Academic/Advanced English 11
Vocabulary List
1. Dirge – (n.)
-
a funeral song or tune, or one expressing mourning in
commemoration of the dead.
-
any composition resembling such a song or tune in character, as a
poem of lament for the dead or solemn, mournful music.
-
a mournful sound resembling a dirge.
“The minstrel sang a dirge at Agatha’s funeral.”
2. Pyre – (n.)
-
a pile or heap of wood or other combustible material.
-
such a pile for burning a dead body, esp. as part of a funeral rite, as in
India.
“We piled the wood on the pyre and placed Beowulf’s body on top for
burning.”
3. Gleeman – (n.)
-
a medieval itinerant singer; a minstrel.
“The Gleeman’s song rang through the castle.”
4. Wanton – (adj.)
-
done, shown, used, etc., maliciously or unjustifiably.
-
deliberate and without motive or provocation; uncalled-for;
headstrong; willful.
-
without regard for what is right, just, humane, etc.; careless; reckless.
-
sexually lawless or unrestrained; loose; lascivious; lewd.
-
extravagantly or excessively luxurious, as a person, manner of living,
or style.
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(adv.) wantonly
-
(n.) wantonness
“Destroying the hospital was a wanton attack displaying the Joker’s
dastardly intentions.”
5. Wyrd (n.)
- fate; destiny.
“Wyrd was the real reason behind the gruesome slaughter.”
6. Obstinate (adj.)
- firmly or stubbornly adhering to one's purpose, opinion, etc.; not
yielding to argument, persuasion, or entreaty.
- characterized by inflexible persistence or an unyielding attitude;
inflexibly persisted in or carried out.
- not easily controlled or overcome.
- not yielding readily to treatment, as a disease.
obstinately – adv.
obstinateness – n.
“Bob was as obstinate as a stone; he would not be moved.”
7. Benign (adj.)
- having a kindly disposition; gracious.
- showing or expressive of gentleness or kindness.
- favorable; propitious.
- (of weather) salubrious; healthful; pleasant or beneficial.
- Pathology. not malignant; self-limiting.
benignly – adv.
“The cat was very benign; it only played with the mice….”
8. Tithe (n.)
- Sometimes, tithes. the tenth part of agricultural produce or personal
income set apart as an offering to God or for works of mercy, or the
same amount regarded as an obligation or tax for the support of the
church, priesthood, or the like.
- any tax, levy, or the like, esp. of one-tenth.
- a tenth part or any indefinitely small part of anything.
Tithe (v.)
- to give or pay a tithe or tenth of (produce, money, etc.).
“Farmer Jim was too poor to pay his tithe so the church had him killed.”
9. Arrears – (n.)
- the state of being behind or late, esp. in the fulfillment of a duty,
promise, obligation, or the like.
- something overdue in payment; a debt that remains unpaid.
“Jane finally paid off all of her arrears so she could buy a bunny rabbit
with big ears.”
10. Ecclesiastic – (n.)
- a member of the clergy or other person in religious orders.
- a member of the ecclesia in ancient Athens.
Ecclesiastical – (adj.)
“The ecclesiastic devoted his life to the church.”
11. Wimple – (n.)
- a woman's headcloth drawn in folds about the chin, formerly worn out
of doors, and still in use by some nuns.
- Chiefly Scot.
a. a fold or wrinkle, as in cloth.
b. a curve, bend, or turn, as in a road or river.
Wimple – (v.)
- to ripple, as water.
- Archaic. to lie in folds, as a veil.
- Chiefly Scot. to follow a curving course, as a road or river.
“Mary wrapped her wimple around her head and peered around the
wimple in the lane.”
12. Martyr – (n.)
- a person who willingly suffers death rather than renounce his or her
religion.
- a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any
belief, principle, or cause: a martyr to the cause of social justice.
- a person who undergoes severe or constant suffering.
- a person who seeks sympathy or attention by feigning or exaggerating
pain, deprivation, etc.
Martyr - (v.)
- to make a martyr of, esp. by putting to death.
- to torment or torture.
Martyrish – (adj.)
Martyrly – (adv.) – (adj.)
“Instead of renouncing his religion the martyr had pins stuck in his eyes.”
13. Miscreant - (n.)
- a vicious or depraved person; villain.
- Archaic. a heretic or infidel.
Miscreant – (adj.)
- depraved, villainous, or base.
- Archaic. holding a false or unorthodox religious belief; heretical.
“The miscreant’s vile deeds would damn him to an eternity in perdition”
14. Perdition – (n.)
-
a state of final spiritual ruin; loss of the soul; damnation.
the future state of the wicked.
Hell
utter destruction or ruin.
“The miscreant’s vile deeds would damn him to an eternity in perdition”
15. Hoary – (adj.)
- gray or white with age
- ancient or venerable
- tedious from familiarity; stale
-
hoar·i·ly - adverb
hoar·i·ness - noun
“My mother is looking quite hoary, though she tries to convince us
that she’s not that old.”
16. Privy – (adj.)
- participating in the knowledge of something private or secret (usually
fol. by to)
- private; assigned to private uses.
- belonging or pertaining to some particular person, esp. with reference
to a sovereign.
- secret, concealed, hidden, or secluded.
- acting or done in secret.
Privy – (n.)
- outhouse
- Law. a person participating directly in or having a derivative interest in a
legal transaction.
“Although most people weren’t allowed in, he was privy to the ‘No
Access’ zone.”
17. Stile – (n.)
- a series of steps or rungs by means of which a person may pass over a
wall or fence that remains a barrier to sheep or cattle.
- a turnstile.
“The old man found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile that separated
two fields that were used for raising sheep.”
18. Prate – (v.)
- to talk excessively and pointlessly; babble.
“’Stop your prating’ said Mr. Charles, ‘or you’ll be punished.’”
Prate – (n.)
- empty or foolish talk.
prater - noun
prat·ing·ly - adverb
19. Poltroon – (n.)
- a wretched coward; craven
Poltroon – (adj.)
- marked by utter cowardice
-
pol·troon·er·y - noun
pol·troon·ish - adjective
pol·troon·ish·ly - adverb
“Harper Stephens is a sycophantic poltroon because he’s afraid to do
anything without shamelessly flattering his constituents.”
20. Sycophant – (n.)
- a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite
- syc·o·phan·tic, syc·o·phan·ti·cal, syc·o·phant·ish - adjective
- syc·o·phan·ti·cal·ly, syc·o·phant·ish·ly - adverb
- syc·o·phant·ism -noun
“”Don’t be such a sycophant’, yelled the doctor to his patient, ‘try to be
something other than a fawning parasite.’”
21. manipulation - (n.)
– skillful handling or treatment; clever use of
influence; a change made for one’s own purpose or advantage
“Careful manipulation of the radioactive isotopes was necessary so that the
workers were not exposed to unacceptable levels of radiation.”
22. meticulous - (adj.)
– extremely or excessively careful about small details
“Mr. Charles meticulously checked the vocabulary section, looking for
spelling errors.”
23. implacable - (adj.)
– that cannot be placated, pacified or appeased; relentless
“The screaming baby was implacable; he needed to be fed immediately.”
24. tribulation - (n.)
– great trouble or affliction, especially as a result of persecution or
oppression.
“The Jewish people endured various tribulations at the hands of the Nazis,
before and during World War II.”
25. ominous - (adj.)
– of bad omen; unfavorable; threatening
“The dog gave an ominous growl and then attacked.”
26. dubious - (adj.)
– doubtful; uncertain
“The essay that the student submitted was of dubious authorship.”
- of questionable character; probably bad
“ The con-artist outlined a dubious plan for making money.”
27.cryptic (adj.) – having a hidden meaning; secret; mysterious
“The cryptic message baffled Holmes, but only momentarily”
28. effrontery (n.) – shameless boldness; impudence
“The politician had the effrontery to ask the people he had insulted to vote
for him”
29. capitulate (v.) – surrender under certain terms or conditions
“The men in the fort capitulated on the condition that they would be
allowed to go free.”
30. procure (v.) – obtain by care or effort
“The animals procured mechanical devices in exchange for wheat and
eggs.”
31. incredulous (adj.) – not willing or likely to believe; not credulous;
doubting
“Most people are incredulous about ghosts or witches.”
32. conciliatory (adj.) – tending or calculated to win over, soothe
or reconcile
“Squealer spoke to the crowd in a conciliatory tone of voice.”
33. skulk (v.) – move stealthily, lurk, keep oneself concealed especially in
cowardice or because intending mischief; stray or sneak away in time of
danger; shirk duty, avoid observation
“Snowball was rumored to have been skulking around Animal Farm at night,
after the other animals had gone to sleep.”
34. denounce (v.) – condemn publicly; express strong disapproval of
“The Prime Minister denounced the leader of the opposition for his party’s
platform regarding health care funding to the provinces.”
35. pestilence (n.) – 1. a deadly epidemic infectious disease, especially
bubonic plague
2. anything that is extremely destructive or deadly in its
effects
“ Orsino explains that it seemed to him that Olivia ‘purged the air of
pestilence’ when he first saw her.”
36. transgression (n.) – breaking a law, command, etc.; sin
“ The police officer committed a major transgression when he accepted the
bribe, in exchange for letting the robbery suspect go free.”
37. commendable (adj.) – worthy of praise; deserving approval
“ The students put in a commendable effort despite their third place finish.”
38. superfluous (adj.) – more than is sufficient or necessary
“ When writing short stories omit superfluous words, as economy of
language is important, according to Edgar Allen Poe.”
39. dexterity (n.) – 1. skill in using the body, especially the hands
2. skill in using the mind; cleverness
“ Playing seven games of chess at one time requires tremendous intellectual
dexterity.”
40. metaphor (n.) – an implied comparison between two different things;
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily means one thing
is used to describe another thing in order to suggest a likeness between the
two
“Miss Hancock asked her students to use metaphors to make comparisons
between two different things like ‘my brother is a whirling top’, as a method
of improving their creative writing.”
41. dissimulate (v.) - to disguise or conceal under a false appearance
“At Halloween, young children engage in mass dissimulation in pursuit of
candy”
42. sagacity – (n.) - acuteness of mental discernment and soundness of
judgment
“Being a judge requires sagacity as you are constantly determining the
innocence or guilt of accused persons.”
43. vex (v.) -1. to irritate; annoy; provoke 2. to torment; trouble; distress;
plague; worry 3. to discuss or debate (a subject, question, etc.) with
vigor or at great length 4. to disturb by motion; stir up; toss about. 5. to
afflict with physical pain.
“Duncan vexed Mr. Charles daily by wearing his hat collection in class,
despite the “no hat rule”.
44. derision (n.) – mockery; scorn; ridicule; contempt
“Although Miss Hancock felt the derision of the high school students in her
class, she continued to try to teach her classes in the same way.”
45. vehement (adj.) – a. having, showing or caused by strong feeling; intense
or passionate
“When faced with the charges in court the prisoner responded with a
vehement denial.”
b. forceful; violent
“The vehement onslaught left the soldiers weary and bloodied.”
vehemently (adv.) – “ The politician vehemently denied any involvement in
the scandal.”
46. proverbial (adj.) – well-known; generally understood as true
“The proverbial loyalty of dogs was proven once more when Lassie
returned to her master, after being separated for months when the
tornado destroyed the farm.”
47. reprehensible (adj.) – deserving disapproval or blame
“Stealing candy from children is a truly reprehensible act.”
48. extrapolate (v.) – draw a conclusion by projecting from known facts
“ Multivac’s duties included taking four billion sets of facts about
individual human beings and extrapolating them for an additional day of
time.”
49. ramifications (n.) – implications or results associated with an idea
“Nuclear power can be inexpensive, but when an accident occurs the
ramifications can be terrifying.”
50. calibrate (v.) – determine, check or adjust the scale of a thermometer,
gauge or other measuring instrument
“I need to calibrate my thermometer by comparing the temperature
reading with the temperature display on the weather channel.”
51. vigilance (n.) – watchfulness; alertness; caution
“Constant vigilance, when driving, is necessary in order to avoid
accidents.”
52. unrequited love (n.) – of love not returned
“Orsino’s fierce love for Olivia is unrequited as she is romantically interested
in Cesario.”
53. accost (v.) – approach and address boldly
“Mr. Smith was forced to accost the student and speak to him about his poor
attendance.”
54. clamorous (adj.) 1. loud or vehement shouting or noise.
2. protest, demand
“The protesters were a clamorous group in Seattle.”
55. heresy (n.) 1. religious belief or practice contrary to orthodox doctrine.
2. opinion contrary to what is normally accepted or maintained.
“Joan of Arc was accused of heresy when she claimed that God spoke
directly to her, and as her punishment she was burned at the stake.”
56. calamity (n.) – disaster, great disappointment
“The librarian’s first day on the job was a calamity because the shelves of
books fell like dominos when she bumped into them.”
57. soliloquy (n.) – talking without or regardless of listeners (especially in a
play)
“Viola’s soliloquy in Act 2 scene 2 reveals to the audience that Viola is
troubled by the fact that Olivia is falling in love with her.”
58. melancholy (n.) – pensive sadness
“My dog Clancy fell into a state of melancholy when we all left him alone for
the day.”
59. indignation (n.) – anger at supposed injustice.
“Feelings of indignation rose inside of Derek when he realized he had been
found guilty of a crime that he had not committed.”
60. legitimate (adj.) 1. Rightful; lawful
2. allowed, acceptable
"The student had a legitimate excuse for passing in her assignment late."
61. eloquent ( adj.) - having eloquence; fluent and effective use of language
"Sir Andrew is far from being the eloquent character Sir Toby described him
as being."
62. approbation (n.) - approval, consent.
"Ronnie’s daughter was seeking his approbation for her engagement to
Samuel."
63. augment (v.) - make or become better; increase
"When Bobby was speaking quietly during his presentation his teacher had
to ask him to augment his voice."
64. impetuosity (n.) 1. acting or done rashly, or with sudden energy
2. moving forcefully or rapidly
" The kayaker showed great impetuosity when she maneuvered her kayak
deftly through the whitewater."
65. incarnate (adj.) – embodied in flesh, especially in human form;
personified or typified
“Grendel was thought of as evil incarnate as he had killed and eaten many of
Hrothgar’s men, without any legitimate reason for doing so.”