8A Vocab Week 6
solicitude
• Noun
• Anxiety and concern; concern for the
well-being of others
• “After leaving for college, she called
home twice a week to quell her parents’
solicitude.”
trepidation
• Noun
• A state of fearful uncertainty; dread
• He awaited the score on his midterm
exams with great trepidation.
waif
• Noun
• A homeless person, especially an
orphaned child
• The young waif sometimes sleeps in a
tunnel beneath the highway bridge.
taint
• Verb
• To corrupt or ruin by contaminating
• The scientist tainted the laboratory
sample when she touched it without
wearing gloves.
assuage
• Verb
• To make less severe or painful
• Her soft words temporarily assuaged
the child’s fears.
celestial
• Adjective
• Of or relating to the sky or heavens
• Astronomy is the scientific study of
celestial bodies and their
characteristics.
blasphemous
• Adjective
• Disrespectful toward what is considered
sacred
• Jack was a religious man, and he took
offense when others made
blasphemous remarks.
exuberant
• Adjective
• Emotionally unrestrained and joyful;
lavish, abundant
• Her exuberant expression relieved our
fears of her being angry with us.
heretic
• Noun
• A person whose opinions conflict with
established popular beliefs
• Because the heretic openly questioned
longstanding traditions, she was forced
to leave the village.
incorrigible
• Adjective
• Incapable of correction or rehabilitation
• The lengthy prison sentence gave the
incorrigible man more time to plan for
his next offense.