Vocab 10 Flashcards
Bombastic
Adjective
Excessively confident, pompous (The singer’s bombastic performance disgusted the crowd.)
Abort
Verb
To give up on a half-finished project or effort (after Jeremy ran out of food, the men, attempting to jump rope around the world, had to abort and go home.)
Caustic
Adjective
Bitter, biting, acidic (the politicians exchanged caustic insults for over an hour during the debate.)
Caucus
Noun
A meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal (the ironworkers held a caucus to determine how much of a pay increase they would request.)
Defile
Verb
To make unclean, impure (mike defiled the calm of the religious building by playing his banjo).
Elated
Adjective
Overjoyed, thrilled (when Jeremy found out he had won the lottery, the writer was elated.)
Fickle
Adjective
Shifting in character, inconstant (in Greek dramas, the fickle gods help Achilles one day, and then harm him the next.)
grandiose
Adjective
On a magnificent or exaggerated scale (Mike planned a grandiose part, replete with elephants, trapeze artists, and clowns.)
Impinge
Verb 1&2
1) to impact, affect, make an impression (the hail impinged the roof, leaving large dents.) 2) to encroach, infringe (I apologize for impinging upon you like this, but I really need to use mike’s bathroom.)
Lethargic
Adjective
In a state of sluggishness of apathy (when mr. Nation’s explained to his boss that he was lethargic and didn’t feel like working that day, the boss fired him.)
Meager
Adjective
Deficient in size or quality (David’s meager portion of food did nothing to satisfy David’s appetite.)
Nominal
Adjective
Trifling, insignificant (Because he was moving the following week and needed to get rid of his furniture more than he needed money, Jared sold everything for a nominal fee.)
Onerous
Adjective
Burdensome (my parents is lamented that the pleasures of living in a beautiful country estate no longer outweighed the onerous mortgage payments.)
Paradox
Noun
An apparently contradictory statement that is perhaps true (the diplomat refused to acknowledge the paradox that negotiating a peace treaty would demand more resources than waging war.)
Reciprocate
verb
to give in return (when Steve gave Madeline a sweater for Christmas, she reciprocated by giving him a kiss.)