Monday, February 3, 2014

Vocabulary List #13

English 2 Vocab List 13

1. altruistic; adjective – thoughtful of the welfare of others. Arthur’s natural altruistic affinity endeared him to one and all.
2.  ambiguous; adjective – permitting more than one interpretation; not clearly defined. Listening to Archer’s ambiguous remarks, we weren’t sure whether he was on our side
3. chimerical; adjective – absurd; wildly fanciful. Uncle Dave was chastised by Aunt Pearl for his chimerical proposal.
4. chronic; adjective – lasting a long time; constant. When dad’s cough became chronic we cajoled him into getting a chest x-ray.
5. deter; verb – to discourage; to keep someone from doing something. Nothing could deter Herman from achieving his ambition.
6. devious; adjective – not straightforward; lying; roundabout. Earl was upset because I refused to condone his devious ways.
7. enhance; verb – to add to; to make greater in value. The staff development program was designed to enhance the skills of the company’s executives.
8. enigma; noun – a puzzle; a baffling situation. Why a bright student should make such egregious errors is an enigma.
9. piety; noun – devotion and reverence, especially to god and family. Mrs. Billings is noted for her piety and philanthropy.
10. relic; noun – a thing or part that remains from the past; something kept as sacred because it belonged to a saint. Minna kept a closetful of relics from her family in Kentucky.
11. scrupulous; adjective – very honest and conscientious; careful about claimed expense. The IRS expects each taxpayer to keep a scrupulous record of claimed expenses.
12.  temerity; noun – rashness; foolish or reckless boldness. Jack’s temerity in constantly correcting his superiors cost him his job.
13. unimpeachable; adjective – beyond doubt or reproach; unquestionable. Hector has always been known for his unimpeachable honesty.
14. vicarious; adjective – taking the place of another; experienced through sympathetic participation in the experience of another. The vicarious thrill we get from watching films falls short of the pleasure of first-hand experience

15. incontrovertible; adjective -  not able to be disputed or denied. It's incontrovertible that a settlement of the bitter strike is imminent.

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