Scarlet Letter Vocabulary 4

Front 1

insidious

Back 1

1.(a)awaiting a chance to entrap; treacherous (b)harmful but enticing; seductive
2.(a)having a gradual and cumulative effect; subtle (b)of a disease: developinng so gradually as to be well eestablished before becoming apparent

Front 2

inveterate

Back 2

1.firmly established by long persistence
2.confirmed in a habit; habitual

Front 3

inviolable

Back 3

1.secure from violation or profanation
2.secure from assault or trespass; unassailable

Front 4

jocular

Back 4

1.given to jesting; habitually jolly or jocund
2.characterized by jesting; playful

Front 5

jollity

Back 5

1.the quality or state of being jolly; merriment
2.British: a festive gathering

Front 6

labyrinthine

Back 6

1.of, relating to, or resembling a labyrinth(maze); intricate; involved
2.of, relating to, affecting, or originating in the internal ear

Front 7

lament

Back 7

1.to express sorrow, mourning, or regret for often demonstratively; mourn
2.to regret strongly

Front 8

languid

Back 8

1.drooping or flagging from or as if from exhaustion; weak
2.sluggish in character or disposition; listless
3.lacking force or quickness of movement; slow

Front 9

laud

Back 9

1.an office of solemn praise to God forming with matins the first of the canonical hours
2.praise; acclaim

Front 10

loquacious

Back 10

1.full of excessive talk; wordy
2.given to fluent or excessive talk; garrulous

Front 11

lurid

Back 11

1.(a)causing horror or revulsion; gruesome (b)melodramatic; sensational; shocking
2.(a)wan and ghastly pale in appearance (b)of any of several light or medium grayish colors ranging in hue from yellow to orange
3.shining with the red glow of fire seen through smoke or cloud

Front 12

magnate

Back 12

a person of rank, power, influence, or distinction often in a specified area

Front 13

malefactor

Back 13

1.one who commits an offense against the law; felon
2.one who does ill toward another

Front 14

malevolence

Back 14

1.the quality or state of being malevolent (having, showing, or arising from intense often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred)
2.malevolent behavior

Front 15

malicious

Back 15

given to, marked by, or arising from malice (desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another)

Front 16

malleable

Back 16

1.capable of being extended or shaped by beating with a hammer or by the pressure of rollers
2.(a)capable of being altered or controlled by outside forces or influences (b)having a capacity for adaptive change

Front 17

melancholy

Back 17

depression of spirits; dejection; a pensive mood

Front 18

mirth

Back 18

gladness or gaiety as shown by or accompanied with laughter

Front 19

misanthrope

Back 19

a person who hates or distrusts humankind

Front 20

mollify

Back 20

1.to soothe in temper or disposition; appease
2.to reduce the rigidity of; soften
3.to reduce in intensity; assuage; temper

Front 21

oblivion

Back 21

1.the fact or condition of forgetting or having forgotten esp. the condition of being oblivious
2.the condition or state of being forgotten or unknown

Front 22

obscure

Back 22

1.(a)dark, dim (b)shrouded in or hidden by darkness (c)not clearly seen or easily distinguished; faint
2.not readily understood or clearly expressed; mysterious
3.relatively unknown as (a)remote; secluded (b)not prominent or famous

Front 23

obtuse

Back 23

1.not pointed or acute; blunt
2.(a)lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or intellect; insensitive; stupid (b)difficult to comprehend; not clear or precise in thought or expression

Front 24

obviates

Back 24

to anticipate and prevent (as a situation) or make unnecessary (as an action)

Front 25

odious

Back 25

arousing or deserving hatred or repugnance; hateful

Front 26

ominous

Back 26

being or exhibiting an omen; portentous esp. foreboding or foreshadowing evil; inauspicious

Front 27

opaque

Back 27

1.exhibiting opacity; blocking the passage of radiant energy and esp. light
2.(a)hard to understand or explain (b)obtuse; thickheaded

Front 28

palliate

Back 28

1.to reduce the violence of (a disease); to ease (symptoms) without curing the underlying disease
2.to cover by excuses and apologies
3.to moderate the intensity of

Front 29

pallor

Back 29

deficiency of color esp. of the face; paleness

Front 30

palpable

Back 30

1.capable of being touched or felt; tangible
2.easily perceptible; noticeable
3.easily perceptible by the mind; manifest