English 9 Final
The Rivers School Honors English 9 Final 2008
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- durable
- adj. lasting a long time; resisting wear and decay
- vertigo
- n. dizziness
- cliché
- n. expression or idea that is stale from overuse
- exonerate
- v. free from blame
- melancholy
- adj. sad, gloomy, depressed; n. sadness, gloom, depression
- derogatory
- adj. tending to make a person or thing seem lower or of less value; belittling; negative; discrediting
- insensitivity
- n. inability to be affected by; lack of sensitivity
- pecuniary
- adj. relating to money
- admonish
- v. warn, advise, or criticize to correct a fault
- abominable
- adj. utterly disgusting or hateful
- limbo
- n. place or state of neglect; period awaiting change; in-between state
- matriarch
- n. woman who rules a family, clan, tribe, or group
- pittance
- n. small amount or portion, especially of money
- gullible
- adj. easily deceived, tricked, cheated
- conjugal
- adj. of marriage; pertaining to the relationship between husband and wife
- precedent
- n. something said or done earlier that serves as an example or justification
- hierarchy
- n. person or things arranged in a graded series or rank
- divert
- v. turn aside from a purpose, course, path; distract; amuse
- fathom
- v. understand, figure out, penetrate the meaning of
- jurisdiction
- n. legal authority, especially in regard to its range or extent
- sanguine
- adj. cheerful, confident, hopeful
- accolade
- n. high praise, award, honor
- concede
- v. grant or admit as true or right; yield, give up
- anarchy
- n. absence of government or law; confusion, disorder
- fatal
- adj. causing or capable of causing death and destruction
- stymie
- v. block, hinder, frustrate
- venerate
- v. regard with great respect
- sycophant
- n. sickeningly humble self-seeking flatterer
- avert
- v. turn away; prevent
- pedigree
- n. ancestry or record of ancestry, line of descent
- dissension
- n. strong disagreement, quarreling
- indict
- v. accuse of a crime, especially to put a subject on trial after being accused of a crime
- bacchanal, bacchanalia
- n. wild, drunken party
- somnolent
- adj. sleepy, drowsy; causing sleep
- monarch
- n. ruler of person who holds a dominant position, especially a hereditary ruler like a king, queen, emperor or sultan
- endure
- v. exist, last; bear, put up with patiently
- recede
- v. move backward; slope or slant backward
- despotic
- adj. tyrannical, oppressive
- bombast
- n. speech or writing that sounds grand or important but has little meaning
- maverick
- n. independent person
- patriarch
- n. father or leader of a family or group; dignified old man
- adamant
- adj. unyielding, inflexible, definite
- sententious
- adj. concise and full of meaning; using or full of proverbs and old sayings in a self-important, high-sounding, or boring way
- intercede
- v. ask or plead for another; help settle a dispute or bring about an agreement between differing parties
- malediction
- n. curse
- stentorian
- adj. very loud
- abrogate
- v. abolish, repeal, cancel, legally do away with
- tawdry
- adj. showy and cheap
- obdurate
- adj. stubborn, unyielding, hardhearted
- irony
- n. expression that means the opposite of what is stated; event or result the opposite of what is expected
- anachronism
- n. something out of its proper historical time; error of putting something in the wrong historical time
- choleric
- adj. easily angered; grouchy; quick-tempered
- disparage
- v. refer to something as having little importance; speak slightingly of
- insensible
- adj. unable to feel; unaware; unconscious
- malapropism
- n. ridiculous or humorous misuse of words
- hedonist
- n. one who lives only for pleasure
- banal
- adj. ordinary, uninteresting, pointless
- impecunious
- adj. having little or no money; poor
- sadistic
- adj. getting pleasure from hurting others
- effete
- adj. worn-out, unproductive, barren
- assent
- n. agreement; v. agree
- plagiarize
- v. use ideas or writings of another and present them as one's own
- subvert
- v. overthrow (something established; undermine)
- homage
- n. action showing respect and honor
- mnemonic
- adj. assisting memory
- alleviate
- v. relieve; lessen or make more bearable (pain, evil, suffering)
- tribulation
- n. great suffering, misery, or distress
- paradox
- n. seemingly self-contradictory statement (possibly true), condition, or person
- serendipity
- n. ability to make lucky discoveries by chance or accident
- penitent
- adj. feeling sorry and willing to atone or make up for sin or wrongdoing
- bellwether
- n. leader
- hyperbole
- n. obviously extravagant statement or assertion
- vindicate
- v. clear from blame, charges, criticism; justify
- nonchalant
- adj. casually unconcerned
- secede
- v. withdraw formally form membership, especially from a political or religious association
- charlatan
- n. deceiver who falsely claims to have knowledge or skill; impostor
- preposterous
- adj. ridiculous, obviously absurd, contrary to reason
- diabolic
- adj. outrageously wicked; cruel; devilish
- duress
- n. force or threats to make someone do something
- ominous
- adj. threatening; suggestive of future evil
- desultory
- adj. random, unmethodical, aimless
- sentiment
- n. feeling or opinion
- chimerical
- adj. given to wildly impossible plans, unrealistic, fantastic, impractical
- Spartan
- adj. severe, rigorous, disciplined
- guile
- n. deceit, treachery
- iridescent
- adj. showing rainbow-like colors
- presentiment
- n. vague expectation or feeling of something about to happen
- nihilist
- n. one who rejects all religious, moral, and traditional values, practices, and institutions
- arrogant
- adj. showing an excessive and unpleasant sense of superiority; overbearingly proud; haughty
- spurn
- v. scornfully refuse or reject
- titanic
- adj. enormous in size or strength
- consensus
- n. general agreement, majority opinion, harmony
- urbane
- adj. sophisticated, smooth, polite, polished in manner
- esoteric
- adj. known or understood only be a select few
- vegetate
- v. lead a dull, inactive, useless life
- interrogate
- v. question formally, closely, systematically
- cajole
- v. persuade by flattery, promises, pleasant or misleading words
- prerogative
- n. exclusive or special right or privilege
- gadfly
- n. person who continually annoys others
- nefarious
- adj. extremely wicked
- duration
- n. time something lasts or continues
- diction
- n. stye or choice of words, especially in regard to pronunciation
- pariah
- n. social outcast
- sensual
- adj. enjoying bodily pleasures; pertaining to the body and the senses rather than the mind or spirit
- trite
- adj. uninteresting because of overuse; lacking originality and freshness
- farce
- n. ridiculous, light comedy; slapstick comedy; absurd thing; mockery
- asinine
- adj. stupid or silly
- diatribe
- n. violent, angry, bitter attack in words
- draconian
- adj. severe, harsh, cruel
- edict
- n. public command or order by one in high authority; decree
- revert
- v. return to a former condition
- dissent
- n. disagreement; v. disagree
- vindictive
- adj. revengeful
- undermine
- v. weaken gradually; injure or destroy secretly or underhandedly; dig beneath or wear away from under
- Achilles' heel
- n. weak point
- plummet
- v. fall rapidly straight down
- phlegmatic
- adj. sluggish, not easily excited
- pragmatic
- adj. practical
- dunce
- n. stupid person
- macabre
- adj. gruesome, horrible, causing fear, suggesting the horror of death