Monday, August 29, 2016

Vocabulary Enrichment #1

Myriad - n - a large number
"Kubo and the Two Strings" can be interpreted in myriad ways.

Innocuous - adj - harmless
The non-venomous snake bite was innocuous.

Feign - v - fake
He feigned interest during their first date.

Temerity - n - excessive confidence or boldness
He approached the task with temerity.

Affront - n - an action that causes offense
The remark caused great affront and the dinner conversation never recovered.

Acquiesce - v - accept reluctantly, but without protest
After hours of debate, they acquiesced out of exhaustion.

Interim - adj - temporary 
The interim music director jumped straight into the role, making the transition easy for the students.

Trepidation - n - a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen
He approached the airplane door with great trepidation, praying that his parachute would open.

Alleviate - v - solve
She alleviated the concerns they wanted to address.

Stagnant - adj - showing no activity; slow and sluggish
The pool was stagnant and smelled like sulfur.

Elicit - v - evoke or draw out
The situation elicited a mixed, but powerful response.

Exacerbate - v - make worse
Jimmy exacerbated the straining outing by leaping into the lion cage.

Tumultuous - adj - excited, confused, or disorderly
The hike was tumultuous, and we were forced to travel quite slowly.

Bolster - v - reinforce
Her confidence was bolstered as she recalled her greatest passions and purpose.

Cajole - v - persuade someone to do something by sustained coaxing or flattery
I was cajoled to go to Fourth Street Pizza.

Clandestine - adj - kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit
These clandestine meetings have to stop!

Ameliorate - v - make something (bad or unsatisfactory) better
He ameliorated the situation with his careful wording.

Cessation - n - the fact or process of ending or being brought to an end
The cessation of the trade agreement had myriad effects.

Proliferation - n - rapid increase in numbers
The proliferation of the rabbit population came as no surprise.

Fervent - adj - having or displaying a passionate intensity
The fervent manner of their leaders inspired the rest of the team.

Ubiquitous - adj - present, appearing, or found everywhere
The MacBook is ubiquitous in SJSU classrooms.

Sweltering - adj - uncomfortably hot
I assume, as all Californians assume, that Florida is always sweltering.

Extraneous - adj - irrelevant or unrelated to the subject being dealt with
The extraneous information was meant to distract them.

Recalcitrant - adj - having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline
The freshmen had a recalcitrant reaction to being asked not to consume alcohol.

Schadenfreude - n - pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune
They felt schadenfreude watching "America's Funniest Home Videos". 

Malleable - adj - morphable
The clay had hardened, and was no longer malleable.

Augment - v - make (something) greater by adding to it; increase
Her life was augmented by his presence.

Debauchery - n - excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures
The debauchery of that Summer vacation was unrivaled in their lifetimes.

Decadence - n - luxurious self-indulgence
The life of decadence is easy to witness in the United States.

Presumptive - adj -of the nature of a presumption; presumed in the absence of further information
The presumptive grade was a good one.

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