80 Vocabulary Words and Definitions for 11th grade English

1. English III HonorsVocabulary Lesson 4 Plus Vocabulary Cumulative Review (Lessons 1-4) September 21, 2009 Ms. Barletta cbarleta@dphds.org

2. Vocabulary Lesson 4 1. celibate (adj.): abstaining from intercourse HINT: 2. fortuitous (adj.): happening by chance or accident HINT: Fortune 3. recapitulate (v.): to summarize; repeat briefly HINT: Recap 4. perfunctory (adj.): done without care; in a routine fashion HINT: Function 5. baroque (adj.): overly decorated You might go broke if you decorate your home in a baroque style.

3. 6. hedonism (n.): pursuit of pleasure, especially of the senses HINT: Heathen 7. obloquy (n.): strong disapproval; a bad reputation resulting from public criticism HINT: 8. debacle (n.): a complete failure; a total collapse HINT: Buckle 9. quasi- (adj.): resembling; seeming; half HINT: 10. besmirch (v.): to make dirty; to stain HINT: Smudge

4. 11. imperative (adj.): extremely necessary; vitally important HINT: 12. sacrosanct (adj.): extremely holy HINT: Sacrament 13. sadistic (adj.): deriving pleasure from inflicting pain on others HINT: It is sad to think that there are sadistic people in the world. 14. demeanor (n.): behavior; manner of conducting oneself HINT: manner; mean or… 15. facetious (adj.): comical; jocular; flippant HINT: Funny face

5. Vocabulary Lesson 4 Extra Words 16. exuberance (n.): joyful; enthusiasm; overflowing abundance 17. anomaly (n.): an irregularity HINT: a=not; normal 18. trifling (adj.): trivial; unimportant 19. avarice (n.): greediness for wealth HINT: vice 20. hedonist (n.): one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life

6. Vocabulary Review: Lessons 1-3 Lesson 1 1. Factious (adj.): causing disagreement HINT: Facts 2. Ignoble (adj.): dishonorable; shameful HINT: 3. Boor (n.): a rude or impolite person HINT: Boar (like the animal); bore (if you tell someone that they are boring, you’re being boorish) 4. Aegis (n.): a shield; protection HINT:

7. 5. Perspicacity (n.): keenness of judgment HINT: Perspective 6. Fervent (adj.): eager; earnest HINT: Fever 7.Rectify (v.): to correct; to make right HINT: Correct 8. Enervate (v.): to weaken HINT:Nerve 9.Besiege (v.): to overwhelm; to surround and attack HINT: Seize; under siege

8. 10. Ephemeral (adj.): lasting only a brief time; short-lived HINT: 11. Altruism (n.): a concern for others; generosity Hint: All true 12. Carrion (n.): decaying flesh HINT: 13. Erotic (adj.): pertaining to sexual love HINT: 14. Amorphous (adj.): shapeless; formless; vague HINT: A= not; morph=shape 15.Opulent (adj.): rich; luxurious; wealthy HINT: Opals, opera

9. Vocabulary Lesson 1 Extra Words 16. coalesce (v.) to combine; fuse HINT: 17. colloquial (adj.) pertaining to conversational or common speech HINT: Call 18. aversion (n.) firm dislike HINT: You might not like a different version of something 19. impudence (n.): impertinence; insolence the act of being rude and disrespectful HINT: 20. polemical (adj.): aggressive in verbal attack HINT: mimic

10. Vocabulary Lesson 2 Review 1. Impotent (adj.): powerless; lacking strength HINT: im=not; potent=powerful 2. Antithesis (noun): an exact opposite HINT: Anti=against; thesis=statement 3. Maelstrom (noun): whirlpool; turbulence HINT: Mal=bad; storm 4. Emendation (noun): correction HINT: Mend=fix; repair 5. Chagrin (noun): embarrassment HINT: grin and bare it

11. 6. Bauble (noun): showy but useless thing HINT: Bubble 7. Diaphanous (adj.): very sheer and light HINT: 8. Labyrinth (noun): complicated network of winding passages HINT: 9. Gloat (verb): to look at or think about with great satisfaction HINT: 10. Impediment (noun): a barrier HINT:

12. 11. Bestial (adj.) savage; brutal HINT: Beast 12. Effete (adj.) worn out; barren HINT: The effect on standing on your feet all day might leave you feeling effete. 13. Shard (noun): a fragment HINT: 14. Bland (adj.) mild; tasteless; dull HINT: 15. Nihilism (noun): a total rejection of established laws HINT:

13. 16. Conflagration (noun): great fire HINT: flagrant 17. Querulous (adj.) complaining ; fretful HINT: query 18. Obscure (adj.) indistinct; not easily understood 19. Jocular (noun): said or done in jest HINT: joke 20. Dissent (verb): to disagree HINT: diss

14. Vocabulary Lesson 3 Review 1. pedestrian (adj.): ordinary or dull HINT: To be a pedestrian is pedestrian since most people can walk. 2. bonafide(adj.): in good faith HINT: Bueno=good; fidelity=faithfulness 3. adventitious (adj.): accidental ; nonessential HINT: Some adventures are not planned, but adventitious. 4. fecund (adj.) fertile, productive HINT: 5. deviate (v.) to turn aside from a course; to stray HINT:

15. 6. obfuscate(v.): to confuse; to bewilder HINT: confuse 7. impale (v.): to pierce with a sharp stake through the body HINT: If you impalesomeone, they will become paleand cease to exist. 8. extenuate (v.): to lessen seriousness by providing partial excuses HINT: extend; extension 9. parochial (adj.): local ; narrow; limited HINT: Parochial parishes contain limited religious views 10. glower (v.): to stare angrily HINT: Ouch! That woman glowered at me when she saw that I was the owner of the car that hit her brand new Mercedes.

16. 11. edify (v.): to improve someone morally HINT: educate; rectify 12. ambiguous (adj.): open to more than one interpretation HINT: 13. cataclysm (n.): a violent change HINT: 14. optimum (adj.) best; most favorable; ideal HINT: optima; optimal 15. importune (v.) to beg HINT: important; tune

17. Vocabulary Lesson 3 Extra Words 16. quiescence (n.): state of being at rest HINT: 17. truncate (v.): to shorten; cut the top off HINT: 18. disinclination (n.): reluctance; unwillingness to do something HINT: 19. prodigal (adj.): wasteful; reckless with money HINT: prodigal son 20. incite (v.) to prompt into action HINT: if someone is insightful about saving the environment, they might incite others to recycle and purchase “green products.”