Vocabulary #17

English 2 Vocab List 17

1.    antithesis;  noun - direct opposite.  Surprisingly, Donna is the antithesis of her twin Debby.

2.    commiserate;  verb - to sympathize with; to feel sorrow for another's suffering.  His teammates commiserated with Hank after he had struck out with the bases loaded.

3.    disdain;  noun - a feeling of contempt for anything that is regarded as unworthy; scorn.  Jefferson High held Collier Tech's team in disdain.

4.    evanescent;  adjective - gradually disappearing; fleeting.  Max's concern was apparent as he showed only an evanescent interest in the new project.

5.    ingratiate;  verb - to make oneself acceptable.  I tired to ingratiate myself with Maurice but he was immutably set against my proposal.

6.    plagiarize;  verb - to take ideas or writings from someone else and present them as one's own; to use without giving credit.  Jordan knew better than to plagiarize a sonnet of Shakespeare, but he foolishly hoped his teacher would not recognize it.

7.    rescind;  verb - to cancel; to repeal; to set aside.  The people danced with joy when the government agreed to rescind the rule of apartheid.

8.    serene;  adjective - unruffled; tranquil; unclouded.  The serene morning sky gave no hint of the downpour that would later saturate our cabana.

9.    threadbare;  adjective - with the nap worn down so that the threads show; frayed or shabby; used so often that it is stale.  The salesperson's repertoire of threadbare jokes left us wishing she were more taciturn.

10.    urbane;  adjective - courteous suave; polished.  Mr. Darcy's urbane manner immediately attracted Mrs. Bennet's attentions.

11.    vitriolic;  adjective -  extremely biting or caustic; sharp and bitter.  Such vitriolic talk will not help to reconcile the feuding parties.

12.    apocryphal; adjective - of doubtful authenticity; counterfeit. Her apocryphal tears fooled no one.

13.    compatible; adjective - agreeing. When the couple realized they weren't compatible, they sought a divorce.

14.    dismantle; verb - to pull down; to take apart. Before the movers could take the pool table out, they had to dismantle it.

15.    exacerbate; verb - to make a situation worse; to irritate. One way to exacerbate their feelings of anger is to trivialize the quarrel.