Vocabulary List #15: 1/5/98
approbation | proof; an act of proving; formally commended |
apropos | at an opportune time; relevant and opportune |
blanch | to remove the color from |
blatant | completely obvious or conspicuous; offensively noisy |
chicanery | deception by artful subterfuge; trick |
circumspect | careful to consider all possible circumstances and consequences |
compunction | a twinge of misgiving; anxiety arising from guilt awareness |
corpulent | having a large, bulking body |
dulcet | agreeable; soothing; sweet to the taste or ear |
duress | forcible restraint or restriction |
eclectic | choosing what appears to be best from various sources |
euphemism | the use of a less direct or less distasteful word for another |
exorbitant | exceeding normal or appropriate limits |
expulsion | the state of being driven out or dismissed |
extraneous | foreign; not pertinent; not belonging to matter considered |
feckless | ineffectual; weak; irresponsible |
flamboyant | ornate; showy; full of exaggeration |
holocaust | a thorough destruction; a sacrifice caused by fire |
imminent | ready to take place; impending; likely to happen |
insinuate | to introduce gradually or in a subtle, indirect way |
instigate | to goad or urge forward; to provoke |
insular | constituting or relating to an island or island people |
insurgent | rising in opposition to civil authority |
niche | a place etc. to which a person is best fitted; a recess in the wall |
noncommittal | giving or having no clear attitude or feeling about something |
notoriety | generally known and talked of favorably; fame |
omnipotent | having unlimited power or influence; almighty |
pallid | deficient in color; pale; lacking sparkle; dull |
paradox | something seemingly contradictory, yet possibly true |
philander | to have many love affairs with no intention of marriage |