Study Guide: Iolani School Elective Vocabulary List 2

1 abominable adj. detestably bad.  Cruelty to helpless animals is abominable.

2 acuity (a-KYEW-ity) n. sharpness of perception or understanding.  Eagles have acuity of vision.

3 aggregate (AG-re-get) adj. collective.  Aggregate sales declined.   n. sum total.  In the aggregate, her property is worth millions.  (AG-re-GATE) vt. to gather.  Scientists aggregate statistical data.

4 amorphous adj. shapeless.  A dark, amorphous spot in the Milky Way puzzled astronomers.

5 appraisal n. estimation of value, esp. by an authority.  An expert gave me an appraisal of my property.

6 articulate (are-TIC-you-let) adj. expressed clearly.  A newscaster must be an articulate speaker.  (are-TIC-you-LATE) vt. to express clearly.  I was too excited to articulate my thoughts.

7 austere adj. stern; severely simple in manner, décor, etc.  The office was as austere as a jail cell.

8 belie vt. to give a false impression of.  His childlike face belies his toughness.

9 benevolence n. good will; disposition to help.  Despite political differences between our governments, most Americans feel benevolence toward the people of Iraq.

10 caustic adj. 1. bitterly sarcastic.  The caustic criticism hurt the performer’s feelings.  2. corrosive.

11 circumspect adj. careful to consider consequences.  Be circumspect when choosing a college.

12 compromise n. settlement by mutual concessions.  The compromise pleased both sides.  vi. to settle by mutual concessions.  vt. to expose to discredit.  I refuse to compromise my principles.

13 constrict vt. to squeeze; to cause to tighten.  The necktie constricts his throat.

14 consultation n. a meeting for advice; a conference.  He had a consultation with a knee specialist.

15 cosmopolitan adj. 1. sophisticated, worldly.  Study abroad gave him more cosmopolitan opinions than his small-town friends.  2. worldwide rather than provincial.  n. a cosmopolitan person.

16 defame vt. to slander.  Political opponents spread lies to defame her.

17 deplete vt. to use up, make empty of.  We must not deplete our natural resources.

18 disarray n. disorder.  The rock band’s wild party left the hotel room in disarray.

19 discriminate vt. to perceive differences.  Our ears discriminate many notes.  vi. 1. to distinguish.  He discriminates among wines.  2. to distinguish unfairly.  They discriminate against minorities.

20 dissemble vt. to hide under a false appearance.  The superhero dissembles his true identity.  vi. to pretend.  The undercover policeman dissembles to win the trust of criminals.

21 dubious adj. 1. uncertain.  My chances of winning are dubious.  2. worthy of suspicion.  He was elected despite his dubious reputation.

22 dwindle vi. to grow steadily less.  The days dwindle down to a precious few.

23 elate vt. to make very happy.  News that she had won the scholarship elated her.

24 eminence n. distinction, superiority.  The attorney achieved eminence in her field.

25 enlightenment n. the state or act of being instructed; awareness.  My enlightenment began when I left my sheltered home.

26 eschew (eh-SHOO or es-CHOO) vt. to shun, avoid.  The dieter eschews sweets.

27 exemplary (ex-EM-pluh-ree) adj. serving as a model: excellent.  The coach praised her exemplary play.

28 extol vt. to praise highly.  Teachers wrote letters extolling her merits to colleges.

29 fastidious adj. having high standards; hard to please.  My mother is a fastidious housekeeper.

30 fluster vt. to bewilder.  Their teasing flustered him.  vi. to become agitated.  He flusters easily.

31 germinal adj. in the first stages of development. Rock music was in a germinal phase in 1954.

32 hedonism n. living for the sake of pleasure.  The wealthy rock stars’ hedonism disgusted her.

33 hypothetical adj. assumed without proof: speculative.  Science fiction creates hypothetical worlds.

34 incapacitated adj. disabled.  A back injury left me incapacitated.

35 incensed (in-SENSED) adj. enraged.  The pitcher was incensed at the umpire’s bad call.

36 indelible adj. impossible to erase: lasting.  The memory of you is as indelible as a marble etching.

37 innate adj. inborn.  He has an innate common sense that he never learned in school.

38 irrevocable (ir-REV-uh-ka-ble) adj. unalterable; impossible to cancel.  He begged her to stay, but her decision was irrevocable.

39 lethargy (LETH-er-jee) n. drowsiness, laziness.  In my lethargy I could hardly leave my bed.

40 linger vi. to be slow to leave, act, or die.  Reluctant to say goodbye, we lingered at the gate.

41 malicious adj. intending to harm another.  Malicious vandals painted hate messages.

42 mesmerize vt. to spellbind.  The skilled storyteller mesmerized audiences.

43 nomenclature n. a specialized set of terms.  Scientists use a nomenclature to classify animals.

44 ordain vt. 1. to appoint as a priest.  Our Chaplain is an ordained minister.  2. to establish or order by law.  The Headmaster ordained that the day after Family Fair should be a holiday.

45 parry vt. to evade, ward off.  The politician parried a difficult question.  n. an act of parrying.

46 pecuniary adj. relating to money; financial.  The treasurer handles pecuniary matters.

47 poignant (POIN-yent) adj. stirring sympathy; moving.  The images of weeping widows were poignant.

48 premise (PREM-miss) n. something assumed as a basis of reasoning: assumption.  The war was based on the premise that Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction.

49 privy (PRIV-vee) adj. private; sharing in a secret.  Employees are not privy to the list of salaries.

50 propriety (pro-PRY-eh-tee) n. appropriateness.  I question the propriety of wearing shorts to church.

51 raze vt. to demolish.  They razed some old shacks to clear the construction site.

52 recondite (RECK-on-dite) adj. hard to understand; little known.  The recondite theories in the physics professor’s book baffled me.

53 relinquish vt. to yield, release, give up.  He is willing to relinquish his position as chairman.

54 ribald (ribbled) adj. using vulgar humor.  The comedian’s ribald joke was censored.  n. a ribald person.

55 salutary (SAL-yuh-tary) adj. promoting health or welfare.  He gave a salutary warning about smoking.

56 servile adj. submissive, slavelike.  Her parents spoiled her with servile obedience to her every wish.

57 sparse adj. few and scattered.  The desert has a sparse population.

58 stipend n. fixed payment for services.  The company gives him a stipend for occasional consulting.

59 supersede vt. to replace as outdated.  The revised rules supersede the ones in your handbook.

60 teeming adj. overflowing with life; abounding.  The hive was teeming with bees.

61 titter vi. to giggle; to laugh in a partly suppressed manner.  When a boy asked her to dance, the seventh-grader tittered in embarrassment.  n. tittering laughter.

62 ubiquitous (you-BIC-wit-us) adj. widespread.  Fashion trends soon become ubiquitous at school.

63 vagrant n. an idle wanderer.  Homeless vagrants took over the city park.  adj. wandering.

64 virtuoso (plural virtuosi) n. a highly skilled performer.  Van Cliburn was a piano virtuoso.

65 zealous adj. eagerly enthusiastic.  The zealous political activist never tired of organizing rallies.