English 12 – Vocabulary Lists
#18 Test Date: ______
1. incorrigible (adj.): too firmly fixed to be reformed or changed
2. indefatigable (adj.): tireless; incapable of becoming weary or exhausted
3. indigent (adj.): poverty-stricken; poor or impoverished
4. ingratiate (v.): to make oneself acceptable
5. innocuous (adj.): harmless; producing no injury; not likely to arouse hostility
6. inscrutable (adj.): so mysterious that it cannot be understood
7. insipid (adj.): lacking interest or spirit; a waste of time
8. insurgent (n.): one who rises in revolt
9. intemperate (adj.): lacking in self-control
10. intractable (adj.): hard to manage; not easily treated
#19 Test Date: ______
1. irrefutable (adj.): cannot be disproved or denied; incontrovertible
2. irrelevant (adj.): not to the point; not relating to the subject
3. jargon (n.): the specialized vocabulary of members of a group
4. judicious (adj.): wise; careful; showing sound judgment’ prudent
5. kindle (v.): to ignite; to arouse or inspire; that catch fire
6. labyrinth (n.): a complicated, perplexing arrangement or course of affairs
7. lackluster (adj.): lacking brightness; dull; lacking liveliness, vitality, or enthusiasm
8. laconic (adj.): brief or terse in speech; using few words
9. lampoon (n.): strong, satirical writing, usually attacking or ridiculing someone.
10. lassitude (n.): the state or feeling of being tired and listless; weariness
#20 Test Date: ______
1. latent (adj.): present but invisible or inactive; lying hidden and undeveloped
2. laudable (adj.): worthy of praise
3. lethargic (adj.): drowsy; dull; sluggish; indifferent
4. levity (adj.): lightness; lack of seriousness; fickleness
5. listless (adj.): indifferent; marked by a lack of energy or enthusiasm
6. lucid (adj.): easily understood; rational; clear; clear-minded
7. malicious (adj.): spiteful intentionally mischievous or harmful
8. marred (adj.): injured; spoiled; damaged; disfigured
9. meager (adj.): thin or lean; of poor quality or small amount
10. meandering (adj.): winding back and forth; rambling without purpose
#21 Test Date: ______
1. meticulous (adj.): very careful about details; fussy
2. mitigate (v.): to make or to become milder or less severe; to moderate
3. morose (adj.): gloomy; bad-tempered; sullen
4. nomenclature (n.): a systematic naming in an art or science; a name
5. nonchalance (adj.): carelessness; indifference; lack of interest or concern
6. obliterate (v.): to blot out leaving no traces; to remove completely from memory or recognition; to destroy
7. obscure (adj.): not clear or distinct; hidden; remote; not well known
8. obsolete (adj.): our-of-date; no longer in use or useful
9. officious (adj.): meddling; giving unnecessary or unwanted advice or services
10. opportunist (n.): one who takes advantage of any opportunity without regard for moral principles
#22 Test Date: ______
1. opulent (adj.): wealthy; abundant, often to the extent of being conspicuous
2. overt (adj.): not hidden; open to view
3. painstaking (adj.): very careful; diligent
4. pariah (n.): an outcast; a member of a lower caste in India
5. parsimonious (adj.): too thrifty; stingy, especially with money
6. partisan (adj.): showing a strong support for a party or cause
7. paucity (n.): smallness in number or amount; scarcity
8. peerless (adj.): having no equal; better than the rest
9. perceptive (adj.): discerning; observant; sensitive
10. perfidy (n.): treachery; betrayal of trust or loyalty
#23 Test Date: ______
1. peripheral (adj.): external; incidental; relating to the external boundary of something
2. peruse(v.): to study; to read; to examine in detail and with attention
3. philistine (adj.): narrow-minded; smugly conventional
4. piety (n.): devotion and reverence, especially to god and family
5. pique (v.): to hurt the feelings of or make resentful; to arouse or excite
6. placate (v.): to soothe; to pacify
7. placid (adj.): outwardly calm or composed; self-satisfied; peaceful
8. plagiarized (v.): to take ideas or writings from someone else and present them as one’s own; to use without giving credit
9. platitude (n.): a thought or remark that is dull, trite, flat or weak
10. pompous (adj.): self-important; stately; magnificent; excessively ornate
#24 Test Date: ______
1. ponderous (adj.): very heavy; bulky; labored and dull or tiresome
2. pragmatic (adj.): practical; opinionated; concerned with actual practice rather than theory or speculation
3. preclude (v.): to make impossible; to shut out; to present
4. precocious (adj.): having or showing much more ability or knowledge than is usual at such a young age
5. prestigious (adj.): honored; having an illustrious name or reputation
6. pretentious (adj.): claiming or demanding a position of distinctions or merit; showy; self-important
7. procrastinate (v.): to put off doing something until a later time; to delay
8. prodigious (adj.): enormous; extraordinary; marvelous
9. profane (adj.): secular; not holy; not connected with religion; irreverent
10. profusion (n.): abundance; a great or generous amount; extravagance
#25 Test Date: ______
1. prolific (adj.): producing many offspring; producing much; abundant
2. propensity (n.): a natural leaning or tendency
3. provincial (adj.): thinking in narrow ways; having the ways and speech of a certain province; of or like country people as apart from city people (unsophisticated)
4. prudent (adj.): careful or cautious in a sensible way; wise; frugal
5. pugnacious (adj.): eager and ready to fight; quarrelsome
6. quandary (n.): condition of being doubtful or confused
7. querulous (adj.): peevish; faultfinding; expressing or suggestive of complaint
8. quixotic (adj.): idealistic and utterly impractical
9. raconteur (n.): a person skilled at telling stories or anecdotes
10. rancor (n.): deep spite or malice; strong ate or bitter feeling
#26 Test Date: ______
1. raze (v.): to tear down completely; to destroy
2. rebuff (v.): to refuse in a sharp or rude way; to snub; to drive or beat back
3. recalcitrant (adj.): refusing to obey rules or follow orders; unmanageably resistant
4. recluse (n.): a person who lives alone, away from others
5. redundant (adj.): wordy; exceeding what is necessary or normal; lavish; overflowing
6. refurbish (v.): to freshen or polish again; to make like new
7. rejuvenate (v.): to make young or fresh again
8. relegate (v.): to put in a less important position; to assign; to banish
9. relic (n.): a thing or part that remains from the past; something kept as sacred because it belonged to a saint
10. remorse (n.): a deep feeling of sorrow or guilt over a wrong one has done
#27 Test Date: ______
1. repudiate (v.): to reject; to refuse to recognize, acknowledge or pay; to divorce or discard
2. repugnant (adj.): disgusting; loathsome; objectionable; incompatible
3. rescind (v.): to cancel; to repeal; to set aside
4. residual (adj.): left over; remaining
5. resilient (adj.): getting back strength or spirits quickly; springing back into shape or position
6. respite (n.): a temporary cessation or postponement, usually of something disagreeable; interval of rest
7. reticent (adj.): not saying much, especially about one’s thoughts
8. retract (v.): to draw back or draw in; to take back a statement; to promise or to offer
9. ruthless (adj.): merciless; cruel; heartless
10. sagacious (adj.): very wise or shrewd
#28 Test Date: ______
1. salutary (adj.): healthful; useful or helpful
2. sanction (n.): authorized approval or permission; confirmation; support or encouragement
3. saturate (v.): to soak through and through; to fill completely
4. savory (adj.): pleasing to the taste or smell; pleasant; morally attractive
5. scapegoat (n.): one taking the blame for the mistakes and crimes of others
6. scoff (v.): to mock or jeer at; to make fun of
7. scrupulous (adj.): very honest and conscientious; careful about details; exact
8. scrutinize (v.): to look at very carefully; to inspect minutely
9. sectarian (adj.): pertaining to a group within a larger group that is limited by common beliefs or interests; narrow-minded
10. sequester (v.): to hide or keep away from others; to withdraw into seclusion; to confiscate; to segregate
#29 Test Date: ______
1. serene (adj.): unruffled; tranquil; unclouded
2. skeptical (adj.): not easily persuaded or convinced; doubting the fundamental doctrines of religion
3. sobriety (n.): seriousness, gravity or solemnity; absence of alcoholic intoxication
4. solemn (adj.): observed or done according to ritual or tradition; formal; serious or earnest; arousing feelings of awe; very impressive
5. soporific (adj.): causing sleep; drowsy
6. sporadic (adj.): occurring at irregular intervals; fitful; isolated
7. spurious (adj.): lacking authenticity; counterfeit; false
8. squalid (adj.): dirty or wretched in appearance; morally repulsive; sordid
9. stagnate (v.): to lie inactive; to fail to progress or develop
10. stoic (adj.): indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
#30 Test Date: ______
1. stringent (adj.): rigidly controlled or enforced; severe; strict
2. stultifying (adj.): rendering useless or ineffectual; causing to appear stupid of ridiculous
3. substantiate (v): to support with proof or evidence; to verify
4. succinct (adj.): clearly expressed in few words; concise; terse
5. sullen (adj.): silent and keeping to oneself because one feels angry, bitter or hurt; resentful; morose; sulky
6. sumptuous (adj.): lavish ; costly; extravagantly or luxuriously dressed
7. supercilious (adj.): proud and scornful; haughty; looking down on others
8. superficial (adj.): on or near the surface; concerned with comprehending what is apparent or obvious; hasty
9. superfluous (adj.): beyond what is required or sufficient; extra
10. surmise (v.): to imagine or infer on slight grounds
#31 Test Date: ______
1. surreptitious (adj.): sly; stealthy; done in a quiet or secret way
2. susceptible (adj.): very sensitive; capable of being acted upon, influenced or affected by a specific trait
3. sycophant (n.): one who tries to win favor or advance himself by flattering persons of influence; a servile self-seeker
4. taciturn (adj.): habitually untalkative; laconic; uncommunicative
5. tactless (adj.): not having or showing a sense of the right thing to do or say without causing anger or hurt feelings; without skill in dealing with people
6. talon (n.): the claw of a bird of prey; any object suggestive of a heel or claw
7. tangential (adj.): diverging or digressing; merely touching a subject, not dealing with it at length
8. tawdry (adj.): gaudy and cheap; vulgarly or outrageously ornamental
9. tedious (adj.): long o verbose and wearisome; tiresome; boring
10. temerity (n.): foolish or reckless boldness; audacity; rashness
#32 Test Date: ______
1. tenet (n): a principle, doctrine or belief held as a truth by a group
2. tentative (adj.): not definite or final; indicating timidity, hesitancy or uncertainty
3. terse (adj.): using only a few words but clear and to the point; polished
4. threadbare (adj.): frayed or shabby (worn down so that the threads show); used so often that it is stale or meaningless
5. thwart (v.): to oppose directly; to baffle; to block; to frustrate
6. tirade (n.): a long, angry or scolding speech; a harangue or diatribe
7. trepidation (n.): a trembling apprehension; a state of alarm and dread
8. turbulence (n.): violent motion; disorder
9. unassailable (adj.): undeniable; unquestionable; not liable to attack
10 undermine (v.): to dig or to make a tunnel under; to wear away and weaken the support of; to injure or to weaken in a slow or sneaky way