VOCABULARY REVIEWA picture is worth a

thousand words!

oppress

• To keep someone down by means of authority (verb)

• Oppression (noun) oppressive (adjective)

• Slavery was perhaps the most oppressive act in American history as thousands of Africans were forced into service.

Why you gotta be like that?

swarthy

• To be of darker complexion (adjective)

• All of the time spent outside gave the pirates a swarthy, rugged look.

vicarious

• Experience in the imagination through the feelings/actions of others (adjective)

• Vicariously (adverb)• Origin – vicar (Person who

stands in for the bishop – the substitute)

• While his days of playing were long gone, Bob experienced the love of baseball vicariously through his son, Timmy.

quixotic

• Exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic (adjective)

• Quixotically (adverb) • Origin – Don Quixote by

Miguel Cervantes• My mother needs to stop

being so quixotic and see things for how they really are.

Die, windmill, die!

eloquent

• Fluent in speaking/writing (adjective)

• Eloquence (noun), eloquently (adverb)

• While a valedictorian is selected for his or her good grades, it is assumed that he or she will also prove to be eloquent during the graduation ceremony.

plucky

• Courageous and bold (adjective)

• Pluck, pluckiness (noun) • That kid proved himself

quite plucky when he stood up to the bully when no one else would.

audacious

• Willingness to take surprising bold risks (adjective)

• audaciousness (noun), audaciously (adverb)

• Forbes Magazine named audaciousness the most important qualities to strive for, naming the Apollo 11 crew as examples of the characteristic.

aloof

• Unfriendly, cool and distant (adjective)

• aloofness (noun)• Despite the fact that the

couple was in love, there was no doubt that Ernesto was acting a bit aloof lately.

Could it be my breath?

zealous

• Showing great enthusiasm (adjective)

• Zeal / zealot (noun)• Greek myth Zelos, son

of Zeus representing enthusiasm (sibling of Nike)

• The antiwar demonstrators were peaceful, yet zealous, throughout the protest.

fickle

• Changing frequently, often referring to interests and loyalties (adjective)

• Fickleness (noun)• Adolescent relationships

can be very fickle. A person can like one person one day and another the next.

candor

• Honesty, frankness, open in expression (noun)

• Candid (adjective)• I wished my teacher

wouldn’t have spoken with such candor when I asked him what he thought of my essay.

ecstasy

• Overwhelming feeling of happiness (noun)

• ecstatic (adjective)• It was pure ecstasy

when the Philadelphia Phillies won the championship in 2008.

callow

• Inexperienced & immature (adjective)

• Callowness (noun)• Although there are high

hopes for the 76ers rookie Nerlens Noel, experts believe he is too callow to make a true impact in his first year.

virility

• Having strength or energy - mostly used of men (noun)

• Virile (adjective)• Latin “vir” --> man

pertinacity

• The act of holding firmly to a belief or action (noun)

• Pertinacious (adj.)• The pertinacity that

the mule showed indicated that he was not about to be moved.

robust

• Strong and healthy (people), sturdy (objects), strong and rich (food) – (Adjective)

• The robot, despite its outward appearance, was robust and extremely durable.

prudence

• Wisdom or good judgment for the future (noun)

• Prudent (adjective)• I wanted to ask Kimmy to

the dance, but I didn’t think it would be prudent since she just broke her legs.

presumptuous

• Failure to observe the limits of what is appropriate/permitted (adjective)

• Presumptuously (adverb), presume (verb), presumption (noun)

• Carl got a little too presumptuous with Janice when he went in for the goodnight kiss.

SMACK

avarice

• Extreme greed for material wealth (noun)

• Avaricious (adjective)• His avarice was apparent

as he constantly looked to acquire new properties at the expense of others’ misfortunes.

quagmire

• A soft, boggy marsh area - swamp (noun)

• Mix-up, mess, or difficult predicament (noun)

• My guests were in quite a quagmire when my graduation party fell on the same day as Game 7 of the Flyers game for the Stanley Cup.

apathy

• Lack of interest/concern (noun)

• Apathetic (adjective)• “A” – No, “pathos” –

feeling• If you want to see

apathy, walk into an 8th grade classroom.

duplicity

• Deceitfulness, double dealing (noun)

• Duplicitous (adjective)• Duplica- double• Olivia gives off the

impression that she is a good friend, but her duplicity is apparent when she talks behind her friends’ backs.

cacophony

• Harsh mixture of sounds (noun)

• cacophonous (adjective)• “Phon” sound• The kindergarten class

was so cacophonous since the teacher could not keep his class quiet.

curmudgeon

• Grouchy, bad-tempered person (noun)

• Oscar proves what a curmudgeon he is on an everyday basis when he acts rudely towards neighbors.

Why you gotta be so rude?

truculence

• The state of always being eager and quick to fight/argue (adjective)

• Truculent (adj.)• Some players in the NHL

are known for their truculence despite heavy fines and team penalties.