ethical, or theological matters.
- Debauch
- destroy or debase the moral purity of; corrupt.
- Languor
- the state or feeling, often pleasant, of tiredness or inertia : he remembered the languor and warm happiness of those golden afternoons.
- Regnant
- reigning; predominant; widespread
- Sunder
- to split apart
- Vain
- characteristic of false pride
- Narcissism
- an exceptional interest in and admiration for yourself
- Macabre
- disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury : a macabre series of murders.
- Requiem
- a Mass celebrated for the dead
- Isthmus
- a narrow band of tissue connecting two larger parts of an anatomical structure
- Dissemble
- conceal one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs
- Nepotism
- favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)
- Prophetic
- accurately describing or predicting what will happen in the future
- Dissension
- disagreement among those expected to cooperate
- Execrate
- feel or express great loathing for
- Colloquy
- a conversation
- Dilating
- make more open
- Propitiate
- make peace with
- Vernacular
- the everyday speech of the people (as distinguished from literary language)
- Redouble
- make bigger
- Scud
- the act of moving along swiftly (as before a gale)
- Ontology
- the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being.
- Gird
- prepare oneself for a military confrontation
- Abattoir
- a slaughterhouse
- Abeyance
- temporary cessation or suspension
- Torrid
- emotionally charged and vigorously energetic
- Intrigue
- a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends
- Assail
- attack someone physically or emotionally
- Smarmy
- ingratiating and wheedling in a way that is perceived as insincere or excessive : a smarmy, unctuous reply.
- Sonorous
- imposingly deep and full
- Disenfranchised
- deprived of the rights of citizenship; especially the right to vote
- Transgression
- the action of going beyond or overstepping some boundary or limit
- Enjoin
- instruct or urge (someone) to do something
- Incantatory
- derivative of incantation
- Fetid
- stinking
- Funerary
- relating to a funeral or the commemoration of the dead : funerary ceremonies.
- Archly
- with playful slyness or roguishness
- Ambit
- the scope of something : within the ambit of federal law.
- Syncopate
- displace the beats or accents in (music or a rhythm) so that strong beats 2. 2 shorten (a word) by dropping sounds or letters in the middle, as in symbology for symbolology, or Gloster for Gloucester.become weak and vice versa : syncopated dance music.
- Fomenting
- instigate or stir up (an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action)
- Temerity
- fearless daring
- Avuncular
- of or relating to an uncle.
- Bucolic
- of or relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life
- Actuated
- moved to action
- Olio
- a miscellaneous collection of things
- Impertinent
- rude
- Chasm
- a deep opening in the earth's surface
- Augur
- indicate by signs
- Warren
- an overcrowded residential area; labyrinthine
- Paean
- a formal expression of praise
- Astringent
- sour or bitter in taste
- Amortizing
- reduce or extinguish (a debt) by money regularly put aside
- Xenogamy
- fertilization of a flower by pollen from a flower on a genetically different plant
- Crassest
- So crude and unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination and sensibility.
- August
- Inspiring awe or admiration; majestic: the august presence of the monarch.
- Bifurcation
- the division of something into two branches or parts : the bifurcation of the profession into social do-gooders and self-serving iconoclasts.
- Penance
- voluntary self punishment
- Gallivant
- wander aimlessly in search of pleasure
- Fiat
- a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge)
- Oligarchy
- a political system governed by a few people
- Vanguard
- the position of greatest advancement
- Catechism
- an elementary book summarizing the principles of a Christian religion
- Quixotic
- exceedingly idealistic
- Obtrusive
- noticeable or prominent in an unwelcome or intrusive way
- Broadside
- an advertisement (usually printed on a page or in a leaflet) intended for wide distribution
- Incant
- chant or intone : priests were incanting psalms around her body
- Insouciant
- casual lack of concern; indifference
- Tempestuous
- (of the elements) as if showing violent anger
- Erstwhile
- former
- Begot
- produce as an effect
- Plutocracy
- a political system governed by the wealthy people
- Abash
- cause to feel embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed : she was not abashed at being caught.
- Rhetoric
- use OAD
- Augured
- tell the future
- Vertiginous
- having or causing a whirling sensation
- Reverie
- absent-minded dreaming while awake
- Gallant
- chivalrous; (of man or his behavior) courteous toward women
- Effluvia
- an unpleasant or harmful odor, secretion, or discharge
- Vogue
- the popular taste at a given time
- Solvent
- capable of meeting financial obligations
- Quotidian
- everyday; commonplace
- Efficacy
- capacity or power to produce a desired effect
- Sovereign
- greatest in status or authority or power
- Ingratiate
- To win confidence or good graces for oneself.
- Tacit
- understood or implied without being stated
- Debutante
- a young woman making her debut into society
- Prelude
- something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows
- Availed
- made use of
- Ancillary
- serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary; N.
- Sordid
- unethical or dishonest
- Protract
- lengthen in time
- Effervescent
- (of a liquid) giving off bubbles. Or being vivacious.
- Lascivious
- driven by lust
- Canard
- an unfounded rumor or story
- Conflate
- mix together different elements
- Repute
- the state of being held in high esteem and honor;be generally said or believed to do something or to have particular characteristics
- Recompense
- compensate
- Theocracy
- the belief in government by divine guidance
- Impertinence
- not showing proper respect; rude : an impertinent question.
- Halcyon
- marked by peace and prosperity
- Vain
- via Old French from Latin vanus 'empty, without substance.'