Vocabulary 11
Wanton- adjective
(Of cruel or vilolent action) deliberate and unprovoked. (Especially of women) promiscuous, sexually immodest. Without check or limitation. Etymology- prefix: was- lacking( like un-) Root: from OE "towen" to train or discipline Syn- outrageous, lewd, unjustified Ant- righteous, reasonable, moral Rel form- Noun: wanton, wantonness Adverb: wantonly Sentence: Oscars wanton disregard for others was obvious when he drove him drunk.
Bane- noun
A cause of Great distress or annoyance Etymology- Root:bana killer, slayer, murderer Syn- affliction, burden, curse Ant- advantage, benefit Rel forms- adj: baneful, adverb: banefully Sentence: since loneliness can be the bane of old age, it is important to maintain friendships and family connections as we grow older.
Epitaph- noun
A phrase or statement written in memory of a person who has died, especially on a tombstone Etymology- epi- "at,over" root: Latin taphos "tomb, funeral rites" Syn- engraving, elegy Sentence: The epitaph on Roger's headstone is blank because his wife could think of nothing nice to say about him.
Forte- noun
A thing at which someone excels Etymology- Root: from French fort "strong point (of a sword blade) Syn- strength, specialty, talent Ant- weakness Rel forms: adjective- forte We'd fams: fortulous, fortissimo, forthcoming, forthright, forthwith Sentence: Flawlessly maneuvering the double-diamond slope at the ski resort provided that snowboarding was definitely my forte.
Aesthetic- adj and noun
Adj- concerned with beauty; the appreciation of beauty. Noun- a set of principles guiding the work of an artistic movement Ety- Root: from Greek aidthetikos "of or for perceptive," of things Syn- adj: attractive, beautiful Ant- adj: hideous ugly Rel form- verb: aestheticize, noun: aesthetete, aestheticism, aesthetician Sentence: since Dominique has a strong aesthetic sense, we have decided to hire her as our interior designer.
Beguile- verb
Charm or enchant(someone), sometimes in a deceptive way. Etymology- prefix:"be"- thoroughly, Root: old French "guile" decieit, fraud Syn- deceive, enchant, mislead Ant- repulse, disenchant Rel forms- noun: beguilement, beguiler Adj: unbeguiled Word fam- befriend, befuddled Sentence: because the were beguiled by the sales and flashed displays, the costumers purchased more than they were expecting.
Craven- adj and noun
Def- (Adj) contemptibly lacking in courage, cowardly. (Noun) a cowardly person Ety- Root: old French cravent "defeated, beaten" Syn- cowardly, lily- livered, spineless Ant- brave, courageous, daring Rel forms- noun: cravenness, adv: cravenly Sentence- The craven soldier deserted his post and ran away from the battle.
Lampoon- verb and noun
Def- (Vern) to publicly criticize (someone or someone) using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm. (Noun)- A speech or text lampooning someone. Syn- noun: satire, verb: mock Rel forms: lampooner Sentence: Because Freddy posted an uncomplimentary lampoon of his boss on his Facebook page, he soon found himself looking for new employment.
Debilitating- adjective
Def- (of a disease or condition) making someone very weak and infirm. Tending to weaken something. Etymology- prefix: de- away Root: -bills "strength" from PIE root "bel- "strong" Suffix: -ing results of an action Syn- weaken, deplete Ant- strengthen, invigorate Rel forms- verb: debilitate, noun: delibitation, adverb: debilitatingly Sentence: several dogs are now in clinical testing to determine whether they are reduce or eliminate the debilitating nausea suffered by cancer patients on chemotherapy.
Ostentatious- adj
Def- Characterized by a vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract attention. Ety- Root: from Latinostentationem "showing exhibition, Bain display" Suffix: -our "having, full of, having to do with" Syn- flamboyant, flashy, garish Ant- conservative, quite, understand Rel forms- noun: ostentatiousness, adverb: ostentatiously Sentence: My wealthy ain't who enjoys flaunting her wealth always wears an ostentatious diamond necklace.
Docile- adjective
Def- Ready to accept control or instruction; submissive Etymology- Toot: from Latin docility "easily taught" Syn- complaint, cooperative Ant- obstinate, inflexible, stubborn Rel forms- noun: docility Word fams- docent, doctor Sentence: although the lion appears docile during the circus acts, he is really a fierce animal when uncontrolled by a trainer.
Guile- noun
Def- Sly or cunning intelligence Etymology- Root: from old French guile "deceit, wile, fraud" Syn- trickery, craftiness, deception Ant- frothfrighness, honesty, truthfulness Rel forms- noun: guilery, guilor, gullelessness. Adj- guileful, guileless. Adv- guilefully Word fams- beguile Sentence: the crafty captive used al of her guile and guts to escape from her confinement.
Hew-verb
Def- To chip or cut (something, especially wood) with an ax or other tool. Etymology- Root: Old English heaven "to chop,back,gash, strike with a cutting, weapon or tool" Syn- Chip, Hack, Lop, Ax Rel Forms- noun: hewer, adjective: hewn Sentence: The jeweler has tools the allow him to hew precious stones sothey will fit in specific ring bases.
Proscribe- verb
Def- To forbid, especially by law or to denounce or condemn Ety- prefix: pro- "in front of" or "before" Root: Middle English (in the sense 'to outlaw') from Latin scribere 'write' Syn- outlaw, prohibit, censure Ant- allow, permit, approve Rel forms- noun: proscription, adj: proscriptive Sentence: In out country, there are laws which proscribe discrimination based on race or gender.
Myriad- noun
Def- a countless or extremely great number Etymology- Root: from Late Latin myriad meaning "ten thousand" Syn- infinite, countless, numberless Ant- bounded, calculable, countable Rel forms- adjective: myriad Sentence: the National Forest contains a myriad of snake species, including the venomous copperhead.
Malign-adjective
Def- adj- in nature, malevolent, verb- to speak about someone in a spitefully critical manner. Etymology- prefix- (mal- "bad") Root- from old French maligne "having an evil nature Syn- adj: bad, catty, cruel verb: blacken defame, libel Ant- adj: benevolent, loving verb:praise Rel form: noun- malignancy, adj- malignant, adv- maligantly Rel form- malice, maliciously, malaise Sentence- what I was a child, my mother told me it was not nice to malign others because I would hate it if people talked unfairly about me.
Motley- adjective and noun
Def- adj: incongruously varied in appearance or character, noun: an incongruous mix Ety- Root: Anglo- French late 14c "parti-colored" Syn- (n) fool, jester, (adj) assorted, eclectic Ant- (adj) homogeneous Sentence: The motley group of job applicants included a retired teacher, a recently released convic, and a sixteen-year- old gir.
Resplendent- adjective
Def- attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous Etymology- prefix: re- intensive prefix. Root: from Latin splendere "to shine, be splendid" Syn- gorgeous, glorious, sublime Ant- ugly, plain Rel forms- noun: resplendence, adverb: resplendently Word fams- splendor, splendid Sentence: Dora looked resplendent in her evening gown on which was sewn a myriad of emerald sequins.
Alacrity- noun
Def- brisk and cheerful readiness Etymology- Root: from Latin alacritatem "liveliness, ardor, eargerness" suffix: -ty = the quality of being. Syn- alertness, fervor, eagerness Ant- apathy, indifference Sentence: Though he was with a alacrity in the beginning of the match, the tired wrestler's eagerness was gone by round 2.
Malleable- adjective
Def- easily influenced pliable. (Of metal or other material) able to be pressed permanently out of shape without breaking. Etymology-root: from Medevil Latin malleabilis, from malleare "to bear with a hammer" suffix -able forms adjective from verbs Syn- adaptable, flexible, moldable Any- inflexible, rigid, stiff Rel forms- noun: malleability Sentence: knowledge gives you power by making you less malleable to negative influences.
Ambivalent- adjective
Def- havin mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone. Etymology- from Latin ambi- "both, on both sides" root l + valentin "strength" suffix- ent (forms adjective) Syn- conflicted, equivocal, doubtful Ant- Unambivalent, certain Rel forms- noun: ambivalence Sentence: Some of his friends were confident in their plans for afternoon college, but Zack felt ambivalent about his future and did not know which path to choose.
Narcissistic- adjective
Def- having an excessive interest in oneself or ones appearance. Etymology- Root: from Greece Narkissos, name of a beautiful youth in mythology Syn- vain, self-absorbed, egotistical Ant- altruistic, selfless Rel forms- noun: narcissism, narcissistic Adverb: narcissistically Sentence: The narcissistic teenager cannot walk more than fifty feet without checking her appearance in her pocket mirror.
Cognate- adjective
Def- having the same linguistic root as another word; related or connected Etymology- "co" together + "gnatus" (to be born) Root: from Latin "cognatus" -of common descent. Syn- associated, related,allied Ant- different, unlike, unconnected Rel forms- noun: cognate, cognation, cognatess Wor fams: cognition, cognisance cogitate Sentence: because Italian is a cognate to Spanish, you will find many of the words are similar.
Iniquity- noun
Def- immoral or grossly unfair behavior. Etymology- prefix:-in "not" Root: Latin: aequus "equal,just" Syn- wickedness, sinfulness Ant- morality, virtue Rel forms: adjective- iniquitous Sentence: Those who are quick to criticize the bad deeds of others should first look at their own acts of iniquity.
Infallible- adjective
Def- incapable of making mistakes or being wrong; never failing; always effective. Ety- prefix: in- "not, opposite of, without" Root: from Medieval Latin falibila "liable to err, deceitful" Syn- unerring, unfailing Ant- fallible Rel forms- noun: infallibility Word fams- Fallacious, falicy Sentence- I never claimed to be infallible, I make mistakes all the time.
Effrontery- noun
Def- insolent or impertinent behavior Ety- Root: from Old French esfronte "shameless, brazen" and from Latin ex- + front, frons forehead Syn- audacity, brashness, chutzpah Sentence: Although I have an advanced degree in business, my boss still had the effrontery to ask me to bring him coffee.
Conciliatory- adjective
Def- intended or likely to placate or pacify Etymology- Root: Latin: conciliare "to bring together, unite in feelings, make friendly. Suffix: -ory having to do with it characterized by Syn- peacemaking, mollifying, pacifying Ant- antagonist, refusing Rel forms- verb: conciliate noun: conciliation Sentence: The mediator made a conciliatory statement which helped the two parties find common ground.
Arduous- adj
Def- involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult or tiring Etymology- Root: from Latin arduous "high,sleep" Syn: challenging, demanding Ant: easy, effortless Rel forms- noun: arduousness, adverb: arduously Sentence: Walking 3 miles is easy, but running 3 miles without stopping is an arduous feat.
Disingenuous- adjective
Def- not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does. Etymology- prefix: dis- opposite of root: "ingerum" from Latin with the virtues of noble character, upright Syn- insincere, dishonest, deceteful Ant- fair, frank, honest Rel forms- noun: disingenuousness, disingenuity, adverb: disingenuously Sentence: While Catherine pretended to be trustworthy, she was in reality a disingenuous woman who would do whatever it took to get her away.
Impious- adjective
Def- not showing respect or reverence, especially for a goal Etymology- pre: in- "not, opposite of" root: from Latin implus "without reverence" irreverent, wicked" Syn: blasphemous, profane Any- ploys reverent Rel forms- noun: implousness, adverb: implousy Word fams: impiety Sentence: it was forbidden under penalty of death to demolish crosses and religious images and to commit other scandalous and implous acts.
Egregious- adjective
Def- outstandingly bad; shocking. Ety- prefix from ex "out of" Root: from Latin egregius "distinguished, excellent, extraordinary" Suffix- Disaproving sense, now predominant, arose late, originally ironic Syn- gross, rank, flagrant Rel forms- noun: egregiousness, adverb: egregiously Word Fams: gregarious Sentence: Bernie Madoffs egregious misuse of investors' funds caused to judge to sentence him to 150 years in prison.
Immaculate- Adj
Def- perfectly clean, neat or tide (especially of a person or clothes); perfect, free from mistakes; free from sin (religious meaning) Ety: prefix:-in "not" Root: Latin maculatus "spotted, defiled" Syn- chaste, clean, decent Ant- coarse dirty, impure Rel forms: noun: immaculatness, adv: immaculately Sentence- the grandchildren feared making a mess because their grandchildren always kept her home in immaculate condition.
Vigilance- noun
Def- the action it started of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties. Etymology- Root: Latin vigilantia "wakefulness, watchfulness, attention. Suffix: -acne forms abstract nouns Syn- alertness, attentiveness Ant- indifference, carelessness, negligence Rel forms- noun:vigilante Adverb: vigilantly Word fams- vigil Sentence- Because of the vigilance of the neighborhood watch, the intruder was caught in the act.
Veer-verb
Def- to change direction suddenly Etymology- Root: from Middle French virer "to turn" Syn- bend, deflect, swerve Ant- straighten Sentence- The air traffic controller panicked when the plane began to veer off course and radioed to see if anything was wrong.
Sully- verb
Def- to make soiled or tarnish Etymology- Root: from old English French soilier "make dirty" Syn- soil, dirty, stain, taint Ant- clean, honor, purify Sentence- the picture that Jan posted and her Instagram of hunting tigers in Namibia might sully her reputation as an advocate for animals
Dissuade- verb
Def- to persuade (someone) not to take a particular course of action Ety- prefix: dis- "off, against" Root: from Latin dissuadere "to advise against, oppose by argument" Syn- deter, discourage Ant- persuade, encourage Rel forms- noun: dissuader, adj: dissuasive Word fams- sweet Sentence- Our warnings about the hidden sharp rock did not dissuade them from diving into the water from the top of the cliff.
Debauch- verb and noun
Def- verb- to destroy or debase the moral purity of, corrupt. Noun- A bout of excessive indulgence in sensual pleasure, especially eating and drinking. Etymology: root- from Middle French dèbaucher- entice from work or duty Syn- Verb: corrupt, demoralize Ant- verb: purify Rel forms- noun: debauchery, debauchee Sentence: The long stay on a tropical island had debauched the ship's crew to the point where they no longer acted like naval professionals.
Perdition-noun
Def-(in Christian theology) a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and inpenitent person passed after death Etymology- Root: from the Latin verb perdere meaning "to destroy" Syn- damnation, hell, doom Ant- bliss, heaven, paradise Sentence: Jonathan Edwards warns his listeners in his sermon, Sinners in the hands of an angry god, that they will find themselves on their way to perdition if they don't repent.
Feint- noun and verb
Def-(noun) A deceptive or pretend blow, thrust, or other movement in boxing or fencing. (Verb)- to make a deceptive or distractive movement Etymology- Root: from French feinte "a sham, fabrication, pretense." Syn: trick, ruse Word fams- feign Sentence: The heartbroken teen put on a feint of nonchalance so his friends would not see how hurt he was by his ex-girlfriend's actions.
Deprecate-verb
Def-Express disapproval of (something), take exception to Etymology- Prefix: de- down, from Root: Latin precuri "to pray" Syn- deplore, abhor, belittle Ant- applaud, exalt, praise Rel forms- Noun: deprecation, Adj: deprecatory, deprecative Sentence: Coach Jones is a good coach because he does not deprecate his players even when they make mistakes.
Lackluster- adjective
Def-lacking in vitality, force, or conviction Etymology- Root: first used in Shakespeare's as you like it to describe eyes that lacked brightness Syn- uninspiring, unimaginative, dull, bland, colorless Ant- inspiring, bright, colorful Word fams- lackadaisical, lack Sentence: after having played the same role in the television show for seven years, the actor found that his performance had become lackluster.
Dogmatic- adjective
Inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true; given to the expression of opinions very strongly or possessivly as if they were facts Etymology- prefix: Root: Latin dogmat; dogma from Greek, from dokein to seem suffix: -ic or of pertaining to Syn- opinionated, assertive, adamant Rel forms- born: dogmatism, dogma Sentence: The speaker gave such a dogmatic response to the question he was asked that the audience felt too intimidated to ask for clarification.
Redress- verb and noun
Verb- to remedy or set right (an undesirable or unfair situation) noun: a remedy or compensation for a wrong or grievance Prefix: re- again Root: from Old French "to straighten, arrange" Syn: verb- rectify, correct, noun- reparation, compensation Ant- verb- worsen, noun- penalty Rel forms- redressal, redressing Sentence: The company hope to redress the victim's injury by paying outt a million dollar settlement.