Honors Humanities
Vocabulary List 3
abduction (n.): the act of leading or carrying off a person illegally, in secret and by force.
The small child was a victim of abduction by the hijackers.
Synonym: kidnapping
catharsis (n.): the purging of emotions, especially pity and fear. The audience felt a major
catharsis at the end of the tragedy.
Synonyms: purification, release
condescension (n.): (1) patronizing behavior; (2) voluntary assumption of equality with
someone considered inferior. Writing about the amateur community theater, the
Broadway critic’s condescension was obvious.
Synonyms: disdain, haughtiness, superciliousness
Antonym: humility
embellishment (n.): (1) an ornament or decoration; (2) a fictitious detail. Fearful that his
mother would not believe the truth of his story, the boy added several
embellishments to try to make it more convincing.
Synonyms: adornment, floridity, gilding, ornamentation
Antonym: simplification
fallible (adj.): (1) capable of making an error; (2) likely to be wrong or false. All people are
fallible; some are more fallible than others.
Synonyms: careless, errant, questionable
Antonyms: perfect, reliable, unerring
fidelity (n.): faithfulness; loyalty; accuracy. The stenographer reproduced the speaker’s
words with complete fidelity.
Synonyms: constancy, meticulousness, scrupulousness
Antonyms: faithlessness, inconstancy, vacillation
gall (n.): impudence; effrontery; rancor. The student had the gall to question the
knowledge of his English teacher.
Synonyms: arrogance, brazenness, insolence
Antonym: modesty
(v.t.): to irk or exasperate. It galled the English teacher when his students questioned
his knowledge.
Synonyms: exasperate, rile, vex
Antonym: exhilarate
hubris (n.): overwhelming pride or presumption; arrogance. Oedipus’s hubris led to his
tragedy.
Synonyms: cockiness, pomposity, pretentiousness
Antonym: humility
imperative (adj.): (1) absolutely necessary or required; (2) expressing a command or
plea. It is imperative to check all safety procedures before skydiving.
Synonyms: exigent, indispensible, peremptory
Antonym: inessential
(n.): a command or obligation. Scientists believe that all beings follow a biological
imperative for their species.
internment (n.): the act of restricting or confining within prescribed limits. The American
government eventually apologized for the internment of Japanese–Americans during
World War II.
Synonyms: constraint, custody, detention
intractable (adj.): not easily controlled or directed; not docile or manageable; stubborn.
The thief felt no qualms about stealing from the plutocrat.
Synonyms: fractious, obstinate, recalcitrant
Antonyms: amenable, malleable
meticulous (adj.): extremely careful and precise, especially about small details. She did
her homework in a meticulous fashion that her teacher appreciated.
Synonyms: conscientious, fastidious, punctilious
Antonyms: careless, lax
qualm (n.): an uneasy feeling or a pang of conscience. The thief felt no qualms about
stealing from the plutocrat.
Synonyms: compunction, perturbation, scruple
Antonyms: approval, comfort, contentedness
premonition (adj.): a feeling of anticipation of or anxiety over a future event. She had a
vague premonition that something bad would occur on Thursday.
Synonyms: foreboding, portent, presentiment
revile (v.t.): to speak abusively to or about someone. He reviled the people responsible for
the crime and vowed revenge.
Synonyms: berate, castigate, vituperate
Antonyms: acclaim, adulate, compliment
sanctimonious (adj.): making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety,
righteousness, etc. Many citizens called for the resignation of the sanctimonious
governor who preached thrift while spending state money on personal luxuries.
Synonyms: pietistic, self-righteous, smug
Antonyms: forthright, humble, modest
scenario (n.): an outline or model of a projected sequence of events. The principal outlined
a scenario that would require evacuation of the school.
Synonyms: scheme, sketch, synopsis
shambles (n.): a scene or condition of compete disorder or ruin. His mother claimed the
teenager’s room was a complete shambles. [Usage note: “shambles” is a singular
noun and takes a singular verb—A shambles is a place of disorder.]
Synonyms: chaos, disorder, maelstrom
Antonym: organization
suppliant (n.): a person who makes a humble and earnest petition. The suppliant
requested a favor from the king.
Synonyms: petitioner, suitor
zeal (n.): enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal or goal. Her zeal for reforming government
is unequalled among her peers.
Synonyms: ardor, fervor, vehemence
Antonym: apathy, indifference