Vocabulary Fall List #4

Melancholy- sadness and pensive. typically with no obvious cause (depression)
~ The student had this overwhelming feeling of melancholy once she had the energy to get out of bed.
Exemplary- serving as a desirable model; representing  the best of its kind.
~ The famous couple had done so much charity work and brought in a lot of money for donations that it was safe to say their track record was exemplary.
Peculiar- strange or odd.
~ People made fun of the boys clothing because it was peculiar.
Dread- greatly feared.
~ I dread going to first period most mornings.
Bough- a main branch of a tree.
~ My buddies and I always love hanging out in the forest and we use the bough as a seat.
Pious- devoutly religious.
~ A lot of Amish people are pious.
Communion- sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level.
~ The Christian church held a lot of communions last year in their church.
Auditor- a listener.
~ Secretly no one wanted to be an auditor of the man who wouldn't shut up.
Multitude- state of being numerous (large number)
~ Most musicians start out small but eventually gain a multitude of followers.
Eloquence- fluent or persuasive speaking or writing.
~ The author had a sense of eloquence in his writing which showed he was passionate.
Despair- absence of hope.
~ People who suffer from depression often experience despair, too.
Hoary- old, grayish white.
~ The 80 year old surprisingly did not have hoary skin.

Vocabulary Fall List #3

coherent- logical and consistent
~ His arguments were coherent by using facts.
belabor- to argue or elaborate in excessive detail
~ She was labeled captain obvious because she belabored the audience.
eschew- deliberately avoid using, to abstain from
~ They eschewed any sort of violence while protesting.
acquisitive- excessively interested in acquiring money or material things.
~ The woman's personality was acquisitive because she only liked men with big mansions.
emulate- match or surpass (a person or achievement) typically by imitation
~ He was trying to emulate the successful candidate and turned out to be more famous.
banal- so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.
~ The song had so much banal and was hackneyed because they played it constantly on the radio.
excoriation- harsh criticism
~ You're asking for excoriation if you pull a prank on someone.
congeal- to solidify
~ The blood had congealed into globs.
carping- difficult to please, critical
~ My mom was carping even when I had good grades.
substantiate- provide evidence to support the truth of something
~ Can you substantiate your allegations?
temporize- avoid making a decision or committing onself in order to gain time
~ He temporized for weeks but unfortunately never committed to the relationship.
largesse- generosity in bestowing money or gifts to others.
~ It was sad that she had to show largesse in order to have friends.
tenable- able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection
~ The political party was surprisingly tenable.
insatiable- impossible to satisfy
~ The critic was insatiable with anything.
reconnaissance- surveying or research
~ The aircraft was great for low-level reconnaissance.
germane- relevant to subject under consideration
~ Bringing up Stacy's mother was germane during the debate about her.
ramify-  spread or branch out
~ He finally began to ramify after he graduated out of college.
intransigent- unwilling to change or agree, stubborn
~ It's hard to have a debate with someone who is intransigent.
taciturn- reserved, saying little
~ The freshman was really taciturn because he was new and didn't have any friends.

Vocabulary Fall List 2

intercede- intervene on behalf of another
~ Their argument would have turned violent if I hadn't interceded.
hackneyed- lacking significance through having been overused
~ The picture of the couple walking on the beach was so typical and hackneyed.
approbation- approval or praise.
~ The artist had received approbation from her critics.
innuendo- an allusive remark or hint, suggestive
~ His stage presence gave off a strong innuendo.
coalition- an alliance for combined action
~ The anti-German coalition was formed at the beginning of WW2.
elicit- draw out a response, answer or fact from someone in reaction to one's own action or question
~ Her jokes were not funny but they eventually elicited laughs from the crowd.
hiatus- a pause or gap in a sequence
~ Many singers go on a hiatus to record music and make a good comeback.
assuage- to make an unpleasant feeling less intense
~ He was able to assuage bad feelings after he dumped her.
decadence- luxurious or self-indulgence
~ The use of decadence was thorough throughout the Great Gatsby.
expostulate- express strong disapproval or disagreement
~ I expostulated with him in vain.
simulate- to pretend to have or feel an emotion
~ The actor had to simulate pleasure when acting out something uncomfortable.
jaded- tired, bored or lacking enthusiasm
~ She started to feel jaded after working out at the gym for days on end.
umbrage- offense of annoyance
~ He took umbrage to his friends constant remarks.
prerogative- a right or privilege exclusive to a particular person or class
~ Owning a mansion was the prerogative of the wealthy.
lurid- vivid or shocking
~ Some lurid details are too much for the faint of heart.
transcend- to go beyond the range of limits
~ The director's visuals transcended all previous beliefs of a typical love story.
provincial- of or concerning a province of a country or empire
~ Many countries had provincial capitals.
petulant- childishly sulky or bad-tempered
~ The kid was moody and petulant.
unctuous- excessively or ingratiatingly flattering
~ He seemed unctuous and like a kiss- up to the teachers.meritorious- deserving reward or praise
~ A medal went to the person who had meritorious actions.