English I Vocabulary List Eight

1. Abyss; noun- a deep space that cannot be measured; a bottomless gulf; hell

The hidden origin of the universe is hidden in the Abyss of time

2. Alleviate; verb- to lighten or lessen; to relieve

Jerry found that going to parties alleviated his feelings of loneliness.

3. Antipathy; noun- strong dislike; opposition to; hatred; an intense negative feeling

Carol’s antipathy for her ex-boyfriend was so strong she wouldn’t even speak to him.

4. Badger; verb- to pester; to harass persistently; to deliberately bother or annoy

The landlord badgered Teresa continually until she paid her overdue rent.

5. Bolster; verb- to support; to prop up; to strengthen anything weak

Five college acceptances boosted Rebecca’s ego and bolstered her self-confidence

6. Chide; verb- to scold; to voice disapproval to

The last thing Julie wanted to hear was her mother chiding her about her messy room.

7. Construe; verb- to interpret; to understand in a particular way

Some teacher’s construed the new rule to mean that all students must be seated when the bell rings

8. Deflect; verb- to turn aside; to change the unexpected path of

By deflecting the ball as it was about to go into the basket, Mike prevented the Nets from scoring.

9. Diffident; adjective- timid; shy; lacking confidence; withdrawn

With each new success, Janet’s diffident manner gave way to greater confidence.

10. Elusive; adjective- hard to hold; difficult to find, identify, or understand

The true story of the vanished airplane remains an elusive despite the years of research.

11. Eminent; adjective- famous; distinguished; prominent

The eminent hairstylist, Philippe, started out as Phil, an obscure barber from New Jersey.

12. Eulogy; noun- high praise; a tribute; often make to honor a deceased person

The eulogy given at their leader’s funeral listed her many accomplishments

13. Fallacious; adjective- misleading; deceptive; falsely reasoned

The experiment was a fraud; the scientists had used fallacious data to prove their theory.

14. Gratuitous; adjective- given freely; uncalled-for; without sense or reason

The movie was full of gratuitous violence that had nothing to do with the plot.

15. Hyperbole; noun- extreme exaggeration; overstatement

Most politicians exaggerate a bit, but the hyperbole of the senator’s remarks was beyond belief.