Holt G12 Vocabulary Lesson 1 and 2

Lessons One and Two
Vocabulary G12
1. Banal (adj.)
Definition/ Sentence Synonym Antonym
Stale from overuse Commonplace; trite original
At nearly every meeting, he made

the same banal speech.
2. Bellicose (adj.)
Definition/ Sentence Synonym Antonym
Inclined to fight Quarrelsome; hostile; belligerent; Peaceful, affable, amiable,
aggressive; argumentative; amicable, benevolent, complacent,
The bellicose man approached me, pugnacious; truculent conciliatory, cordial, easygoing
eager to fight.
3. Finesse (N)
Definition/ Word in a sentence Synonym Antonym
Delicate Skill; subtlety Skill/ expertise artlessness
(v) To bring about with skill
The chess champion played the

game with a finesse that allowed
him to easily beat all the other
players.
4. Glib (adj)
said or done in a way that lacks Smooth; neat; empty, hollow, candid, genuine, heartfelt, honest,
thought or is not sincere meaningless, breezy, casual; sincere, undesigning, unfeigned
double, double-dealing direct, forthright, frank, heart-to-
Considering the way he fills all his heart, open
speeches with glib promises that
he never follows through on, I’m
amazed that he has any supporters
at all.
5. Pseudonym (N)

A fictitious name assumed by the Pen name; nom de plume
author
The famous singer always checks
into hotels under a pseudonym so
her fans will not find her.
6. Lampoon (N)
a creative work that uses sharp Mockery, parody, farce, derision, Flattery, praise
humor to point up the foolishness ridicule
of a person, institution, or human
nature in general
Because Freddy posted an

uncomplimentary lampoon of his
boss on his Facebook page, he soon
found himself looking for new
employment.
7. Lugubrious (adj.)
Sad or mournful often to an Doleful, depressive, desolate, dire, Cheerful; joyful
exaggerated degree disconsolate, dismal, drear, dreary.
Although Clarissa initially enjoyed

the play, she later fell asleep during
the lead actor’s lugubrious
monologue.
8. Nefarious
Villainous; having a bad reputation infamous Admirable; good
One man employed his nefarious

scheme to hack into people's
computers and steal bank account
information.
9. Nemesis
An avenger; an unbeatable rival Foe; enemy; rival Defense, guard, protection
A person who punishes another for
evil deeds
10. Purloin (V)
Steal Pilfer; loot Reinstate, restore
Because Eddie tried to purloin the

woman’s purse, he spent the night
in jail.
Lesson 2
1. Abject (adj.)
Hopelessly low; without self- Wretched; miserable; base; Proud; arrogant; high-handed;
respect humble; menial imperious; supercilious
2. Admonish (V)
To reprove mildly and kindly, but Chide; rebuke; reprimand Laud, praise, salute
seriously; to caution or warn, to
urge
Finally, Drew had to admonish his

employees to arrive on time for
work, warning them of the
consequences if they arrived late
tomorrow.
3. Commensurate (Adj.)
Proportionate; symmetrical; asymmetrical
In proper proportion; having the relative
same scale or measure;
proportionate, corresponding,
adequate, alike, equivalent, equal
A punishment of 10 years in prison

with hard labor for stealing a loaf of
bread is not commensurate with
the crime.
4. Distraught (adj.)
In a state of mental conflict Agitated; delirious; distracted; Peaceful; calm; placid
frenzied
When my father died, I was so

distraught I dropped out of school.
5. Euphemism (N)
a mild or indirect word or expression Genteelism; understatement dysphemism
substituted for one considered to be too
harsh or blunt when referring to
something unpleasant or embarrassing
While a euphemism may tone
down your words, the meaning
behind the phrase will remain the
same.
6. Nebulous (adj.)
Hazy; vague; not clearly defined Ambiguous; cryptic; dark; deep Comprehensible; intelligible
After the car accident, his

memories were quite nebulous.
7. Phlegmatic (adj.)
Sluggish; indifferent; calm Emotionless; impassive; numb; Burning; enthusiastic; ardent
passionless
After our football coach was
suspended because of his
emotional outbursts, he went to
therapy so he could work on being
more phlegmatic.
8. Propriety (n)
Acceptable behavior; conformity Decorum; orderliness; correctness Impropriety; indecorum
with conventional standards; good
taste in manners
After Harold wore a clown suit to

his cousin’s funeral, we had to
question his sense of propriety.
9. Prosaic (adj.)
Matter of fact; ordinary Commonplace Imaginative; inspired
Because the biggest thing in my

hometown is the grocery store, the
city really is a prosaic little place.
10. Revile
To attack with abusive language; Deprecated; belittled; disparaged Approved; endorsed
To insult with abusive names
Individuals who are arrogant will

often look for ways to revile those
they view as beneath them.

Holt G12 Vocabulary Lesson 1 and 2

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Holt G12 Vocabulary Lesson 1 and 2

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Lessons One and Two

Stale from overuse Commonplace; trite original

At nearly every meeting, he made

The chess champion played the

Definition/ Word in a sentence Synonym Antonym

Because Freddy posted an

Although Clarissa initially enjoyed

One man employed his nefarious

Because Eddie tried to purloin the

Finally, Drew had to admonish his

A punishment of 10 years in prison

When my father died, I was so

After the car accident, his

After Harold wore a clown suit to

Because the biggest thing in my

Individuals who are arrogant will

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