Unit 4B Vocabulary Words
Invulnerable(in-vul-ner-uh-bull) (adjective): impossible to harm or damage
Something that's invulnerable is impossible to damage or injure, like the strongest, most rock solid concrete fort reinforced with steel bars. Or Mother Theresa's reputation.
From the Latin invulnerabilis, meaning “not wounding,” came the English invulnerable, an adjective meaning invincible or immune to attack. Some people look to vaccines to make them invulnerable. Others use body armor. Philosopher Henry David Thoreau, on the other hand, relied upon music: “When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable."
Malevolent(muh-lev-uh-lent) (adjective): having or showing a wish to do evil to others.
If someone is malevolent, they wish evil on others. If you find yourself approaching someone with a malevolent look in her eye, best to run the other way.
Malevolent comes from the Latin word malevolens, which means "ill-disposed, spiteful"; its opposite is benevolent, which means "wishing good things for others." A malevolent person might display satisfaction at someone else's problems. But it's not only individuals who can be malevolent. If you think that television violence influences viewers to violence, you see television as a malevolent force.
Nonchalant(non-sha-lont) (adjective): feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety
If your friend is acting cool, unconcerned or in an indifferent manner, call him nonchalant — like when he saunters by a group of whispering, giggling girls and just nods and says, "Hey."
If you act nonchalant, you are literally acting cool, as nonchalant traces back to non- "not" and Latin calēre "to be warm." Isn't that cool? Sometimes, a nonchalant person acts indifferent or uninterested, but really cares very much. If you give a girl a nonchalant smile, you definitely want her to notice you! Even though it begins with non, nonchalant has no positive form — chalant is not a word.
Omniscient(om-nish-int) (adjective): knowing everything; infinitely wise
To be omniscient is to know everything. This often refers to a special power of God.
If you combine the Latin roots omnis (meaning "all") and scientia (meaning "knowledge"), you'll get omniscient, meaning "knowledge of all." It would be nice to be omniscient: then you would know absolutely everything in the world. Many religions have a god who is all-powerful and omniscient. This is how a god is supposed to know when you sinned, or what's going to happen in the future.
Panacea(pan-uh-see-uh) (noun): a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases
If someone offers you a pill that promises eternal life, don’t take the pill. It’s a panacea, a remedy that falsely claims to solve every problem ever.
The Greek word pan means “all” (think of a panorama, a view where you can see everywhere). The Greek word for “cure” is akēs (which looks like the word “aches”). Those are the roots of panacea, a cure for all aches. But a panacea doesn’t really cure everything; it just acts like it can. Use the word to describe an unbelievable solution, like a new law that will make everyone rich, or a robot that does your homework for you.
Scrupulous(scrupe-you-liss) (adjective): characterized by extreme care and great effort; diligent; thorough
Scrupulous means very careful to do things properly and correctly, such as paying friends back for money borrowed right away, or not returning a pair of shoes after they've been worn outdoors.
A scrupulous person is full of scruples, which are concerns about doing things that are morally right. Such a person is hesitant or doubtful, and might have trouble deciding what is morally right or wrong. The adjective scrupulous is from Latin scrūpulōsus, from scrūpulus "scruple." A near synonym is punctilious.
Skulk(skulk) (verb): to sneak around or hide out
Skulking is cowardly. It means hiding out, either because you're trying to pull something off in secret, or you're trying to get out of doing something you're supposed to be doing.
If you cut school, it makes sense to do it in the style of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and enjoy yourself. Will the punishment be worse than if you skulk around town, avoiding teachers and people your parents know, not doing anything you really want to do? In spy movies, there are always bad guys in hotel lobbies, skulking about, hiding behind open newspapers.
Supercilious(super-silly-us) (adjective): behaving as though one thinks they are superior to/better than others
Supercilious people think very highly of themselves, more highly than of others. Think of them as a "super silly ass," and you'll remember the basic sense of supercilious.
You might expect Nobel Prize winners to be supercilious. After all, they've reached the very heights of their profession. But Dagmar was incredibly humble and fun to talk to: she was anything but a "super silly ass." Most often, it's people who have no right to be arrogant, rude, and holier-than-thou who behave in the most supercilious way. It's the people who really are exceptional who don't feel the need to behave superciliously, because they've got nothing to prove. Most supercilious people are just insecure.
Uncanny(un-canny) (adjective): out of the ordinary; abnormal; strange or mysterious
If something is uncanny, it is so mysterious, strange, or unfamiliar that it seems supernatural. If you hear strange music echoing through your attic, you might refer to it as positively uncanny.
You can also use uncanny to refer to something that is so remarkable that it is beyond what is natural: as in "uncanny abilities." This adjective was formed in English from the prefix un- "not" and canny "fortunate, safe." The current meaning of English canny is "careful and clever, especially in handling money."
Venial(vee-nee-uhl) (adjective): forgivable or excusable
Some crimes are unforgivable. Others are venial — venial crimes and sins are excusable. They're not a big deal.
In school, there are so many things that are against the rules: talking during class, tossing spitballs, pulling the fire alarm, stealing a basketball, etc. Something venial would be something against the rules but forgivable. For example, if you were late for school because your parents were in the hospital, that lateness is venial. If you burned the gym down, that could never be considered venial. When you see venial, think "forgivable," "excusable," and "no biggie."