102 Words Every Educated Person Should Know Mr. Coia English class Name: Do the following for each word: + Write the word and part of speech on one side of the index card + Write the definition and an original sentence on the other side + Prepare for a cumulative quiz on the first class of each week (you must have your cards completed to take the quiz) * We'll do three words per week * Adapted from The Words You Should Know by David Olsena. fet = 5. nr abdicate (AB-dt-kate), Ged ate To formally give up a position or responsibility. To abdicate means to step Gown from a high government biice oF other powerful postion. Originally, the ‘word referred. primarily to royal. The King, as we all know, abdicated rather than give up the woman be loved. bravado (6rub-VA-do), noun An open show of bravery. That which is characterized by a display of boldness shows bravado. The mayor's s attitude of bravado was of Tene belp when the tout was finaly attacked. brevity (REV-tb-tee), noun Shortness. Someone who writes with brevity writes in a way that is terse and to the point. Paine's argument was stated with such brevity and passion ‘bat wottbin one short month of ts publication tt seemed every colonist was in favor or independence from Britain, contemptuous (kun-TEMP-choo-us), adjective is 1. A contemptuous act is one that Hiss If the Lice of esablished procedures or traditions The defendant's contemptuous behavior on the stand Te ieaiaty, ooerlobeed by the fades dank (dank), adjective Damp and chilly. That which is unpleasantly cold and moist Inside the cold, dank recesses of the cave, Fred felt ‘suddenly and terrifyingly isolated. debacle (dib-Ba-kul)), noun * Uner collapse or rout. A debacle is a complete (often Shee oP ver he The, nttatie seemed promising enough, but tumed out 1c anotber of Gookee debcclee 4 “7. embellish (em-BELL-ish), verb To omament and beauty To embellish is to improve in, appearance by adornment; an’ emt nt, then, a fanciful addition (or, by exiension, even a convenient exaggeration of the facts) Marie's gown was embellished with tiny pearls, ¥. embodiment Gregbecmant), now ie incarnation (of a given thing’ or idea); the condition of being embodied. Po be the embadinegs oe meneeeatien OF so lmbued with it as to be fts physical representation. Jane was usually the embodiment of tact; her slip at the ‘party was most uncharacteristic - fortuitous -TOO-t-tuss), adjective % Accidental; lucky or fortunate A fortsious event is one that ‘fer pears of trlal and error, Dr. Powers made a Hlous discovery when be misiakenty combined £0 ‘chemical compounds, lo. gregarious, cer-careceuss), adjective : ial, or friendly. Guigoing, cordial, or friendly. Gregarious people enjoy the Many would bave been y such a reception, Bio rary ereion be made mary ode Mt. harangue (ubRANG), noun especially a livered i sening. Harangue can alsobe used as a vb. * Public Castro's barangue neither addressed the ts presented any promise of a solution (8 there Le ethan ro ifr ie ot th whites So lee we agesioh? ins sme 2 to ims, I think we can infer bere that the author is using 1 character as a moubpiece of sorts 10 air ber ows concerns.OF 1s Ce ee teon, To justpose is to allen | 14. 15. le. 1. 12 19 (usuau, two objects) for comparison or contrast. se urs ty, 0 ih nd of cs ene te pete, of yet that plagiarism bi ludicrous (L00-dib-kruss), adjective Absurd to the point of being laughable, Something that, is gbslously implausible or impractical could be considered jorous. occurred. Your proposal that I accept a 75% pay cut 4s ludicrous, dir Kobinson i a sub-ROD), verb : Fare Cr enCh of Boor. To loot or invade for treasure is to maraud. The ship was waylaid hy marauding pirates on the fourteenth of May. neophyte (zt-ub-fte), noun A recent’ convert. Neophyte often refers to someone whose newfound zeal is not balanced by experience. Jane, a relative neophyte, found little warmth in ber — ‘lsoussions with the other, more knowledgeable membeity of the group. o Onerous (OWF-nuruss), adj Troublesome and burdensome, Something that entails heavy a obligation might be considered onerous. This contract-a thoroughly one-sided agreement~is perbars the most onerous document I have ever scen. Fi pandemonium (pan-dub-MOAN-ee-um), noun thaos. Pandemonium refers to wild, uproarious, and noisy tumult. Pandemonium broke out in the streets of the city after the local team won the pennant, rigmarole (RiG-muhrole), noun Nonsensically complicated procedure. Rigmarole is also misleading and incomprehensible doubletalk. I have had enough of this author's rigmarole; I want @ book with some substance to it ‘at the strongest evidence? ! ao. subjugate (sup-jugate), verb To cause to become subservient. To subjugate ‘make him perform your will ‘her The dictator's attem| is country’s smaller neighbors 2, mark my words. af. tumultuous (1oo.mutchoo-uss), adjective Chaotic, especially as a result of a popular outcry. That which is ina violent uproar is tumultuous After the Board of Trustees refected the students’ Proposal, there were tumultuous protests on campus. RA. ubiquitous GoosKwituss), adjective Seemingly everywhere at once. That which is ubiquitous is so common as to appear to be all places. By the early ‘50s, that ubiquitous symbol of independence, the automobile, bad influenced virtually every facet of American life. AB. vestige (vzss-11p, noun A remaining sample of something no longer common. That which represents something now lost is a vestige. The last vestige of truly nomadic Indian life was wiped out at Wounded Knee; from ‘hat point om Native Americans would be forced either to assimilate with the settlers or 10 live On the reservation, writhe (mzbe), verb To twist (the body), especially in reaction to pain or strong sensation, To writhe is to owist the body or squirm. ay. The injured dog writhed in agony, but soon calmed down when the vet administered a local anesthetic, yahoo (¥4-b00), noun A bumpkin. In Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, the Yahoos were a primitive, brutal race identical in form to humans. as. I can't believe you appointed a yaboo like Ellis to such a sensitive post.Fe. eS leche, na the form of acon avinoby ba ine Mace ae something or someone. Clyde's first few months on the fob were fine, but Sor beta angered 10 6 det apres came to barbor real animosity toward bis supervisor. a7. annuneiate (ubNUN-see-ate), verb * To proclaim or announce. Annunciate is a more formal, sometimes religiously oriented way to express the idea of proclaiming or announcing, The annunciation of the Virgin Mary figures ‘importantly in Catholicism, a4 bludgeon @1UDjJun), verb and noun AB Tonge oe nouns bludgeon 's 2 thor, heawy stick, To bludgeon’ someone {s to beat or strike him with a simiiar instrument. The detectives concluded that the victim bad been bludgeoned repeatedly with a metal pipe. at Carleature (KARE-thk-ub-choor), noun “A grotesquely or absurdly exaggerated representation, Political cartoons are the most. common examples of carleature, but many modes. of expression make use of the form’s distortion and contrast. The of Toulouse-Lautrec are often rooted in cantare, but tbey tre nie Ba moe Caroons Jo. gebititate cawmnrursaie, vero To enfeeble or weaken. Something that debilitates a person devitalizes him and depletes his strength. Fran's debilitating iliness slowly sapped er will to ive. 31. glusive (cot0o-siy, adjective J+ Difficult to. perceive, comprehend, or describe. An elusive issie or point is One that would require real work to grasp. comipletely. Our goals are easily understood: the nature of the Sbardiles we face ® someubee more chaste, 3a. 33. 3Y. 35. 36. 37. fallacious (fub-LAY-shuss), adjective False; ‘a logical erious mi +hensi ee en ASH tamed out, Metartiy's accusations against tbe fastidious (ubsTID-couss),_ adjective ‘Auentive to detail or issues of ; hard 10 please. A fastidious person Is meticulous, cxicumng, and sensluve to rocedure. Car, a fastidious ledger-keeper, seemed destined to do Scott in Te ascounting deptromenn ns sered gesticulate Gee TICKy00 ate), verb pa fo em tures, especially in place of . Gesticulate ‘aus implles'more aination ‘and cackemear thas the spl gesture. Unable to speak French, Michael was forced to gesticulate’, to try to make bimself understood. harbinger qar-bingur), noun Bremner. 4 berbnige? (orecbadows a farure event or tread These figures are a barbinger of hard times to come. infernal (in-FER-nu), tive Flendish; devilish. Infernal means, literally, “of or pertaining to hell” It'is often used as a mild ‘expletive. This infernal copter keeps breaking down! lucid doo-sid), adjective Intelligible. Lucid can also refer to a clear mental state. Although be lost i ai Bete eee mite, om Mandate auan-date), noun * Authoritative command,’ endorsement, or instruction. A mandate is also an order issued by one court of law to another, lower court, Having receced only 40% of the, vote nationwide, incoln, cou ‘claim a national mandate ‘for bis policies. bared ™ , Nefarious (nub-Parz-cous), tive vil ‘That which is manifestly wicked Or unjust * nefarious, To [abet nefarious end bas this informatn been“ Opao’’s (ob-PAKE), adjective ble to light. That which does not allow light to past opaque. Karl was unable to. make out exactly what was ‘happening bebind the opaque screen that had been sett front of bin, 4. palpable (PALP-ub-bull), adjective + Fouchable or able to be perceived. That which is palpable Is tangible or undeniably present. before the big game. YF reprobate (REP-rub-bate), noun fA. Anfunprincipled person. A. reprobate is someone who has crossed an accepted Line describing morally sound behavior. and was shunned in the town. a 43. sublime (sub-BLYME), adjective Grand or lofty. That which is splendid is sublime. Many people can make a pretty good pot of spaghetti; mine, bowever, is sublime. ARY-fulb, adjective cant. ‘That which is unimportant is érifling. 4Y. The fact ts, you are unlikely to be called in for an audit over such a irifiing amount of money. vehement (vzbubmeno, adjective ; 15. Seovety et of masked by high erosion. That which is forceful and emphatic is vebement. . Congress overrode the President's veto after many members bad openly expressed their vebement dissatisfaction with Administration policy. zealot (ZEL-ut), noun HG. fervent ‘or fanatical partisan (in favor of a certain cause) * A zealot is a person who shows great zeal. Alibough he did not overlooking an occasional error in procedure, Mr. Fallow was @ zealot when tt came 10 posting correct numbers for an accounting period. Sl. Sa. or unintentional representation of a historically incorrect situation. A portrait of George Washington holding a pocke calculator would be an example of an’ anachronism. with the workaday world. Jane loved Carl, but was unprepared to share in b ‘bobemian way of life. Capricious (eub-PREE-shuss) Characterized by a whimsical attitude. A person who acts impulsively or unpredictably can be said to be capricious, §debonai (debubNAIR), adjective ave; sophisticated and charming. D. cin Bane ‘ephinjeme ang charming Jebonair derives from th Paul's debonair mary the most difficult mor rever abandoned him, even & emanate f-ub-nate), verb To issue as from a source. To emanate is to flow from point, The sounds emanating from the room next door were ie comoring rs fommidepie FOR rtindub-bul, adjective ipable of inspiring fear or respect. Something th: Jormidable is challenging or difficult 10 overcome. Alfred faced te : ‘pied foced 2 formidable opponent; be knew be bad t53. grandiose (crav-deo.oce), adjective | Fompous. Someone whose pretentions or ambitions exceed his abilities, sensitivities, or means could be considered grandiose, His grandiose sceme for career advancement simply will not pan out, lis), adjective Teer eS eae te ern is unlucky Baa Lag op the Sob bata Baer he i responsibilities. $6.inexplicable cineksPuKub-iud, adjective Defying explanation or interpretation. That ‘which is hard to communicate is inexplicable. 's failure to file income tax retums ts epee’ * Fatere 10 FE ee ee ats. tgs a a0 mex “of or pertaining to Lugation.” fr. Green, a Utlgtous businessman tn our town, once bad seven cases pending at the same time. Mmeander (mee-an-der , verb > follow a turning and winding path. To meander is to ler idly without a set goal Jack, lost without bis shopping st, meandered hel Wibiade the aisles of the "cupermarken cies B.nemesis zs, noun ‘opponent motivated fe. A person’s nemesis is ‘who Wil stop ‘at nothing to Ssetke: A Person Things looked bleak: Harold's nemesis, Mike, in charge of ail baring deciwons eee 7%. ONUS (OWN-us), noun "The ‘burden of pevforming a task or duy. To say that the onf is on a person to do something is to say that he is responsible for doing it. The onus of completing this long-delayed project now falls to you. Go. perspie: (perspib-KASS-4b-tee), noun cphtulness cone who shows keen understanding displays berspicacity. The problem was a complex one that required the analysts of someone with great persplcady. Gf, resilience (zi-yunce), noun * The ability to rebound. That which bounces back shows resilience, Joanne’s restttence was remarkable; she recovered from the operation in record time. 6a. subjective (subjJEK-tiv), adjective ‘* Originating in one’s personal observation. To say that something is ive is to say that it may be influenced individual prejudice and represents only a particular person's ‘viewpoint, Mind you, this is only a subjective observation, but my feeling 48 that that réstaurant serves the worst’ Chinese Food in the city. 63. transgression (iranscrestzun), noun A violation of a rule. To break a law or guideline is to commit a transgression. David was perbaps a tittle 100 eager to cross over into Mr. Peterson's yard to play ball, but this was a ‘minor transgression. GY. venerable Waveruttutp, adjective Dignified and worthy of admiration. Venerable is often used Suilling 4s not one to sit on bis 1k be venerable actor proves in bis latest film that be still bas the magic: touch. 6§. Zenith gezni), noun * The highest point anained. A zenith is the apex of something. Koufax's career reached its zenith in 1963, when he won 25 games and was awarded the Cy Young Award unanimously,LG. antithi (an TITH-tsis), noun = ‘The opt or highest possible contrast. Antithesis refers to the exact opposite of a given thing. Antithesis is also the name of a form in rhetoric in which two ideas are contrasted dramatically: “We will live as heroes or die in the attempt.” Mr. Brown-baggard, unkempt, and exbausted-looked like the very antithests of the charismatic achiever we'd beard about, C7, beseech (wib-seact), verb To entreat, implore, or request earnestly. Beseech is a ‘verb used to request something, In contemporary rellects either great (or even fawning) politeness or icy of the highest order. Mr. Prime Minister: think twice for us 6g. catalyst caarub-tisy), noun ‘That which initiates a process or event and is its unaifected. Catalyst has a technical meaning in Dut in general usage it refers to a person or thing that Sets off'a new sequence of events while remaining uninvolved in those events jemistry, The film served as a catalyst for Peter: be began keeping a journal regularly soon after be saw tt Leloquent GL-ob-kwens), adjective a Sert and: erssasive I speech oF expression. Eloquent people are convincing and pleasafit to stent. Lincoln and Douglas, both eloquent debaters, knew that inuch more was at stake tn thelr public mectings than a Senate” seat Jo. tlux @uks), noun ‘Ongoing flow. ux can also refer to unceasing change. ‘The organization's plans were in a state of constant flux. 1. 7a. 73. 4. 75. T- gratuitous fue TOOtbetuss), ailective innecessary. Also: given or granted without “| ‘mpense or charge, Something that is groudtous is excess, Out OF plac OF unnecessary. His gratuttous attacks on the popular governor only weakened bis standing among voters. infallible (-FaLub-bu), adjective x Incapable of making a mistake. Something that is regarded @ beyond error might be said to be infallible. laconic (ub-KON-ik), adjective Of few words. Speech ‘that is concise or terse is laconte. Cooper's performances faconic, but all the m Bosberfal or thee terns ce malevolent (mub-LeV-ub-lent), adjective Malicious. Someone who is unrepentantly and viciously ill-wille is malevolent. Glen cast a malevolent glance at bis opponent, perspicuity (purr-sp-KYOO-tb-tee), noun lear and easy to understand. Perspicuity is generally used witl regard to speech or writing The report from the accounting office was loaded with ‘cubical fargony writing with perspicuity 4s not one of the talenis of the people who ‘work there. Peruse CoubROOZ, verb fo read through with’ attention’ Peruse can also mean “to emamine with an eye to detail.” erused the document for some time, then was not the one be bad signed. rescind (r:siD), verb Reverse (for instance, an order, command, or edict). To rescind an instruction is to overrule it. The order of detention is bereby rescinded; you may Telurn 10 t0 your native country at your earliest convenience, Mr. Dawson.We. Supercllious (sooper-sttcouss), adjective Distanful or haughty. Someone who is overbearingly proud could be said to be supercilious. Randy can take on a supercilious air at times; you mustn't let bis bighminded bebavior botber yoru. transpose (trans-POzE), verb 9. To reverse or change the position of. To transpose A and B is to put A in B's place, and vice versa The two frames of the film bad been mysteriously transposed, so that it now looked as though the man’s bead moved forward suddenly instead of backwards. Go: one (ver NAK 00 he), noun eee The mod ion guage accept i rele. As an adjecive, vernacular describes the quality of being common to a particular group's or region’s speech. I saw that Clement was once again intoxicated-or “blasted,” to use the vernacular be seems to prefer. gf. Anathema (ubvarrieb mur), noun - A person or thing regarded as ‘wrong in the highest degree; a loathsome entity. To say something i anathema to a person is to say that it is as detestable and unacceptable to him as it can possibly be. The word has its root in a kind of formal religious curse or denunciation. The ambassador warned us abead of time not to attempt to discuss the issue of dropping sanctions against the dictator; that subject i8 anathema to bis government. benevolent (ve-nEVilent), adjective 3a. Marked by a tendency to do well toward others; kindly. A derived from the Latin for "good wishes.” ‘There is a benevolent side to Mark one would not expect to see in a man so apparently cold. catharsis (kub-THAR-siss), noun BB, sNemouonal ‘purging. Cavbarsis is a cleansing of the mind or soul usually initiated by a supreme insight or challenge. OFer’s character undergoes a remarkable catharsis 4? final twenty minutes of the film. 35. 8. 34. isons elucidate (ce-100-st-date), verb * To make clear; to explain of provide key information leading v a full . Someone. who el problem throws light on it and clarifies it. ‘an issue or What ts bebind Frank's bizarre work habits is something only’ be can elucidate. flim-flam (Lut-flam), ind adjectt Asswindle A Glinsfian operon e adectiee idence game. Yern may call bimself an entrepreneur, be appe: 10" be’ notbing more than Wise han arg Toews 10 me flippant @up-puny), adjective Showing an inappropriate disregard for decorum; disr : A’persdn ‘who B fppant { ghen to shallow, modes sees Her flippant attitude toward ber superiors won ber no Points "on the job. haphazard -HAZ-urd), adjective Papin by chance. Something that is done in a be manner is not guided by a system or regular method. After a few haphazard the box’ 5, Ste noe bap guesses a 'S contents, Steve Catch-22 (KarcH-twen-tee-too), noun fa impossible sation in which’ one is presented with logically contradictory options. A demand that one call the phone repair service from the very telephone that {s Out of order, for instance, could be regarded asa calch-22, (The Phrase is drawn from Joseph Heller's novel of the same Mr. Brown's lighthearted memo issued a playful aicbo3. be thes ony to he webs Goh Roetings taking place during those days he plarined to bo out iw, tvunt), adjective enthusiastic. Literally, fervent means _ extremely ot. A fervent desire, then, is one that is strongly held. Russell's speech was characterized by fervent emotion.sEP-shur), noun *! Beginning, =, , prion refers to the generation of an idea or organism, froin its initial developmental stages: onward. The car was riddled with design flaws, most dating back fore auto's inception in 197 Wh. incessant insessuny, adjective Continuous. incessant derives from the Latin roots for “without eae His incessant questions can become quite annoying. livid itt-vid), adjective Nae tae lcs crm, tt mee deta from a bruise). To say someone is /ivid in the sense of being HOM Agr really ta sey iS anger is sO acute StS Cause 2 Bee abe icthe Caroline was livid after she realized she bad been swindled, i 73. locution (oe-xvo0-shun), noun Style of speaking. A Jocution is also a particular word, expressiom, of phrase. Martin's British locution would be @ real asset du the many media appearances be would make over the + next few years. 4. malice (MALiss), noun The desire to commit harmful or unfair acts, Someone who intends to commit an act known to be immoral, unlawful, or Iikely to cause harm shows malice. The defendant clearly showed malice in stating that be intended to kill Mrs. Powers 1$- malignant (nub-tic-nuns), adjective Posing ‘a serious threat or harm. A malignant tumor can cause cathe They ad feared she growth would be found malignant, but it turned out t0 be benign. ervasive (purr-VAY-siv), adjective 7 Y.perva infiltrated or penetrated. A pervasive rumor is one that has been circulated widely. ‘The prejudice against handicapped persons ts no longer as pervasive as in years past. Someone who shows great antwyance or minor problems could be said to be pet. £99, petulant @Peryo0-0), adjective Se Ems, evi He dismissed their tions with a petulant wave of the band and quickly janged the subject. 9. reprehensible (rep-7-HEN-sib-bull), adjective Abhorrent. That which is morally inexcusable is reprebensible. I agree that the crimes were reprebenstble; they were not, however, committed by my client. 92 superfluous (soo-PER-floo-uss), adjective | Unnecessary. That which exceeds what is essential is superfluous. The film's long production number was eventually cut Srom the final version because test audiences felt it was superfiuous 10 the main plot. foo. tenacious (tubNav-shuss), adjective Unyielding; stubborn. Someone who is tenacious is hard put to give up. Bill was a tough camt er who put up a tenacious fight for the nomination, but tn the end be came ip short translucent (tranz-LO0O-sunt), adjective tok Capable of allowing some light to show through, but not transparent. A gauzy shower curtain, for instance, is translucent. tea. verbdse (ver-BOSE), adjective Wordy. That which uses unnecessary language is verbose. This ts not Hemingway's best work: long passages of the manuscript are strangely verbose and-let’s face it~ downright boring.