Study Guide: Iolani School Elective Vocabulary List 3

1 abrasive adj. 1. irritating.  His abrasive personality offended classmates.  2. tending to wear down by friction.  Emery has an abrasive surface.  n. something rough used to smooth or polish.

2 adage n. wise saying, proverb.  “Practice what you preach” is an adage.

3 alleviate vt. to make less hard to bear.  A neck rub alleviated his pain.

4 analogy n. reasoning based on similarity.  The speaker made an analogy between sports and life.

5 apprehensive adj. fearful: expecting harm.  My mom was apprehensive until I called home.

6 ascetic adj. practicing severe self-denial, esp. for religious purposes.  On her religious retreat she led an ascetic life.  n. one who leads an ascetic existence.  A monk is an ascetic.

7 autonomy n. independence, self-determination.  In 1947 India gained autonomy from Britain.

8 burnish vt. to make brilliant or shining.  The warrior burnished his sword.

9 callow adj. immature, naïve.  The cutthroat competition in Hollywood shocked the callow actor.

10 champion vt. to act as militant supporter of: to defend.  She champions the rights of the underdog.  n. 1. a militant defender.  He is a champion of the rights of the underdog.  2. winner.

11 circumvent vt. to get around or evade, esp. by stratagem.  He found a way to circumvent the rules.

12 cognizant adj. aware.  When I invited them to lunch, I was not cognizant of their mutual dislike.

13 commemorate vt. to recognize the memory of.  The plaque commemorates the tsunami victims.

14 concede vt. to grant or yield.  Unable to win, I conceded the game.  vi. to yield.  I conceded.

15 crafty adj. sly, clever.  The Joker is a crafty villain who tries to outwit Batman.

16 cryptic adj. having secret meaning.  Her cryptic remark was meant to be understood only by me.

17 deplore vt. to express regret for.  The Principal deplored the acts of vandalism.

18 deter vt. to discourage or prevent.  The sign failed to deter trespassing.

19 digression n. departure from the subject.  His long digression prevented him from finishing the lecture.

20 discern vi. to perceive and comprehend.  He can discern who is trustworthy.

21 duplicity n. double-dealing, pretense.  The discovery of his former friend’s duplicity shocked him.

22 elegiac adj. like an elegy: expressing grief.  The tragedy ends on an elegiac note.

23 emulate vt. to imitate.  You set a good example that I try to emulate.

24 ensconced adj. 1. settled firmly in place.  He was ensconced in a dead-end job.  2. sheltered.

25 esteem n. regard, esp. high regard.  I hold her in high esteem.  vt. to regard.  I esteem her highly.

26 exhaustive adj. thorough; testing all possibilities.  My teacher praised my exhaustive research.

27 extraneous adj. unessential, irrelevant.  Skip the extraneous information in chapter nine.

28 feign vi. pretend.  He thought she loved him, but she was only feigning.  vt. to assume an appearance of.  She feigned romantic interest only to manipulate him.

29 foible n. a minor weakness of character.  His harmless foibles amused his children.

30 gibe n. a taunt.  His gibes hurt my feelings.  vi. to taunt or mock (not the same as jibe, “to agree”).

31 heed vt. to pay attention to.  Heed my warning.  n. attention.  Pay him no heed.

32 idiom n. 1. an expression peculiar to common usage.  The idiom “up for” can mean “willing to.”  2. The dialect of a group of people.  Rap artists have their own idiom.

33 implement vt. to carry out, put into use.  We lack the resources to implement the plan.  n. a tool.

34 incessant adj. unending.  The ocean roar is incessant.

35 indigence n. poverty.  Health problems are common in areas of severe indigence.

36 innocuous adj. harmless; unlikely to offend; bland.  The boy band’s innocuous love songs met the approval of parents but bored teenagers.

37 intermittent adj. not continuous.  Intermittent showers repeatedly delayed the game.

38 introvert n. a shy person; one preoccupied with one’s mental life.  Introverts enjoy silent contemplation.

39 itinerary n. a planned route.  The itinerary for the tour includes stops at three colleges.

40 mar vt. to spoil the perfection of; to damage.  Poor movies marred the director’s reputation.

41 mercurial adj. changeable in mood.  His mercurial temper shifts from anger to joy in minutes.

42 nuance n. (nu-AWNTS) a subtle quality.  Figure skating judges see nuances most viewers miss.

43 orthodoxy n. established beliefs, esp. in religion.  Martin Luther challenged orthodoxy.

44 parochial (pa-ROKE-ial) adj. 1. narrow-minded.  The parochial policies favored local interests over larger community needs.  2. of or pertaining to a parish (church district) or region.

45 pedestrian adj. 1. unimaginative.  His pedestrian poems make obvious statements in flat language.  2. relating to walking.  n. one who walks.

46 perfunctory adj. done by routine; unenthusiastic.  His thanks sounded perfunctory and insincere.

47 philanthropy n. active goodwill to humankind.  The retired millionaire is known for philanthropy.

48 postulate (POSS-che-LATE) vt. to assume as true for the sake of argument.  Scientists postulate a Big Bang that created the cosmos.  (POSS-che-lit) n. hypothesis; a statement accepted as true.

49 prodigality n. careless wastefulness.  His prodigality led to large debts.

50 protracted adj. lengthened.  The judicial process was protracted by appeals and counter suits.

51 rebuke vt. to scold.  The coach rebuked a lazy player.  n. a scolding.  The coach gave him a rebuke.

52 recoil (re-COIL) vi. to move back in reaction.  At the sight of the ghost I recoiled in fear.  (RE-coil) n. the kickback of a gun.

53  remit vt. 1. to release from debt or penalty; to forgive.  He remitted the penalty and let me off with a warning.  2. to send as payment.  They remitted payment for the sofa they had ordered.

54  renowned (re-NOUND) adj. famous; having renown.  Kobe beef is renowned for its tenderness.

55  rescind vt. to cancel.  Upon finding him innocent, the league rescinded the player’s suspension.

56  sanction n. 1. authorization.  Dances require the school’s sanction.  2. punishment, esp. coercion ap-plied to a nation.  vt. 1. to authorize.  The mayor sanctioned the town fair.  2. to punish through sanction.

57  skeptical adj. not easily convinced.  Reports of UFOs drew skeptical responses.

58  specious (SPEE-shus) adj. deceptively impressive.  The politician’s specious promises fooled voters.

59  stolid adj. unemotional.  From his stolid demeanor, I cannot tell whether he loves or hates his job.

60  surfeit (SIR-fit) n. overabundant supply.  After Halloween he had a surfeit of candy.  vt. to supply to the point of disgust.  After Halloween he was surfeited on candy.  vi. to overindulge.

61  temperate adj. 1. moderate, mild.  Hawaiian winters are temperate.  2. restrained in indulging appetites.  The temperate drinker turned down a refill.

62  torpor n. apathy, sluggishness.  The teacher’s jokes could not stir the class from its torpor.

63  unaccountable adj. 1. unexplainable.  His absence was unaccountable.  2. not responsible.

64  variegated adj. marked with different colors.  The variegated fur provides natural camouflage.

65  versatile adj. having many skills or uses.  A Swiss Army knife is a versatile tool.