Vocab Words 2nd Semester

bestial

beastlike

embellish

to decorate

furtive

done slyly or stealthily

indigent

needy

inordinate

far too great

misanthrope

a person who hates or despises people

echelon

one of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity

exacerbate

to make more violent

irrefutable

impossible to disprove

lackadaisical

lacking spirit or interest

paucity

a scarcity

raze

to tear down, destroy completely

bucolic

characteristics of the countryside

increment

an enlargement

paltry

insignificant

redolent

smelling strongly

unremitting

not stopping

vacillate

to swing indecisively from one idea to another

askance

with suspicion, distrust

benign

gentle, kind

decimate

to kill or destroy a large part of

forgo

to do without

obsequious

excessively submissive

penitent

regretful for one's sins or mistakes

sporadic

occurring at irregular intervals

cabal

a small group working in secret

delectable

delightful

detritus

loose bits and pieces of material

moribund

dying, on the way out

onerous

burdensome

sequester

to set apart

winnow

to get rid of something unwanted

aesthetic

pertaining to beauty

defunct

no longer in existence or functioning

hapless

marked by persistent absence of good luck

irreparable

incapable of being repaired

languish

to become week, feeble, or dull

plaintive

expressive of sorrow or woe

tantamount

equivalent, having the same meaning

abstruse

extremely difficult to understand

cognizant

aware, knowledgeable

engender

to bring into existence

ethereal

light airy, delicate

ghoulish

revolting in an unnatural or morbid way

incongruous

incompatible

mesmerize

to hypnotize, entrance

beatific

blissful

behemoth

a creature of enormous size, power, or appearance

cacophonous

harsh-sounding

euphemism

a mild or inoffensive expression used in place of a harsh or unpleasant one

imminent

about to happen, threatening

manifest

clear, evident to the eyes or mind

pariah

one who is rejected by a social group or organization

dissidence

a difference of opinion

inviolable

sacred

mutable

open to or capable of change

pillory

a device for publicly punishing offenders

presage

to foreshadow or point to a future event

restive

restless, hard to manage

subsist

to have existence; to remain alive