Vocabulary #15

English 2 Vocab List 15

1. analogous; adjective - similar in certain qualities; comparable.  The auto mechanic said that the engine was analogous to the human heart.

2. animosity; noun – active dislike; ill will.  My animosity toward boxing is a result of my pacifist upbringing.

3. clandestine; adjective - secret. Diplomats are fond of clandestine meetings, away from prying reporters.

4. clemency; noun – mercy; mildness.  The prisoner’s plea for clemency fell on deaf ears because of its diffuse nature.

5. didactic; adjective - intended to instruct. Our teacher was relentless in his affinity for didactic stories.

6. diffuse; adjective – spread out; wordy.  The rambling diatribe was ineffective because of its diffuse nature.

7. equivocate; verb - to use ambiguous or unclear expressions in order to mislead; to be shifty; to hedge. One candidate is honest and blunt; the other prefers to equivocate on the controversial issues.

8. esoteric; adjective – understood by only a few; little known; obscure.  Dr. Thorpe’s scholarship was so esoteric that it attracted little attention.

9. indefatigable; adjective - tireless. Edith's indefatigable efforts as a volunteer at the nursing home were extolled by the Sisterhood's president.

10. placate; verb - to soothe; to pacify. It is no small feat to placate an enemy without yielding ground.

11.  repudiate; verb - reject; to refuse to recognize, acknowledge or pay; to divorce or discard.  The expert’s testimony did not repudiate the collector's claim that the relic was authentic.

12.  sectarian;  adjective - pertaining to a group within a larger group that is limited by common beliefs or interests;  narrow-minded. Louis has a sectarian   perspective that is difficult to change.

13.  tentative;  adjective-made,done, or proposed experimentally; not definite or final; indicating timidity, hesitancy, or uncertainty. Until all the evidence had been gathered, the police could only offer a tentative explanation for the explosion.

14. unscathed; adjective – undamaged; unharmed.  Ethan was delighted to have gotten through the first two interviews unscathed.

15. vindictive; adjective – revengeful; unforgiving; bitter; spiteful.  We were relieved that Emily was not vindictive about our having made her the butt of an uncouth joke.