English Grade 12, Vocabulary Unit 11

inexorable

relentless; inflexible In ancient Greek tragedies, the characters could not escape their inexorable fates. ant: avoidable

asperity

severity, bitterness (not in food ) The asperity of the critic's review made the actor depressed. ant: mildness

rudiments

the basics You must learn the rudiments of rock climbing in a gym before tackling a mountain.

necromancer

a magician or wizard Merlin was King Arthur's necromancer

cabal

a small group, working in secret. The members of the cabal were followed by secret agents.

onerous

burdensome For many students, writing a research paper is an onerous task. ant: easy

rife

common; prevalent Texting while driving is rife, despite its dangers. ant: lacking

ambient

completely surrounding The new filtering system is capable of cleaning and deodorizing the ambient air.

detritus

debris or wreckage resulting from wear or destruction. The biggest challenge after the earthquake was disposing of all of the detritus.

delectable

delightful; deliciously flavored My grandmother used to make this delectable dessert with peaches, raspberries, and whipped cream. ant: repulsive; distasteful

eclectic

drawn from different sources He has an eclectic taste in music, ranging from country to hip-hop. ant: uniform

moribund

dying Writing letters is a moribund form of communication. ant: thriving

impecunious

having little or no money In my impecunious state, I can't go out to dinner. ant: affluent; wealthy

flaccid

limp, lacking vigor His muscles grew flaccid while he was in a body cast. ant: solid

ebullient

overflowing with enthusiasms She was ebullient when she got her first job after college. ant: gloomy; sullen

deprecate

to express disapproval; to belittle She deprecated my ideas at every team meeting. ant: approve

winnow

to get rid of something unwanted. You must edit your essay and winnow any grammatical mistakes.

burnish

to polish We burnished the antique lamp until it looked new again. ant: tarnish; dull

abrogate

to repeal or cancel The United States often abrogated the treaties they had made with the native americans. ant: renew, affirm

sequester

to set apart The jury was sequestered because of the public nature of the trial.