English Vocab Set 1

enervate

vb; to weaken;to deprive of force or strength

impervious

adj: not able to be injured, penetrated, or influenced; immune

arbitrary

adj: seemingly random; changing based on an individual's whims

coalesce

vb: to blend or come together; to unite

diatribe

n: an angry rant; a bitter or abusive criticism

credulous

adj: willing to believe or trust too easily; gullible

frugal

adj: careful and wise with money; thrifty

pragmatic

adj: practical; focused on the obvious, visible results or reasons

malleable

adj: easily changed, shaped, or influenced

obstinate

adj: stubborn

innocuous

adj: harmless, non-threatening

permeate

vb: to spread or flow through out [something]

opaque

adj: non-transparent; not allowing light to pass through (can't see through)
could also be taken into a non-literal account

ardor

n: great warmth of feeling; passion; love; devotion

lassitude

n: weariness of mind or body; lack of energy

cacophony

n: a harsh, unpleasant mixture of sounds

deference

n: respectfully yielding to another's wishes or opinions; courtesy; respect

imperturbable

adj: not easily upset or excited; calm

veracity

n: truthfulness

homogeneous

adj: made up entirely of similar parts or elements; lacking variety; not diverse
(could be used to describe a character, thing, or book)

exculpate

vb: to clear from fault or guilt; to remove blame

pervade

vb: to become spread through out all parts of sometheing; to permeate

onerous

adj: causing hardship; burdensome; oppressive; troublesome

gregarious

adj: social; outgoing; liking to be around other people

fervid

passionate; enthusiastic

tirade

n: a long, angry rant

fanatical

adj: motivated by an extreme, unbending passion or enthusiasm (especially in religion or politics)

alacrity

n: cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness; liveliness; briskness

impetuous

adj: acting on the first impulse that strikes you; spontaneous; impulsive; rash

ostentatious

adj: showy; displaying wealth or importance in an attempt to impress others

attentuate

vb: to weaken; to reduce in number and strength

proliferate

vb: to spread rapidly; to become widespread; to increase in number rapidly and extensively

implacable

adj: unwilling to be calmed or pacified; unchangeable; stubborn or persistent

diffident

adj: timid; shy; lacking confidence

ephemeral

adj: temporary; lasting a very short time; short-lived

banal

adj: ordinary; common; unoriginal

rarefied

adj: very special; elite; belonging to, or appealing to, an exclusive group

stigma

n: a mark of disgrace or shame on someone's (or something's) reputation

quiescent

adj: at rest; still; inactive or motionless

mitigate

vb: to make less severe; to lesson in force or intensity

eloquent

adj: using effective, moving, carefully chosen words when speaks or writing

amalgamate

vb: to combine many parts into one; to blend

efficacy

n: effectiveness

prudence

n: good judgment

whimsical

adj: light-hearted or amusing; playful; fanciful

abscond

vb: to depart in a sudden or secret manner; to slip away guiltily

repudiate

vb; to reject with disapproval or condemnation; to refuse to have anything to do with (something)

fortuitous

adj: lucky; fortunate

precipitate

vb: to cause; to lead to (something)

satiate

vb: to satisfy fully

dilate

vb: to expand; to grow wider

occlude

vb: to block; to close off or obstruct

explicit

adj: fully and clearly expressed; leaving no room for misunderstanding

philanthropy

n: the practice of giving charitable donations; devoting one's life to charity

assuage

vb: to relieve; to ease; to mitigate

garrulous

adj; excessively talkative; wordy

inundate

vb: to overwhelm; to overfill or flood with something

austere

adj: severely simple or plain; without luxury or excess

vacillate

vb: to be indecisive; to constantly change your mind

crescendo

n: a steady increase in force, intensity, or volume

analogous

adj: similar

propriety

n: correct, appropriate behavior

estimable

adj: worthy of respect; admirable

anomaly

n: something out of he ordinary; an unusual occurrence

circumspect

adj: cautious; careful; prudent; aware

arbitrate

vb: to settle a dispute between 2 parties

proclivity

n: a natural inclination or tendancy(usually towards something bad); a habit

ebullient

adj: enthusiastic; overflowing with joy or approval

quixotic

adj: unrealistic; impractical

dilettante

n: a person who dabbles in a subject without seriously studying it; an amateur

abashed

adj: ashamed or embarrassed

facile

adj: simplistic; lacking depth or effort

hackneyed

adj: made stale through overuse; played out; trite

iconoclast

n: a person who attacks or makes fun of cherished beliefs or traditions

laconic

adj: brief and to the point; concise; terse

maladroit

adj: unskilled; clumsy; awkward

nadir

n: the lowest point; point of great difficulty or despair

obdurate

adj: stubborn; unyielding; unmoved by persuasion, pity or tender feelings

rancor

n: hatred, resentment, ill will

ubiquitous

adj: being or seeming to be everywhere; widespread

sagacity

n: wisdom; intelligence; shrewdness

taciturn

adj: inclined to silence; reseerved in speech; reluctant to join in conversatiom

aberrant

adj: deviating from what is normal; abnormal; unusual

cajole

to persuade someone, or obtain something, by flattery or pleasing; to coax

eclectic

adj: made up of elements from a variety of sources or styles

fallacious

adj:deceptive; misleading; logically unsound

gauche

adj:lacking social grace; crude; tactless; awkward

dauntless

adj: fearless; bold; not easily antimidated

disdain

vb: to strongly dislike; to look upon with scorn
n: strong disloke for someone or something

ignominy

n: disgrace; shame

assiduous

adj: hard working; showing constant effort

perspicacity

n: understanding or intelligence; keen perception

malaise

n: a vaque feeling of illness, depression, or weakness

nebulous

adj: lacking definite forms or limits; vague

obfuscate

vb: to make something unclear or vaque; to make something confusing

palpable

adj: obvious, easily noticed or perceived; obviously present

rankle

vb: to cause irritation or resentment; to annoy

salacious

adj: highly sexual; lustful; lecherous

wanton

adj: evil; one without justification; malicious; unprovoked

debacle

n: a complete failure; a total collapse