Vocab For Ms. Wolff

Front 1

venerable

Back 1

worthy of respect because of advanced age, dignity, etc

Front 2

puerile

Back 2

immature, childish

Front 3

levity

Back 3

lack of proper seriousness; improper gaiety

Front 4

frugal

Back 4

thrifty; not wasteful

Front 5

antipathy

Back 5

hate, disdain, dislike

Front 6

avocation

Back 6

a hobby, supplementary occupation

Front 7

charlatan

Back 7

imposter; one who poses as an expert in a skill or profession for which he is not qualified

Front 8

doughty

Back 8

brave; strong and able

Front 9

elucidate

Back 9

to make clear; explain

Front 10

indolent

Back 10

lazy

Front 11

ludicrous

Back 11

causing laughter because something is absurd or ridiculous; laughably absurd

Front 12

callow

Back 12

young and inexperienced

Front 13

blithe

Back 13

merry; cheerful; happy

Front 14

nepotism

Back 14

favoritism shown to relatives, especially in securing jobs

Front 15

malign

Back 15

to speak evil of; to slander

Front 16

posthumous

Back 16

occurring after death; published after the author's death

Front 17

heinous

Back 17

outrageously evil or wicked

Front 18

clandestine

Back 18

kept secret or hidden especially for some illegal purpose; secretive

Front 19

refute

Back 19

to disprove or demonstrate the falsity of something

Front 20

cursory

Back 20

hasty, hurried or not thorough

Front 21

reticent

Back 21

quiet, reserved, or uncommunicative

Front 22

travail

Back 22

hard work; exhausting labor; agony

Front 23

opulence

Back 23

wealth, luxury, or abundance

Front 24

arduous

Back 24

difficult, strenuous, or hard to achieve

Front 25

paltry

Back 25

practically worthless; petty; trifling

Front 26

abduct

Back 26

to carry off by force; kidnap

Front 27

tractable

Back 27

easily managed, taught, or controlled

Front 28

obliterate

Back 28

to do away with or destroy; to blot out completely; raze

Front 29

prodigious

Back 29

extraordinary in size or amount; enormous

Front 30

haughty

Back 30

having or showing great pride in oneself an disdain, contempt, or scorn for others

Front 31

equanimity

Back 31

evenness of mind or temper; calmness; compossure

Front 32

exacerbate

Back 32

to irritate or make bitter; to make more violent

Front 33

gratuity

Back 33

a tip; payment for a service for which no bill is offered

Front 34

incredulous

Back 34

skeptical; doubtful; too extraordinary to be believed

Front 35

loquacious

Back 35

talkative; chatty

Front 36

reprehensible

Back 36

deserving blame; wrong

Front 37

stringent

Back 37

strict; rigid; exacting

Front 38

taciturn

Back 38

habitually silent; not given to conversation (opposite of loquacious)

Front 39

ubiquitous

Back 39

present everywhere

Front 40

vapid

Back 40

having lost its spirit or zest; spiritless

Front 41

meticulous

Back 41

overly or unduly careful about small details; extremely careful

Front 42

altruism (altruist)

Back 42

unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness

Front 43

ameliorate

Back 43

to improve or make better

Front 44

rustic

Back 44

characteristic of the country and country people; simple and unsophisticated

Front 45

deride

Back 45

to make fun of; to scorn

Front 46

diffident

Back 46

lacking self confidence; timid; shy

Front 47

ostracize

Back 47

to exclude someone from a social group by general consent

Front 48

truculent

Back 48

savage; cruel; fierce; warlike

Front 49

vindicate

Back 49

to clear of suspicion, as of a charge of wrongdoing

Front 50

pugnacious

Back 50

eager and ready to fight; quarrelsome