Regents Preparation Vocabulary List #2

1. Abject (adj.)-miserable; having low spirits; ‘The homeless man’s abject appearance caused many people to donate their spare change to him.”

2. Affability (noun)-friendliness; “His affability made him the most popular and well-liked kid in school.”

3. Bestow (verb)-to provide with; to give as a gift; “When the king died, his crown was bestowed to his oldest son.”

4. Chide (verb)-to voice disapproval of; chastise; “The American Idol contestant was chided so badly by Simon that he was traumatized by the hurtful remarks.”

5. Condemn (verb)-to declare to be wrong or evil; to pronounce guilty; “The convicted felon was condemned to life in prison for the rape of the girl.”

6. Covert (adj.)-secret; “Their covert wedding was a surprise to everyone; no one even knew Beyonce and Jay-Z were planning nuptials.”

7. Engender (verb)-to produce or create; “Angry words often engender conflict and physical confrontation.”

8. Expedition (noun)-a journey for a specific purpose; “Many religious people make expeditions to the holy land for spiritual uplifting and fulfillment.”

9. Melancholy (noun)-depression of spirits; dejection; “Portia’s melancholy was a result of her husband’s rejection of her concerns.”

10. Merit (noun)-a praiseworthy quality; virtue; a quality deserving honor or award; “Since she never missed a day of work and directed excellent projects, Maria was recognized for her merits in the company and given a $10,000 bonus.”

11. Misconstrue (verb)-to misunderstand; “He misconstrued her stares for flirtation; he was sadly mistaken.”

12. Presume (verb)-to expect or assume; “Under the law, everyone is supposed to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.”

13.Prodigious (adjective)- extraordinary in size, amount, extent, degree, or force; “The philanthropist donated a prodigious check to the cancer foundation—more than ever received from a single person.”

14.Profess (verb)- to declare openly; announce or affirm; “The bossprofessed his satisfaction with his employee by giving him praise in front of the entire company.”

15.Proverb (noun)-a popular saying; “There are many proverbs that everybody just knows, like “what goes around comes around.”

16. Resolve (verb)-to deal with successfully; to clear up or make understandable; to find an answer; “The kids resolved their conflicts with the help of a peer mediator.”

17. Salutation (noun)-an expression of greeting and courtesy; “She could recite salutations in many languages, but that was as much as she knew.”

18. Slanderous (adj.)-using false and defaming words; “Once the newspapers published the slanderous rumors, the celebrity’s reputation was ruined.”

19. Thrive (verb)-to grow or flourish; “The young boy in A Child Called “It” who was abused laterthrived because he was given nutritious food and positive attention from his foster parents.”

20. Wrest (verb)-to pull, force or move with difficulty; “The kids tried to wrest the $100 bill from each other, each claiming that he or she was the rightful owner.”