Vocabulary Unit #2
Ameliorate
• To improve, make better, correct a
flaw.
• You would never think it, but a big
hug can do wonders and
ameliorate the stresses of a long &
grueling day.
Aplomb
• Poise, assurance, great selfconfidence.
• After Jocasta found out about the
fulfilment of the prophecy, she did
not handle the truth with aplomb
and instead, ended her life.
Bombastic
• Pompous or overblown in
language; inflated, pretentious.
• I guess you can say that
presidential candidates who deliver
bombastic speeches, are least likely
to receive the peoples’ votes.
Callow
• Without experience; immature;
lacking sophistication and poise.
• Most MHS freshmen start off as
callow high school students, but
usually develop into mature young
adults.
Drivel
• Foolish, aimless talk or thinking;
non-sense.
• As much as he tries to start a
pleasant conversation, all he does is
end up driveling on about his glory
days.
Epitome
• A summary; an instance that
represents a larger reality.
• After reading the Prologue of
Antigone, the readers can conclude
that Antigone is the epitome of a
heroine.
Exhort
• To urge strongly, advise earnestly.
• Ms. Navarro is always exhorting
her students to never give up and
keep on trying to exceed their best.
Ex Officio
• By virtue of holding a certain
office.
• Many citizens have proclaimed that
they hope Donald Trump will not
become an ex officio of the White
House.
Infringe
• To violate, go beyond recognized
bounds, intrude.
• Many teens are against their
parents infringing on their privacy,
especially when it comes to
checking their text messages.
Ingratiate
• To make oneself agreeable and
thus gain favor by others; cozy up
to.
• Social climbers are well-known for
ingratiating themselves with people
of high financial status.
Interloper
(n.) someone who moves in
somewhere they are not
wanted, an outcast;
someone who does not fit
in a specific environment; a
trespasser, an intruder.
Rudolph was considered an interloper in the North
Pole because nobody wanted to play with him.
Intrinsic
(adj.) belonging to someone
naturally by nature; inherent;
existing as an
inseparable/permanent element;
originating in a bodily organ.
Elsa, the queen of Arendelle in Frozen, had
intrinsic magical ice powers.
Inveigh
(v.) to make a violent attack in
words; to verbally attack; to
express strong disapproval.
Politicians often inveigh each other’s ideas
and opinions during debates.
Lassitude
(n.) a state of physical or
mental weariness, lack of
energy; fatigue.
The student was in a state of lassitude
after studying for his exam all night.
Millennium
(n.) a period of one
thousand years; a period
of joy/happiness.
The Millennium Falcon, a famous spaceship from
Star Wars, traveled in light years.
Occult
(adj.) secretive, hidden;
mysterious, magical; (v.) to
hide, cut off from view;
eclipse; (n.) supernatural
beliefs.
The solar eclipse occulted the
sun’s light.
Permeate
(v.) to spread throughout; to
soak through something;
pervade.
In the video, the astronaut permeated the
water through the washcloth.
Precipitate
(v.) to fall as moisture (rain); to
cause something
suddenly/unexpectedly; (adj.)
suddenly, hastily; without
careful consideration; (n.)
moisture; the product of an
action/process.
The man used an umbrella to shade
himself from the precipitation.
Stringent
(adj.) strict, severe,
precise; sharp or bitter
to the taste; rigorously
binding or compelling.
The stringent teacher threatened to write a
referral note.
Surmise
(v.) to have an opinion or
believe something
without supporting
evidence; to
stereotype/judge; to
guess; (n.) likely idea that
lacks proof; and
educated guess.
When asked a challenging question to
which she did not know the answer to, the
contestant surmised an answer.