English 9 (B)

assuage

v

to ease, make less painful or burdensome

"His generosity toward a group of young graffiti writers was, perhaps, one way to assuage his guilt" (Phoebe Hoban, Basquiat: A Quick Killing in Art).
See Word of the Day

taciturn

adj

habitually untalkative; habitually reserved or uncommunicative

“She is taciturn and her husband is a talker; they turn the standard male-female stereotypes on their heads.”

unsullied

adj

pure, undefiled, unmarked

“He has worked hard to keep his family's reputation unsullied.”

eccentric

adj

departing from the conventional norm; deviating from some established pattern or from accepted conduct/usage

“Thus we came to know Dill as a pocket Merlin, whose head teemed with eccentric plans, strange longings, and quaint fancies.” (Scout in TKaM)

vapid

adj

dull, uninteresting

“I found her personality to be dull and vapid; all she wished to do was gossip about others.”

malevolent

adj

wishing evil upon others; malicious, evil, harmful or injurious

“Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom.”
Root: mal= bad

predilection

n

partiality; preference or tendency; tendency to think favorably of something

"He had a predilection for redheads."

morbid

adj

of, relating to, or characteristic of disease; characterized by gloomy or unwholesome ideas; focused on death

“Dead baby jokes are a morbid form of humor.”
Root: mor= death

nebulous

adj

hazy, vague, indistinct or confused

Think "nebula" = clouds.
“The business plan is still very nebulous, and thus may have a hard time attracting financial support.”

vexation

n

a source of irritation or annoyance

“Mosquitoes are a source of great vexation.”

fractious

adj

irritable, peevish, or quarrelsome; likely to cause trouble or be unruly

Root: fract/frag= to break or shatter

contentious

adj

tending to argue

“Don't pay no 'tention to Lula, she's contentiousbecause Reverend Sykes threatened to church her.” (Calpurnia in TKaM)

amiable

adj

friendly, cordial, agreeable, congenial

“Judge Taylor looked like most judges I had ever seen: amiable, white-haired, slightly ruddy-faced....” (Scout in TKaM)
Root: am/im= to love

judicious

adj

having or exercising sound judgment; wise & sensible; prudent & discreet

"a judicious use of one's money" / "a judiciouschoice of words"
Root: jud = judge

begrudge

v

to envy another's possession or enjoyment of something

In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the obedient brother at first begrudges his returning brother's warm welcome.

auspicious

adj

marked by favorable circumstances

"an auspicious time to ask for a raise in salary" / "an auspicious beginning to the campaign"
Root: spic/spec= to look

melancholy

adj/n

sad, gloomy; sadness or gloom

“A deep melancholy settled on the family once they knew they would lose their home."

aloof

adj

uninvolved; at a distance (physically or emotionally)

foray

n

a sudden, quick raid or attack, esp. for taking plunder

"our midnight foray to Taco Bell for the 4th meal…."
See "We Eat Horses, Don't We?"

tacit

adj

understood without being spoken; implied

Most friends have a tacit understanding that they won't hit on each others' boy/girlfriends.

placidly

adv

calmly;serenely; tranquilly

In the movie, Lake Placid was incorrectly named!

asinine

adj

foolish, unintelligent, or silly; stupid

“It is surprising that supposedly intelligent people can make such asinine comments.” (This was the favorite word of one of Mrs. H's friends growing up, because it was a put-down that sounded even worse than it was! :)

prowess

n

exceptional valor, bravery, or ability, esp. in combat; exceptional ability or skill

prowess as a public speaker; prowess on the battlefield

unfathomable

adj

incomprehensible; difficult or impossible to understand; difficult or impossible to measure

“...there is nothing more unfathomable than the heart of man.” (Homer)