Lesson 6 Flashcards
baleful(adj).
expressing hatred or evil.
Ex. By the baleful look, I could tell I was in trouble.
ameliorate(v).
to make better.
Ex. He ameliorated his chances of getting the part in the play by practicing unremittingly.
berate(v).
to criticize harshly
ex. To crush his spirit, the coach repeatedly berated him at practice.
circumvent(v).
to avoid through craftiness.
“So how do you propose we circumvent the indefatigable Mr. Poole, Mary?”(Martin,21).
compunction(N).
a feeling of uneasiness because of guilt.
Ex. The boy felt compunction for having put a mouse in his grandmother’s bed.
condone(V).
to overlook or accept without punishment.
ex. The family did not condone dating for their children before their seventeenth birthday.
dimunitive(adj).
very small.
Ex. His girlfriend condoned his dimunitive brain, even though she was definitely the smarter of the two.
euphimism(N).
a polite term to avoid saying something unpleasant.
Ex. a street walker, make love, passed away.
Sentence: To avoid offending anyone at the table, I used an euphimism to describe the
compunction(N).
a feeling of uneasiness because of guilt.
Ex. The boy felt compunction for having put a mouse in his grandmother’s bed.
condone(V).
to overlook or accept without punishment.
ex. The family did not condone dating for their children before their seventeenth birthday.
dimunitive(adj).
very small.
Ex. The diminutive dot on her nose, no one noticed.
euphimism(N).
a polite term to avoid saying something unpleasant.
Ex. street walker, passed away, make love.
Sentence: To avoid offending anyone at the table, I used an euphimism to describe the situation.
heresy(N).
the expression of shocking or “unexpectable” views.
Ex. Sinclair, at first considered Demian’s view on Cain absolute heresy.
infirmity(n).
A physical weakness or ailment.
ex. With her diabetes, she received many infirmities.
profane(adj).
Unholy, heathen.
ex. It is considered vulgar to use profane language around women.
