Vocab Book Semester 1 Defff.

Front 1

annul

Back 1

to reduce to nothing; to make ineffective or inoperative; to declare legally invalid or void

Front 2

blasé

Back 2

indifferent, bored as a result of having enjoyed many pleasures; apathetic

Front 3

bolster

Back 3

to support, give a boost to; a long pillow or cushion; a supporting post

Front 4

deplore

Back 4

to feel or express regret or disapproval

Front 5

frivolous

Back 5

of little importance, not worthy of serious attention; not meant seriously

Front 6

muster

Back 6

to bring together for service or battle; to gather or summon; to amount to, comprise, include; a list of men for military service; a gathering, accumulation

Front 7

nonentity

Back 7

a person or thing of no importance

Front 8

obsess

Back 8

to trouble, haunt, or fill the mind

Front 9

ornate

Back 9

elaborately decorated; showily splendid

Front 10

oust

Back 10

to remove, drive out of a position or place

Front 11

peruse

Back 11

to read thoroughly and carefully

Front 12

porous

Back 12

full of tiny holes; able to be penetrated by air or water

Front 13

promontory

Back 13

a high point of land extended into water

Front 14

prone

Back 14

lying face down; inclined, likely

Front 15

qualm

Back 15

a pang of conscience, uneasiness, misgiving, or doubt; a feeling of faintness or nausea

Front 16

recourse

Back 16

a person to thing turned to for help or advice; the act of seeking help or protection

Front 17

residue

Back 17

a remainder, that which remains when a part had been used up or removed

Front 18

solicitous

Back 18

showing concern or care; fearful or anxious about someone or something

Front 19

staid

Back 19

serious and dignified; quiet or subdued in character or conduct

Front 20

sustain

Back 20

to support, nourish, keep up; to suffer, undergo; to bear up under, withstand; to affirm the validity of

Front 21

aghast

Back 21

filled with amazement, disgust, fear, or terror

Front 22

ample

Back 22

more than enough, large, spacious

Front 23

apparition

Back 23

a ghost or ghostly figure; an unexplained or unusual appearance

Front 24

assert

Back 24

to declare or state as truth, maintain or defend put forward forcefully

Front 25

cower

Back 25

to crouch or shrink away from in fear or shame

Front 26

disdain

Back 26

to look upon with scorn; to refuse scornfully; a feeling of contempt

Front 27

epitaph

Back 27

a brief statement written on a tomb or gravestone

Front 28

ethical

Back 28

having to do with morals, values, right and wrong; in accordance with standards of right conduct; requiring a prescription for purchase

Front 29

facetious

Back 29

humorous, not meant seriously

Front 30

inaudible

Back 30

not able to be heard

Front 31

indiscriminate

Back 31

without restraint or control; unselective

Front 32

intrigue

Back 32

crafy dealing, underhanded plotting; to form and carry out plots; to puzzle or excite the curiosity

Front 33

jurisdiction

Back 33

an area of authority or control; the right to administer justice

Front 34

plausible

Back 34

appearing true, reasonable, or fair

Front 35

plebeian

Back 35

common, vulgar; belonging to the lower class; a common person, member of the lower class

Front 36

prodigal

Back 36

wasteful extravagant; lavishly or generously abundant; one who is wasteful and self-indulgent

Front 37

proximity

Back 37

nearness, closeness

Front 38

pulverize

Back 38

to grind or pound to a powder or dust; to destroy or overcome (as though by smashing into fragments)

Front 39

sequel

Back 39

that which follows, a result; a literary work or film continuing the story of one written or made earlier

Front 40

volatile

Back 40

highly changeable, fickle; tending to become violent or explosive; changing readily from the liquid to the gaseous state

Front 41

abashed

Back 41

embarrassed, ashamed, or nonplussed

Front 42

aloof

Back 42

withdrawn, standing apart from others (usually as a matter of choice)

Front 43

anguish

Back 43

great mental suffering, distress, or pain; to be deeply tormented by pain or sorrow

Front 44

articulate

Back 44

to pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; to fit together into a system; able to use language effectively; expressed clearly and forcefully

Front 45

bask

Back 45

to be in, or expose oneself to, pleasant warmth; to take pleasure in or derive enjoyment from

Front 46

defect

Back 46

an imperfection, flaw, or blemish of some kind; to desert a cause or organization

Front 47

finesse

Back 47

delicate skill; tact and cleverness, good judgement, or skillful evasion

Front 48

flaunt

Back 48

to wave or flutter showily; to display in a conceited, offensive way

Front 49

forthright

Back 49

frank, direct, straightforward

Front 50

genial

Back 50

cordial, pleasantly cheerful or warm

Front 51

instill

Back 51

to add gradually; to introduce or cause to be taken in

Front 52

ostracize

Back 52

to exclude from a group, banish, send away

Front 53

premonition

Back 53

forewarning or foreboding of a future event

Front 54

pseudonym

Back 54

a pen name, name assumed by a writer

Front 55

purge

Back 55

to wash away impurities, clean up; the process of getting rid of something or someone decisively

Front 56

rehabilitation

Back 56

to make over in good form; to restore to good condition or to a former position

Front 57

repercussion

Back 57

an effect or consequence of some action or event, result; an echo or reverberation

Front 58

resolute

Back 58

bold, determined; firm

Front 59

retentive

Back 59

able to hold, keep, or recall; retaining knowledge easily

Front 60

scapegoat

Back 60

a person or thing carrying the blame for others

Front 61

acme

Back 61

the highest point

Front 62

attribute

Back 62

a quality or characteristic belonging to or associated with someone or something; to assign to, credit with; to regard as caused by or resulting from

Front 63

belittle

Back 63

to make something appear smaller than it is; to refer to in a way that suggests lack of importance or value

Front 64

convey

Back 64

to transport; to transmit; to communicate, make known; to transfer ownership or title to

Front 65

doctrine

Back 65

a belief, principle, or teaching; a system of such beliefs or principles; a formulation of such beliefs or principles

Front 66

excise

Back 66

to remove by cutting; an indirect tax on the manufacture sale, or distribution of a commodity or service

Front 67

exotic

Back 67

foreign; charmingly unfamiliar or strikingly unusual

Front 68

haggard

Back 68

thin, pale, and careworn as a result of worry or suffering; wild-looking

Front 69

jaunty

Back 69

lively, easy, and carefree in manner; smart or trim in appearance

Front 70

juncture

Back 70

a joining together; the point at which two things are joined; any important point in time

Front 71

menial

Back 71

lowly, humble, lacking importance or dignity; a person who does humble and unpleasant tasks

Front 72

parry

Back 72

to ward off, fend off deflect, evade, avoid; a defensive movement in fencing and other sports

Front 73

predatory

Back 73

preying on, plundering, or piratical

Front 74

ravage

Back 74

to destroy, lay waste, ruin; ruinous damage, destruction

Front 75

stance

Back 75

a way of holding the body; an attitude or position on an issue

Front 76

tawdry

Back 76

showy and flashy by lacking in good taste

Front 77

turncoat

Back 77

a person who switches to an opposing side or party

Front 78

unassuming

Back 78

not putting on airs, unpretentious; modest

Front 79

wallow

Back 79

to tall about in a lazy, clumsy, or helpless way; to overindulge in; to have in abundance; a wat, muddy, or dusty area used by animals as a sort of bath; a state o moral or physical collapse

Front 80

waver

Back 80

to move to and fro, become unsteady; to show lack of firmness or decision