Romeo and Juliet Vocab Flashcards
Abate
Definition: (of something perceived as hostile, threatening, or negative) become less intense or widespread.
Sentence: “the storm suddenly abated”
Abhor
Definition: regard with disgust and hatred.
Sentence: “professional tax preparers abhor a flat tax because it would dry up their business”
Absolve
Definition: set or declare (someone) free from blame, guilt, or responsibility.
Sentence: “the pardon absolved them of any crimes”
Auspicious
Definition: conducive to success; favorable.
Sentence: “it was not the most auspicious moment to hold an election”
Beguile
Definition: charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way.
Sentence: “every prominent American artist has been beguiled by Maine”
Blazon
Definition: display prominently or vividly.
Sentence: “they saw their company name blazoned all over the media”
Boisterous
Definition: (of a person, event, or behavior) noisy, energetic, and cheerful; rowdy.
Sentence: “the boisterous conviviality associated with taverns of that period”
Calamity
Definition: an event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster.
Sentence: “the journey had led to calamity and ruin”
Dirge
Definition: a lament for the dead, especially one forming part of a funeral rite
Sentence: “singers chanted dirges”
Discern
Definition: perceive or recognize (something).
Sentence:”I can discern no difference between the two policies”
Enmity
Definition: the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.
Sentence: “decades of enmity between the two countries”
Feign
Definition: pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury).
Sentence: “she feigned nervousness”
Fickle
Definition: changing frequently, especially as regards one’s loyalties, interests, or affection.
Sentence: “Web patrons are a notoriously fickle lot, bouncing from one site to another on a whim”
Garish
Definition: obtrusively bright and showy; lurid.
Sentence: “garish shirts in all sorts of colors”
Gorge
Definition: a narrow valley between hills or mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a stream running through it.
Sentence: “the river comes alive during March when fish gorge on caddisworms”
Jocund
Definition: cheerful and lighthearted.
Sentence: “a jocund wedding party”
Lamentable
Definition: cheerful and lighthearted.
Sentence: “a jocund wedding party”
Pensive
Definition: engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought.
Sentence: “a pensive mood”
Penury
Definition: extreme poverty; destitution.
Sentence: “he died in a state of virtual penury”
Pernicious
Definition: having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
Sentence: “the pernicious effects of air pollution”
Portentous
Definition: of or like a portent.
Sentence: “the envelope and its portentous contents”
Prodigious
Definition: remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree.
Sentence: “the stove consumed a prodigious amount of fuel”
Prolixity
Definition: the state or quality of being unnecessarily or tediously wordy
Sentence: “His personal secretary issued a statement, a masterpiece of prolixity that took about five minutes to say what could have been said in ten seconds.”
Propagate
Definition: breed specimens of (a plant or animal) by natural processes from the parent stock.
Sentence: “try propagating your own houseplants from cuttings”
