Sadlier-Oxford Vocab Level H - Unit 6

iconoclastic

(adjective) attacking or seeking to overthrow popular or traditional beliefs, ideas, or institutions

saturnalian

(adjective) characterized by riotous or unrestrained revelry or licentiousness

salubrious

(adjective) conducive to health or well-being; wholesome

maudlin

(adjective) excessively or effusively sentimental

abortive

(adjective) failing to accomplish an intended aim or purpose; only partially or imperfectly developed

waggish

(adjective) fond of making jokes; characteristic of a joker; playfully humorous or droll

portentous

(adjective) foreshadowing an event to come; causing wonder or awe; self-conciously weighty, pompous

contumelious

(adjective) insolent or rude in speech or behavior; insultingly abusive; humiliating

maladroit

(adjective) lacking in skill or dexterity; lacking tact, perception, or judgment

internecine

(adjective) mutually destructive; characterized by great slaughter and bloodshed

traumatic

(adjective) so shocking to the emotions as to cause lasting and substantial psychological damage

in media res

(adverb) in or into the middle of a plot; into the middle of things

touchstone

(noun) a means of testing worth or genuineness

dictum

(noun) a short saying; an authoritative statement

prescience

(noun) knowledge of events or actions before they happen; foresight

quid pro quo

(noun) something given in exchange or return for something else

modulate

(verb) to change or vary the intensity or pitch; to temper or soften; to regulate, adjust

ensconce

(verb) to settle comfortably and firmly in position; to put or hide in a safe place

bruit

(verb) to spread the news, reports, or unsubstantiated rumors

vitiate

(verb) to weaken, debase, or corrupt; to impair the quality or value of