Academic Vocabulary

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Litany

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noun
a prolonged or tedious account: We heard the whole litany of their complaints.

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Sycophant

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noun
a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.

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Pejorative

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adjective
having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling effect or force

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Incredulous

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adjective
1.not credulous; disinclined or indisposed to believe; skeptical.
2.indicating or showing unbelief: an incredulous smile.

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Disingenuous

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–adjective
lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous; insincere: Her excuse was rather disingenuous.

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Indignant

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adjective
feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base

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Xenophobe

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noun
a person who fears or hates foreigners, strange customs, etc.

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Ethnocentrism

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noun
1.Sociology. the belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture.
2.a tendency to view alien groups or cultures from the perspective of one's own.

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Pedantic

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adjective
1.ostentatious in one's learning.
2.overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, esp. in teaching.

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Ennui

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noun
a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom

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Anachronism

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noun
1.something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, esp. a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time: The sword is an anachronism in modern warfare.
2.an error in chronology in which a person, object, event, etc., is assigned a date or period other than the correct one: To assign Michelangelo to the 14th century is an anachronism.

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Adroit

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adjective
1.expert or nimble in the use of the hands or body.
2.cleverly skillful, resourceful, or ingenious: an adroit debater.

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Magnanimous

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adjective
1.generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness: to be magnanimous toward one's enemies.
2.high-minded; noble: a just and magnanimous ruler.
3.proceeding from or revealing generosity or nobility of mind, character, etc.: a magnanimous gesture of forgiveness

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Interlocutor

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noun
1.a person who takes part in a conversation or dialogue.
2.the man in the middle of the line of performers in a minstrel troupe, who acts as the announcer and banters with the end men.
3.a person who questions; interrogator.

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Abject

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adjective
1.utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating, or wretched: abject poverty.
2.contemptible; despicable; base-spirited: an abject coward.
3.shamelessly servile; slavish.
4.Obsolete. cast aside.

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Didactic

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adjective
1.intended for instruction; instructive: didactic poetry.
2.inclined to teach or lecture others too much: a boring, didactic speaker.
3.teaching or intending to teach a moral lesson.

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Diatribe

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noun
a bitter, sharply abusive denunciation, attack, or criticism

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Avaricious

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adjective
characterized by avarice; greedy; covetous.

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Obsequious

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adjective
1.characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; fawning: an obsequious bow.
2.servilely compliant or deferential: obsequious servants.
3.obedient; dutiful.

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Upbraid

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verb (used with object)
1.to find fault with or reproach severely; censure

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Bereft

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adjective
deprived.

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Burgeon

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verb (used without object)
1.to grow or develop quickly; flourish: The town burgeoned into a city. He burgeoned into a fine actor.
2.to begin to grow, as a bud; put forth buds, shoots, etc., as a plant (often fol. by out, forth).
–verb (used with object)
3.to put forth, as buds.
–noun
4.a bud; sprout.

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Cajole

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verb (used with object), verb (used without object),-joled, -jol·ing.
to persuade by flattery or promises; wheedle; coax.

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Carte blanche

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1.unconditional authority; full discretionary power.
2.a sheet of paper that is blank except for a signature and given by the signer to another person to write in what he or she pleases.

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Castigate

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verb (used with object),-gat·ed, -gat·ing.
1.to criticize or reprimand severely.
2.to punish in order to correct.

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Chimera

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noun,plural-ras.
1.(often initial capital letter) a mythological, fire-breathing monster, commonly represented with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.
2.any similarly grotesque monster having disparate parts, esp. as depicted in decorative art.
3.a horrible or unreal creature of the imagination; a vain or idle fancy: He is far different from the chimera your fears have made of him.

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Cloture

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noun
1.a method of closing a debate and causing an immediate vote to be taken on the question.

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Craven

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adjective
1.cowardly; contemptibly timid; pusillanimous.
–noun
2.a coward.

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Dearth

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noun
1.an inadequate supply; scarcity; lack: There is a dearth of good engineers.
2.scarcity and dearness of food; famine.

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Debauchery

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noun,plural-er·ies.
1.excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures; intemperance.

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Demure

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adjective,-mur·er, -mur·est.
1.characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved.
2.affectedly or coyly decorous, sober, or sedate.

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Debonaire

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adjective
1.courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm: a debonair gentleman.
2.jaunty; carefree; sprightly.

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Derisive

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adjective
characterized by or expressing derision; contemptuous; mocking: derisive heckling.

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Diffident

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adjective
1.lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy.
2.restrained or reserved in manner, conduct, etc.

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Dilettante

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noun
1.a person who takes up an art, activity, or subject merely for amusement, esp. in a desultory or superficial way; dabbler.
2.a lover of an art or science, esp. of a fine art.

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Diminutive

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adjective
1.small; little; tiny: a diminutive building for a model-train layout.
2.Grammar. pertaining to or productive of a form denoting smallness, familiarity, affection, or triviality, as the suffix -let, in droplet from drop.
–noun
3.a small thing or person.
4.Grammar. a diminutive element or formation.
5.Heraldry. a charge, as an ordinary, smaller in length or breadth than the usual.

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Edifice

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noun
1.a building, esp. one of large size or imposing appearance.
2.any large, complex system or organization.

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Edify

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verb (used with object),-fied, -fy·ing.
to instruct or benefit, esp. morally or spiritually; uplift: religious paintings that edify the viewer.

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Sophomoric

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adjective
1.of or pertaining to a sophomore or sophomores.
2.suggestive of or resembling the traditional sophomore; intellectually pretentious, overconfident, conceited, etc., but immature: sophomoric questions.

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Savoir faire

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noun [sav-wahr-fair; Fr. sa-vwar-fer]
knowledge of just what to do in any situation; tact.

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Misogyny
Mis·an·dry:

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Misogyny noun
hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women.
mis·an·dry [mis-an-dree] Show IPA
noun
hatred of males.

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Cogent

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1.convincing or believable by virtue of forcible, clear, or incisive presentation; telling.
2.to the point; relevant; pertinent.
Origin:

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Profane

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irreligious, unholy, common, vulgar

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Salient

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1.
prominent or conspicuous: salient traits.
2.
projecting or pointing outward: a salient angle.
3.
leaping or jumping: a salient animal.

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Omnibus

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Noun:
a volume of reprinted works of a single author or of works related in interest or theme.
Adjective:
pertaining to, including, or dealing with numerous objects or items at once: an omnibus bill submitted to a legislature.

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Novel

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adjective
of a new kind; different from anything seen or known before: a novel idea.

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tautology

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1.
needless repetition of an idea, especially in words other than those of the immediate context, without imparting additional force or clearness, as in “widow woman.”
2.
an instance of such repetition.
3.
Logic .
a.
a compound propositional form all of whose instances are true, as “A or not A.”
b.
an instance of such a form, as “This candidate will win or will not win.”

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whimsy

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1.
capricious humor or disposition; extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful expression: a play with lots of whimsy.
2.
an odd or fanciful notion.
3.
anything odd or fanciful; a product of playful or capricious fancy: a whimsy from an otherwise thoughtful writer.

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Deference

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1.
respectful submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion, will, etc., of another.
2.
respectful or courteous regard: in deference to his wishes.

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Dialectic

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noun
3.
the art or practice of logical discussion as employed in investigating the truth of a theory or opinion.
4.
logical argumentation.
5.
Often, dialectics.
a.
logic or any of its branches.
b.
any formal system of reasoning or thought.

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Syntax

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noun
1.
Linguistics .
a.
the study of the rules for the formation of grammatical sentences in a language.
b.
the study of the patterns of formation of sentences and phrases from words.
c.
the rules or patterns so studied: English syntax.
d.
a presentation of these: a syntax of English.
e.
an instance of these: the syntax of a sentence.

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Semantics

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noun:
the meaning, or an interpretation of the meaning, of a word, sign, sentence, etc.: Let's not argue about semantics.

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Germane

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adjective:
closely or significantly related; relevant; pertinent: Please keep your statements germane to the issue.

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Solicitous

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adjective
1.
anxious or concerned (usually followed by about, for, etc., or a clause): solicitous about a person's health.
2.
anxiously desirous: solicitous of the esteem of others.
3.
eager (usually followed by an infinitive): He was always solicitous to please.
4.
careful or particular: a solicitous housekeeper.

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Bedlam

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noun
1.
a scene or state of wild uproar and confusion.
2.
Archaic . an insane asylum or madhouse.

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Milieu

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[mil-yoo, meel-; Fr. mee-lyœ] Show IPA
noun, plural mi·lieus, French mi·lieux  [-lyœ] Show IPA.
surroundings, especially of a social or cultural nature: a snobbish milieu.

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Tractable

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adjective
1.
easily managed or controlled; docile; yielding: a tractable child; a tractable disposition.
2.
easily worked, shaped, or otherwise handled; malleable.

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Perseverate:

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verb (used without object), per·sev·er·at·ed, per·sev·er·at·ing.
to repeat something insistently or redundantly: to perseverate in reminding children of their responsibilities.

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par·si·mo·ny

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   [pahr-suh-moh-nee] Show IPA
noun
extreme or excessive economy or frugality; stinginess; niggardliness.

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Extemporaneous

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adjective
1.
done, spoken, performed, etc., without special advance preparation; impromptu: an extemporaneous speech.
2.
previously planned but delivered with the help of few or no notes: extemporaneous lectures.
3.
speaking or performing with little or no advance preparation: extemporaneous actors.
4.
made for the occasion, as a shelter.

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Contemporaneous

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adjective
living or occurring during the same period of time; contemporary.

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Hegemony

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noun, plural he·gem·o·nies.
1.
leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, as in a confederation.
2.
leadership; predominance.
3.
(especially among smaller nations) aggression or expansionism by large nations in an effort to achieve world domination.

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Inane

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adjective
1.
lacking sense, significance, or ideas; silly: inane questions.
2.
empty; void.

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implacable

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[im-plak-uh-buhl, -pley-kuh-] Show IPA
adjective
not to be appeased, mollified, or pacified; inexorable: an implacable enemy.

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Inexorable

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[in-ek-ser-uh-buhl] Show IPA
adjective
1.
unyielding; unalterable: inexorable truth; inexorable justice.
2.
not to be persuaded, moved, or affected by prayers or entreaties: an inexorable creditor.

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Pillory

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[pil-uh-ree] Show IPA noun, plural pil·lo·ries, verb, pil·lo·ried, pil·lo·ry·ing.
noun
1.
a wooden framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used to expose an offender to public derision.

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Portmanteau

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noun \pȯrt-ˈman-(ˌ)tō\
: a word or morpheme whose form and meaning are derived from a blending of two or more distinct forms (as smog from smoke and fog)

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Opine

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intransitive verb
: to express opinions
transitive verb
: to state as an opinion

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Avuncular

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Adjective:

Of or relating to an uncle.
Kind and friendly toward a younger or less experienced person: "an avuncular manner".

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Boondoggle

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noun, verb, boon·dog·gled, boon·dog·gling.
noun
1.
a product of simple manual skill, as a plaited leather cord for the neck or a knife sheath, made typically by a camper or a scout.
2.
work of little or no value done merely to keep or look busy.
3.
a project funded by the federal government out of political favoritism that is of no real value to the community or the nation.

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Hegemony

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noun, plural he·gem·o·nies.
1.
leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, as in a confederation.
2.
leadership; predominance.
3.
(especially among smaller nations) aggression or expansionism by large nations in an effort to achieve world domination.

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Irreverence

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n
1. lack of due respect or veneration; disrespect
2. a disrespectful remark or act

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Statism

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n.
The practice or doctrine of giving a centralized government control over economic planning and policy.

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um·laut   [oom-lout]

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noun
1.
a mark (¨) used as a diacritic over a vowel, as ä, ö, ü, to indicate a vowel sound different from that of the letter without the diacritic, especially as so used in German. Compare dieresis.