SENIOR VOCABULARY LIST - Duplin County Schools



P. Hatcher, English IV

SENIOR VOCABULARY LIST

Words occurring frequently on standardized tests:

List 1

Indifferent – not caring one way or the other; mediocre; lacking a preference; neutral

Apathy – lack of emotion or interest

Obscure – unclear; clouded; partially hidden; hard to understand

Impartial – unbiased; neutral

Objective – without bias (as opposed to subjective)

Revere – to worship; to honor (think of a reverend)

Discriminate – to differentiate; to make a clear distinction; to see the difference

Denounce – to speak out against; to condemn

Innovate – to be creative; to introduce something new

Relevant – important; pertinent

Candid – honest; frank

List 2

Discernment – insight; ability to see things clearly

Disdain – arrogant scorn; contempt

Abstract – theoretical; lacking substance (the opposite of concrete)

Temperate – moderate; restrained

Enigma – mystery

Inevitable – unavoidable; bound to happen

Eccentric – not conventional; a little kooky; irregular

Provincial – limited in outlook to one’s own small corner of the world; narrow

Futile –hopeless; without effect

Diverse – varied

List 3

Benevolent – kind; good-hearted; generous

Pious – reverent or devout; outwardly (and sometimes falsely) reverent or devout

Conciliatory – making peace; attempting to solve a dispute through goodwill

Resignation – reluctant acceptance of a bad situation (secondary meaning)

Resolute – determined; firm; unwavering

Servile – submissive and subservient; like a servant

Acute – sharp; shrewd

Reticent – restrained; uncommunicative

Anarchy – absence of government or control; lawlessness; disorder

Virulent – extremely poisonous; malignant; full of hate

List 4

Scrutinize – to examine closely

Discord – disagreement (the opposite of concord)

Repudiate – to reject; to deny

Diligent – hardworking

Superficial – on the surface only; shallow; not thorough

Contempt – reproachful disdain

Lucid – clear; easy to understand

Aesthetic – having to do with artistic beauty; artistic (not to be confused with ascetic)

Prodigal – extravagant; wasteful

Augment – to add to; to increase; to make bigger

List 5

Complacent – smug; self-satisfied; pleased with oneself; contented to a fault

Guile – cunning; duplicity

Squander – to waste

Incessant – unceasing; never-ending

Laudable – worthy of praise

Deter – to prevent; to stop; to keep from doing something

Redundant – repetitive; unnecessary; excessively wordy

Infamous – shamefully wicked; having (and deserving) an extremely bad reputation; disgraceful

Provocative – exciting; attracting attention

Depravity – moral corruption

Gravity – seriousness (secondary meaning)

List 6

Banal – unoriginal; ordinary

Extol – to praise

Euphony – pleasant sound (the opposite is cacophony)

Deride – to ridicule; to laugh at contemptuously

Insipid – dull; banal

Austere – unadorned; stern; forbidding; without much money

Expedite – to make faster or easier

Heresy – an opinion violently opposed to established beliefs

Novel – new; original

Philanthropy – love of mankind; donating to charity

Tentative – experimental; temporary; uncertain

List 7

Deference – submission to another’s will; respect; courtesy

Vacillate – to be indecisive; to waver back and forth

Fervor – passion

Dispassionate – without passion; objective; neutral

Pragmatic – practical; down-to-earth; based on experience rather than theory

Rigorous – strict; harsh; severe

Solemn – serious; grave

Alleviate – to lesson; to relieve, usually temporarily or incompletely; to make bearable

Negligence – carelessness

Conspicuous – standing out; obvious

List 8

Advocate – to speak in favor of; to support

Ascetic – hermitlike; practicing self-denial

Profound – deep; insightful (the opposite of superficial)

Ironic – satiric; unexpected

Dogmatic – arrogantly assertive of unproven ideas; arrogantly claiming that something (often a system of beliefs) is beyond dispute

Condone – to overlook; to permit to happen

Dissent – disagreement

Volition – will; conscious choice

Voluntary – willing; unforced

Didactic – instructive; intended to instruct

Disparate – different; incompatible

List 9

Disparage – to belittle; to say uncomplimentary things about, usually in a somewhat indirect way

Ephemeral – short-lived; fleeting; not lasting

Compliant – yielding; submissive

Prosaic – dull; unimaginative; like prose

Profuse – flowing; extravagant

Expedient – providing an immediate advantage; serving one’s immediate self-interest

Fastidious – meticulous; demanding

Belligerent – combative; quarrelsome; waging war

Astute – perceptive; intelligent

Languish – to become weak, listless, or depressed

Censure – to condemn severely for doing something bad

List 10

Stagnation – motionlessness; inactivity

Mitigate – to lesson the severity of something

Reprehensible – worthy of blame or censure

Engender – to create; to produce

Exemplary – outstanding; setting a great example

Neutral – unbiased; not taking sides; objective

Relegate – to banish; to send away

Anecdote – a brief, entertaining story

Scanty – inadequate; minimal

Fallacious – false

Acclaim – praise; applause; admiration

Uniform – consistent; unchanging; the same for everyone

List 11

Incoherent – jumbled; chaotic; impossible to understand

Repress – to hold down

Articulate – speaking clearly and well

Solicit – to ask for; to seek

Reproach – to scold

Condescend – to stoop to someone else’s level, usually in an offensive way; to patronize

Indolence – laziness

Congenial – agreeably suitable; pleasant

Preclude – to prevent; to make impossible; to shut out

List 12

Apprehensive – worried; anxious

Elaborate – detailed; careful; thorough

Arrogant – feeling superior to others; snooty

Elusive – hard to pin down; evasive

Efface – to erase; to rub away the features of

Taciturn – untalkative by nature

Ameliorate – to make better or more tolerable

Acquiesce – to give in; to agree

Atrophy – to waste away from lack of use

Dubious – doubtful; uncertain

Flagrant – shocking; outstandingly bad

List 13

Concise – brief and to the point; succinct

Immutable – unchangeable; permanent

Static – stationary; not changing or moving (not radio fuzz)

Credulous – believing; gullible

Blasphemy – irreverence; an insult to something held sacred; profanity

Coalesce – to come together as one; to fuse; to unite

Lax – careless; not diligent; relaxed

Cryptic – mysterious; mystifying

Levity – lightness; frivolity; unseriousness

Ambivalent – undecided; blowing hot and cold

Innate – existing since birth; inborn; inherent

List 14

Sycophant – one who sucks up to others

Amiable – friendly

Esoteric – hard to understand; understood only by a select few; peculiar

Extraneous – irrelevant; extra; unnecessary; unimportant

Tedious – boring

Caustic – like acid; corrosive

Inadvertent – lax; careless; without intention

Exhaustive – thorough; complete

Belittle – to make to seem little

Unprecedented – happening for the first time; novel; never seen before

Digress – to go off the subject

List 15

Appease – to soothe; to pacify by giving in to

Frivolous – not serious; not solemn; with levity

Instigate – to provoke; to stir up

Sage – wise; possessing wisdom derived from experience or learning

Predecessor – someone or something that came before another

Jeopardy – danger

Tangible – touchable; palpable

Indulgent – lenient; yielding to desire

Remorse – sadness; regret

Pivotal – crucial

Scrupulous – strict; careful; hesitant for ethical reasons

List 16

Refute – to disprove; to prove to be false

Respite – a rest; a period of relief

Stoic – indifferent (at least outwardly) to pleasure or pain, to joy or grief, to fortune or misfortune

Volatile – quick to evaporate; highly unstable; explosive

Peripheral – unimportant

Hedonistic – pleasure-seeking; indulgent

Idiom – a peculiar expression

Benefactor – generous donor

Brevity – briefness

Apocryphal – of doubtful origin; false

Virtuoso – masterful musician; a masterful practitioner in some other field

Slander – to defame; to speak maliciously of someone

List 17

Animosity – resentment; hostility; ill will

Deplete – to use up; to reduce; to lessen

Amity – friendship

Stringent – strict; restrictive

Voluminous – very large; spacious (this word has nothing to do with sound)

Auspicious – favorable; promising; pointing to a good result

Fickle – capricious; whimsical; unpredictable

Lethargy – sluggishness; laziness; drowsiness; indifference

Hackneyed – banal; overused; trite (a cliché is a hackneyed expression)

Amass – to accumulate

Willful – deliberate; obstinate; insistent on having one’s way

List 18

Bastion – stronghold; fortress; fortified place

Trepidation – fear; apprehension; nervous trembling

Desecrate – to profane a holy place (the opposite is consecrate)

Fortuitous – accidental; occurring by chance

Vehement – urgent; passionate

Assuage – to soothe; to pacify; to ease the pain of; to relieve

Prodigious – extraordinary; enormous

Torpor – sluggishness; inactivity; apathy

Furtive – secretive

Supercilious – haughty; patronizing

Prudent – careful; having foresight

Verbose – wordy; overly talkative

List 19

Pedestrian – common; ordinary; banal (secondary meaning)

Innocuous – harmless; banal

Fanatic – one who is extremely devoted to a cause or idea

Enhance – to make better; to augment

Retract – to take back; to withdraw; to pull back

Ambiguous – unclear in meaning; confusing; capable of being interpreted in at least two similarly plausible ways

Paucity – scarcity

Rescind – to repeal; to take back formally

Subtle – not obvious; able to make fine distinctions; ingenious; crafty

Zealous – fervent; enthusiastically devoted to something

Benign – gentle; not harmful; kind; mild

List 20

Compliant – yielding; submissive

Emulate – to strive to equal or excel, usually through imitation

Innumerable – too many to number or count; many

Meander – to wander slowly, like a winding river

Authoritarian – like a dictator

Brawn – bulk; muscles

Contrite – deeply apologetic; remorseful

Exemplify – to serve as an example of

Facilitate – to make easier

Hypothetical – uncertain; unproven

Recalcitrant – stubbornly defiant of authority or control

Ambulatory – able to walk; walking

List 21

Diffident – timid; lacking in self-confidence

Drone – to talk on and on in a dull way

Gullible – overly trusting; willing to believe anything

Marred – damaged; bruised

Nullify – to make unimportant

Parsimony – stinginess

Propriety – properness; good manners

Rejuvenate – to make young and strong again

Skeptical – doubting (opposite of gullible)

Tenacious – tough; hard to defeat

Animated – alive; moving

Authentic – real

Bias – prejudice; tendency; tilt

List 22

Blithe – carefree; cheerful

Dearth – a lack of; scarcity

Divert – to change the direction of; to alter the course of; to amuse

Enthrall – to thrill

Heed – to listen to

Hindrance – an obstruction; an annoying interference or delay

Irascible – irritable

Merger – a joining or marriage

Nostalgia – a sentimental longing for the past; homesickness

Pretentious – pompous; self-important; ETS-like

Saccharine – sweet; excessively or disgustingly sweet

Stanza – a section of a poem; verse

Venerate – to revere; to treat as something holy, especially because of great age

Vilify – to say vile things about; to defame

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