English Vocabulary #4

Posterity n.

1. All of a person's descendants 2. All succeeding generations I want to be remembered in _______________ for all the good I've done in my life.

Acquisition n.

1. An acquiring 2. Something acquired With all his new _________________s, Harvey is in dire need of good insurance.

Aversion n.

1. An intense dislike 2. The object arousing this dislike "I have an _____________ to hard work," said the lazy man. "I much prefer to lie around all day."

Squalid adj

1. Foul or unclean 2. Wretched The children were removed from the __________ home and placed in foster care until their parents cleaned up their mess.

Vagabond adj.

1. Wandering 2. Living a drifting or irresponsible life; shiftless n. 1. One who wanders from place to place 2. A wandering beggar 3. An idle or shiftless person Pauline chose to live a __________________ life and never stayed anywhere longer than three months.

Mendicant n.

A beggar 2. A mendicant friar The _______________s outside the King's palace hoped he would throw them some coins from the balcony.

Approbation n.

Approval We showed our ________________ for Justin Bieber by cheering wildly and stamping our feet when he came on stage.

Reverie n.

Daydreaming or a daydream Lost in a _____________, I almost drove my car off the road.

Contrite adj.

Deeply sorry for having done wrong; repentant Esmerelda was deeply ______________ for having hurt her sister's feelings, and she spent the rest of the evening trying to make it up to her.

Magnanimity n.

Generosity in overlooking injury or insult; nobility The Queen's ________________ in dealing with the would-be assassin impressed us all. Rather than sentencing him to death, she pardoned him.

Stoic adj.

Impassive; showing indifference to pain, joy, grief, or pleasure The widow was __________ during her husband's funeral, but she broke down once she returned home and cried for hours.

Cumulative adj.

Increasing in effect, size, etc. by successive additions The _______________ impact of heavy drinking on the liver is severe, and can actually kill you.

Impertinence n.

Insolence, impudence Douglas's ___________________ to the teacher got him sent to detention.

Sycophant n.

One who seeks favor by flattering people of wealth or influence Some rulers like to surround themselves with _______________s who only tell them what they want to hear; other rulers prefer advisors who will actually help them make good decisions.

Trifle n.

Something of little value or importance v. 1.To talk or act jokingly 2. To toy (with) The burglars made off with only _________s, but we were sad to lose our things nonetheless. "Don't ___________ with me," Mr. Darcy says to Elizabeth. "If your feelings have changed, tell me now or I will be silent on the subject forever."

Intuition n.

The immediate knowing of something without the conscious use of reasoning "Follow your _____________ if you feel as though you're in danger," the self-defense instructor told us. "Don't go off with someone if you don't feel good about it."

Endeavor v.

To make an earnest attempt; try "We must _______________ to do our best to defeat the enemy," said the General. "If we try hard, we will conquer!"

Profane adj.

adj. 1. Not connected with religion; secular 2. Showing disrespect or contempt for sacred things v. 1. To treat (sacred things) with irreverence or contempt 2. To debase; defile Larry's use of ____________ language in his essay on Jesus seemed entirely inappropriate.

Affront n. or v.

n. An open insult v. To insult openly I consider your dislike of Justin Bieber to be an ____________ to my character. Anyone who doesn't like him has me to contend with.

Reprimand v. or n.

v. To rebuke formally or severely n. A severe or formal rebuke The parents _______________ed their toddler for throwing a tantrum in the middle of the airport.