English II Vocabulary

List #1

1. imprudent adj. careless, rash

2. indigent adj. poor, impoverished

3. indignant adj. angry

4. obscure adj. hard to understand; abstract

5. bolster verb to support, strengthen

6. candor noun honesty, sincerity

7. cynical adj. believing that all others are motivated by self-interest

8. gratify verb. to please or indulge

9. fastidious adj. very attentive to detail; fussy, meticulous

10. lofty adj. very high, grand, noble

11. omnious adj. related to a feeling that something bad or evil is bound to happen

12. extraneous adj. not necessary; not relevant

List #2

13. loquacious adj. very talkative; liking to talk

14. rhetorical adj. relating to speech that is used to persuade or have some effect; insincere in expression

15. verbose adj. using too many words; wordy; long-winded

16. disdainful adj. full of bitter scorn and pride

17. insolent adj. boldly disrespectful in speech or behavior; rude

Before she met that wild crowd, Megan was quiet and demure. Now she's and insolent, foul-mouthed rough-neck.

18. swagger vb. to walk around in a proud, showy manner; to boast in a loud manner

Sentence: Butch's swagger reveals an ego as big as a house.

Mike and Gloria acted like guests of honor at the party, swaggering from room to room.

19. supercilious adj. looking down on others; proud and scornful

Sentence: If we had a contest for superciliousness, haughty Hannah would win hands down.

20. exuberant adj. overflowing with vitality and good spirits

21. wary adj. cautious, careful

22. vigilant adj. carefully alert and watchful

Sentence: Mrs. Trueport vigilantly watched the tots playing in the backyard. She didn't take her eyes off them the whole afternoon.

List #3

23. atheistic adj. without a belief in any god

Sentence: Although James was raised as a strict Catholic, he became an atheist in college.

24. arid adj. lacking water

Sentence: On one side of the island it rains all the time; the other side is totally arid.

25. covert adj. secret, hidden

Gerry covertly transferred funds from the company to his own bank account, but an investigator uncovered Gerry's crime.

26. inconspicuous adj. hardly noticeable

27. toady noun a flatterer, a sycophant

28. torpid adj. lacking energy; relating to inactivity, sluggish

29. deprecate vb. to show mild disapproval

Sentence: Ms. Bluestone deprecated my efforts to improve

30. castigate vb. to scold or punish severely

31. rancorous adj. deeply hateful or spiteful; malicious

32. baneful adj. causing ruin; harmful; pernicious