Semester 1 Vocabulary Flashcards
Mr. Gilmore made a __________remark when he called us “nerds” at the start of class.
derogatory (adjective) to show a critical or disrespectful attitutude
I feel __________ whenever I check Powerschool because I don’t want to get in trouble for my poor grades.
apprehensive (adjective) anxious or fearful
Wreck-it Ralph’s face __________ with rage as he stalked toward his enemy.
contorted (adjective) twisted or bent out of its normal shape
“I’m missing a log,” Mr. Gilmore said, then turned to Zach and pointed a finger at him. “We all know it’s yours!” Zach got up, __________ his reading log onto the front table, then stormed out of class.
flounced (verb - past tense) to move in an exaggerated way, usually with impatience or anger
My brother called my sister a __________ because he didn’t like the skirt she was wearing. She told him he could keep his opinion to himself.
tart (noun) a prostitute an insult aimed at a woman
The puppy whimpered __________ when I stepped on his tail.
plaintively (adverb) done in a sad, somewhat pathetic way
The pile of essays formed a veritable mountain which loomed over Mr. Gilmore. “There’s just too much work. It isn’t fair!” Mr. Gilmore __________.
mourned (verb - past tense) to feel or express sadness
The heavy-_________ plane took longer than usual to reach its destination because it was weighed down by so much luggage.
laden (adjective) burdened, loaded down Usually seen in the form “laden with _____”
On Thanksgiving, the tables were __________ with all kinds of food.
laden (adjective) burdened, loaded down Usually seen in the form “laden with _____”
“I get it,” Mr. Gilmore said __________, rolling his eyes. “But it doesn’t matter; you aren’t getting an extension.
brusquely (adverb) spoken in a straightforward, rude, rough way.
“You know you have a major project due in five minutes, right?” Mr. Gilmore asked. Darin smiled __________ and shrugged.
complacently (adverb) Done without paying attention to potential danger
The most important among our class rules is that we never use __________ language when speaking to each other.
derogatory (adjective) to show a critical or disrespectful attitude
Today was so terrible that I went straight home, __________ onto my bed, and fell asleep.
flounced (verb - past tense) to move in an exaggerated way, usually with impatience or anger
When Mr. Gilmore called on her to answer his question, Shay’s face was __________ with thought as she struggled to remember the answer.
contorted (adjective) twisted or bent out of its normal shape
When he was in seventh grade, Mr. Gilmore __________ lost the class spelling bee because he didn’t want to complete in front of the school.
deliberately (adverb) intentionally; on purpose OR in a slow and careful way
Joe took longer than usual to get home because his backpack was __________ with countless books which slowed him down.
laden (adjective) burdened, loaded down Usually seen in the form “laden with _____”
The puppy let out a _________ whimper when I stepped on his tail.
plaintive (adjective) sad or pathetic
Daniel was __________ at the thought of yet another vocab quiz. He was so upset that he worried all weekend about it.
apprehensive (adjective) anxious or fearful
Few people know that the __________ tree is symbolic of strength, protection, eternity, and divinity.
Sycamore (3, 7)
A large, European-Asian maple tree
Symbolic of “strength, protection, eternity, divinity (God)
After getting sent home for misbehaving, Matteo spent hours ____________ his actions and regretting them.
Contemplating
Contemplate: To look at for a long time (in a thoughtful way)
To think about deeply
In medeival times, priests’ books might have been kept in the either the __________ or in the adjacent cloister alley.
Sacristy
The back room in a church where a priest prepares for a service/sermon; where special clothing and other religious tools are kept
Wool is a sustainable fabric; every year the sheep will grow new wool to be __________.
Sheared
To cut the wool off (a sheep)
Next summer, I plan to take a trip to __________, the southernmost region of Spain.
Andalusia
My hair is blonde, and I have always been jealous of my sister’s dark, _________ hair.
Raven (6)
A black bird, similar to a crow.
Raven is ALSO an adjective for anything that’s the glossy black color of a raven’s feathers: “His raven hair was held out of his eyes with a sweatband.”
During the summer, it’s best to stay indoors when the sun is at its __________. Otherwise, you risk getting a terrible sunburn.
Zenith
the time at which something is most powerful or successful.
The time when the sun is at its highest point – the peak of an arc
These children are weak because they lack proper __________. Some fruits and vegetables will do them good.
Nourishment (noun)
the food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition.
Food, water, nutritional stuff
Though his class was courageous, it was impossible for them to __________ the horror of Mr. Gilmore’s bad puns. They fell to the ground and begged him to stop telling jokes.
Withstand
Resist; get through; remain undamaged or unaffected by
Past tense = withstood
Because he wanted to become a priest, my cousin studied __________ at the seminary.
Theology
The study of religion
Priests study theology
Payton spent most of her day at the museum, __________ various works of art.
Contemplating
Contemplate: To look at for a long time (in a thoughtful way)
–> To think about deeply
Joe worked hard throughout the Autumn, gathering wood to stoke the furnace in his cabin. As a result, he was able to__________ one of the hardest winters anyone had ever seen.
Withstand
Resist; get through; remain undamaged or unaffected by
Past tense = withstood
Provide your garden with __________ and it will flourish, rewarding you with ripe vegetables to fill your plate.
Nourishment (noun)
the food or other substances necessary for growth, health, and good condition.
Food, water, nutritional stuff
The sun was well past its __________ and headed toward the trees on the west side of the cabin.
Zenith
the time at which something is most powerful or successful.
The time when the sun is at its highest point – the peak of an arc
Zach reached the _________ of his greatness when he earned the nickname “Carbatron.” After that, there was no way he could become any cooler.
Zenith
the time at which something is most powerful or successful.
The time when the sun is at its highest point – the peak of an arc
This poor creature has been __________ of its wool.
Sheared
To cut the wool off (a sheep)
When I was in the bathroom, my friends put spaghetti sauce in my chair. I sat down and stained my pants, and even after washing them countless times my butt was __________ red.
tinged (adjective)
Meaning of tinged in English
having a very slight amount of a color OR of a feeling:
Wanting to become a priest, he studied theology in the __________ for several years.
seminary (noun)
a college that prepares students to be priests, ministers, or rabbis.
A school of theology
Bella considered studying for her test, but decided to take a __________ risk and didn’t study. She figured she knew the material fairly well, and if she did end up failing then she could always retake it.
calculated (adjective)
undertaken after considering the likelihood of success or failure (EX: a calculated risk)
deliberately planned; premeditated (EX: a calculated insult)
Ash spent hours in front of the computer, studying her data. Finally, she got to her feet and paced about the laboratory. Adjusting her glasses and straightening her coat, she leaned close to the computer and did her best to __________ the statistics before her. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t detect any sort of pattern.
interpret (verb)
to describe the meaning of something; examine in order to explain. OR to change what someone is saying into the words of another language; translate:
After a lengthy __________ with my doctor, I was convinced to change my dietary and exercise habits.
consultation (noun)
a meeting to discuss something or to get advice
Mr. Gilmore was almost finished handing back essay results. Charlotte wasn’t paying attention, so she was surprised to find the paper on her desk.
“These are our essays!” she exclaimed.
“How very observant,” Mr. Gilmore said __________.
dryly (adverb)
in a matter-of-fact or ironically humorous way
Often spoken with a straight face, but with a touch of sarcasm
Christian sighed. It was a lazy Sunday, and he just couldn’t get into the book that jerk Mr. Gilmore (also known as the worst teacher in the world) assigned him. He __________ the pages for a while, then tossed the thing aside and decided to do something else.
leafed through
leaf through (phrasal verb –> these two words always come as a pair, sort of like LADEN WITH)
If you leaf through something such as a book or magazine, you turn the pages without reading or looking at them very carefully.
Ava was __________ distracted by the bright red bird that flew past the classroom window.
“Are you paying attention?” Mr. Gilmore asked, glowering at her. His expression was truly indimidating.
“Sorry,” Ava said. “I’m focused now.”
momentarily (adverb)
for a short time
Mitzi rolled her eyes. “What do you want from me, Mr. Gilmore?” She was more than a little annoyed with his endless nagging.
Mr. Gilmore waved her essay in her face. “This? This is NOT your best work. I simply want you to ___________ your potential.”
realize (verb)
If someone or something realizes their potential, they accomplish as much as they are capable of
This was a quiz unlike any Carbatron had faced before. It turned out that his studying was __________, for nothing he reviewed was on the paper before him.
Fruitless (adjective)
Fruitless actions, events, or efforts are not successful despite great effort
During the Halloween season, black cats are thought to be a bad __________. Because of this, many adoption centers have a hard time convincing people to take these cats home.
Omen - an event that seems to be a symbol of something good or evil, similar to a sign of good luck.
Is USUALLY thought to predict good or evil in the future.
Moors (noun)
Moorish (adjective)
“Moor” was a term used to refer to muslims during the period when The Alchemist takes place. Hundreds of years before the start of the story, the Moors inhabited Spain and left a great influence on the country and its people.
Mr. Gilmore’s class always knew when their teacher was in a bad mood. On certain days he wore a black hoodie. This dark hoodie __________ his dark mood, and on this days he would shy away from bright lights and plug his ears with his fingers if anyone tried to speak to him.
signify (verb) - to be evidence of OR to be a sign of something
Past tense - signified
Similar words: represent, symbolize
Nick had many concerns about Mr. Gilmore’s poor teaching, so he arranged a meeting. They met during lunch and __________ at length regarding a number of different topics. Their discussion ended with Mr. Gilmore breaking down in tears and apologizing to Nick for his shortcomings.
Conversed
Converse - to engage in conversation
Shay __________ at Mr. Gilmore’s painting. Her teacher was such a skilled artist that his rendering of the classroom was indistinguishable from the real thing; it almost looked like a photograph.
To marvel (verb) - to look upon something with amazement
OR
Marvel (noun) - something amazing
Strait - a narrow passage of water connecting two large bodies of water.
This arrow points to the Straits of Gibraltar.
Payton walked into class and was stopped in her tracks by the chorus of voices singing “happy birthday.” She was __________. Red-faced, she hurried to her seat and buried her face in her folded arms. This was, by far, the most embarrassing thing she’d ever experienced.
Abashed (adjective) - ashamed or embarrassed
Charlotte and her classmates __________ to keep Mr. Gilmore distracted all class by talking about cats. Their goal was to prevent him from introducing the lesson so that they were guaranteed to have no homework.
Conspired (verb) - to act or work together toward the same result or goal.
Often used with the word “to.” (Conspire to _________) or (Conspired to __________)
The entire class __________ Mr. Gilmore’s absence. They understood that, without him, their day was only half as awesome as it could have been. He truly was the coolest dude in existence.
Lament (verb) - to feel or express sorrow or regret for something or someont
Lament (noun) - an expression of sorrow or regret (sometimes “a lament” is a poem or song that expresses sorrow)
Charles was deeply upset. While fighting off the ninjas, he got a hole in his favorite t-shirt. Fortunately, Dan was skilled at sewing and was able to __________ it for him.
mend - to repair
Often refers to clothing or fabric
Can be used two ways:
A) He MENDED the saddle. (Contains a direct object for the verb - “the saddle”)
B) His bones MENDED. (Verb has no direct object)
In his first years of teaching, Mr. Gilmore became angry whenever a student interrupted him. Now, after several years, he had become __________ to being interrupted.
accustomed
Usually “accustomed to _________” / “accustomed to something”
To become used to something, to get used to something so that it becomes ordinary
Today was a terrible day for Charles. He missed the bus, walked to school in the rain, and was surprised by two tests he’d forgotten about.
When Christian asked Charles how his day was, Charles smiled __________ and said, “I suppose it couldn’t be much worse.” As soon as he finished speaking, his smile vanished and a single tear appeared at the corner of his eye to roll slowly down his cheek.
ruefully (adverb)
Done in a way that shows feeling, sorrow, or pity (synonym: mournfully)
rueful (adjective) –> “a rueful smile” = “a sad smile”
Though years of students’ nonsense had made him weary, Mr. Gilmore still __________ some of the youthful optimism he’d possessed when he first became a teacher.
retained
retain (verb) - to keep possession or ownership of
Ten minutes passed during which Mr. Gilmore’s class raised their hands with question after question. What about this grade? What about that grade? What are we doing next?
Finally, tired of their __________ questioning, Mr. Gilmore put his fingers in his ears and pretended not to hear his students.
incessant (adjective)
continuing without interruption; ceaseless; unending:
In college, Mr. Gilmore’s best friend earned money doing tarot card readings for friends and acquaintances. He was skilled in __________, and his predictions about the future were eerily accurate.
divination
the practice of attempting to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means.
When Mitzi’s cruise ship docked in Seattle, she __________ and spent most of the afternoon ashore. After several hours of visiting the local museums and shops, she returned to the ship.
disembark (verb)
to go ashore from a ship.
Though he seemed a mellow fellow, Anthony’s dream was to __________ the world. He was, in reality, an evil genius bent on bringing all the nations of the earth under his control. If that required force, then so be it.
conquer
to overcome by force
Lia spent her afternoons working in a flower shop. More than anything, she enjoyed the pleasant __________ of the tulips that bloomed in spring.
aroma (noun)
an odor arising from spices, plants, cooking, etc., especially an agreeable odor; fragrance.
Shay was __________ disappointed in Mr. Gilmore. She submitted an essay three weeks ago and he still hadn’t looked at the thing.
What a loser, she thought.
Profoundly
Very, extremely (more intense than either of these two words)
The “fancy meter” for ‘profoundly’ is 90, while the “fancy meter” for very is 20.
Jason, Nick, Phil, and Zach always made a squeaky noise during class. Mr. Gilmore found it difficult to put up with, but Darin found it quite ___________. He didn’t understand why Mr. Gilmore had such a hard time ignoring the noise.
Tolerable (adjective)
Able to be tolerated
Able to be put up with
Mr. Gilmore went to great lengths to teach his class about motifs, which are essentially __________ symbols.
He explained, “The fact that they repeat over and over is what sets them apart from symbols.”
Recurring
Repeating, happening again and again
Mr. Gilmore didn’t have to check his students’ grades to know where their understanding was. He had an __________ sense of their comprehension.
intuitive (adjective)
Able to be understood through a “gut feeling.”
Able to be understood through feeling rather than logical reasoning.
Upon first meeting Mr. Gilmore, Lexxah had an __________ sense that there was something weird about him.
This was confirmed when he admitted to watching anime.
What a loser, she thought.
intuitive (adjective)
Able to be understood through a “gut feeling.”
Able to be understood through feeling rather than logical reasoning.
“Here’s your assignment,” Mr. Gilmore said. “I want you to write me a fifty-page story detailing every single event that has ever happened to you.”
Bella __________ at the assignment. “Are you serious?”
What a loser, she thought.
balked
to hesitate or be unwilling to accept an idea or undertaking.
“If you want to learn how to write well,” Mr. Gilmore began, “you have to __________ in good books and good writing. You can’t just do a little here and there - you have to be deeply involved.”
Christian rolled his eyes. What a loser, he thought.
immerse
involve oneself deeply in a particular activity or interest.
dip or submerge in a liquid.
The worst part of swimming is when the water is cold. To accustom yourself to the temperature, you need to __________ yourself in the water. Dipping just your foot won’t do; all of you needs to be in the water.
immerse
involve oneself deeply in a particular activity or interest.
dip or submerge in a liquid.
Mr. Gilmore stood before class. “You kids just don’t get it. Pokemon is one of the greatest games ever invented. When I was ten, I had a __________ for collecting cards, completing the games, buying toys – everything.”
Lia exchanged a skeptical look with Matteo.
“What a loser,” she whispered to him.
mania (noun)
an excessive enthusiasm or desire; an obsession.
Also a term for mental illness characterized by unrestrained enthusiasm/obsession that negatively impacts your life
Mr. Gilmore stood at the front of class. “The movie Happy Gilmore, starring Adam Sandler, was actually based on my experiences,” he said. “They stole the events from my journals and wrote the script for the film without ever paying me a cent. Can you believe it?”
The class was __________. There was no way this story was true.
What a loser, they thought.
incredulous (adjective)
Unable or unwilling to believe something
Mr. Gilmore considered the __________ lies he told his students, usually in the form of stories. There were so many of them that he found it hard to keep track.
I hope they don’t think I’m a lying loser, he thought.
Innumerable (adjective)
Unable to be counted
“A lot of” / “Very many”
Shay was initially unwilling to join the skydiving team. However, Christian _______________ her to join by repeatedly reminding her how lucky the team would be to have her. Flattered, she agreed.
Cajoled (verb)
Cajole
persuade (someone) to do something by by convincing them, talking them into something in a friendly way
The idea is that you’re convincing someone - “Come on! It’ll be fun! You know you’ll regret it if you don’t!”
You are NOT forcing or bullying them into it.
Jason burst through the door and stormed through the desks, pushing each of them aside as he reached them. When he came to the back of the room, he retrieved his agenda. Then, with a brief “Hello!” to Mr. Gilmore, he departed.
Mr. Gilmore stood in shock long after his _______________ student had left.
Impetuous (adjective)
Also be aware of: impetuously (adverb)
Headstrong, impulsive, moving quickly and without thought or care
acting or done quickly and without thought or care.
moving forcefully or rapidly.
Charles’s _______________ reason for missing class was that he was sick. In truth, he wanted to stay home to play games.
Ostensible (adjective)
stated or appearing to be true, but not so
Mr. Gilmore’s favorite word in the English language
Mr. Gilmore delayed the vocab quiz for the _______________ reason that he was too busy to create it. In truth, he was too busy training to become an astronaut.
Ostensible (adjective)
stated or appearing to be true, but not so
Mr. Gilmore’s favorite word in the English language
Mr. Gilmore sighed impatiently as Matteo checked his quiz for the forty-seventh time.
Matteo was now certain that every ‘i’ was dotted and every ‘t’ was crossed. He’d spelled each word correctly, capitalized all proper nouns, and provided enough space between each word. Furthermore, his letters were written perfectly straight. Finally, he reached the last sentence he’d written.
“I’m not sure if I should end this sentence with a period or an exclamation point,” Matteo said. “Maybe I have to use my probability simulator.”
Mr. Gilmore sighed. “Would you stop being so _______________ and turn your quiz in?”
persnickety (adjective)
fussy about small details
Santiago lived the _______________ life of a shepherd, wandering all over Andalusia and never calling one place home.
itinerant (adjective)
Describing someone who travels from place to place (ex: an itinerant lifestyle is a traveling lifestyle)
Throughout his twenties, the _______________ Mr. Gilmore lived all over the place. He moved from New Hampshire to South Korea, then Washington State. Finally, he settled in Connecticut.
itinerant (adjective)
Describing someone who travels from place to place (ex: an itinerant lifestyle is a traveling lifestyle)
Mr. Gilmore folded his arms and glared at his class. “I’m disappointed in all of you.”
Ever the _______________, Dan put on a fake frown. “I’m disappointed in myself, Mr. Gilmore. I’m so sorry you’re disappointed in me.” Then, Dan did his best to cry on command. A solitary tear rolled down his cheek.
Dan’s classmates rolled their eyes, but Mr. Gilmore failed to see through Dan’s sucking up. The rest of them earned detentions, but Dan was allowed to go home on time.
sycophant (noun)
a servile self-seeking flatterer
a suck-up who is trying to get ahead
Also be aware of sycophantic (adjective): to have the qualities of a suck-up
Socratic had been going for over an hour. Sweat beaded the student’s foreheads; things were getting heated.
“The real question,” Alanna asked, “is what do you think the hawk symbolizes?”
Ash took a deep breath. The whole class looked at her. For a long moment, they fell into a _______________ silence, as they waited to hear Ash’s brilliant idea.
parturient (adjective)
Parturient literally means pregnant, but you can use it to describe a “pregnant silence.” The silence isn’t going to have a baby, but it’s “pregnant” with meaning or importance. Someone is about to say something meaningful, and there’s tension in the silence because of this.
