Vocabulary List #8: 10/24/97
abate | to reduce in degree or intensity; omit; deprive |
affinity | an attractive force between two things; attraction |
aphorism | a concise statement of a principle |
caricature | exaggeration by means of ludicrous distortion |
celestial | of or relating to the sky or visible heavens |
desultory | marked by lack of definite plan, regularity, or purpose |
drivel | nonsense; stupid or careless talk |
ebony | black, dark |
epithet | a character, word, or phrase occurring in place of the name of a person |
fervor | warm; steady intensity of feeling or expression |
furtive | obtained underhandedly; stolen |
guileless | innocent, naive |
impugn | to assail by words or arguments |
luminous | bathed in or exposed to a steady light; emitting light |
magnate | a person of rank or position often in a specified area |
misanthrope | one who hates or distrusts mankind |
myriad | having innumerable aspects or elements; innumerable |
pariah | outcast |
peremptory | putting an end to or precluding a debate or delay |
poignant | painfully affecting the feelings or emotions |
quintessence | the most typical example or representative |
ramification | a branched structure; offshoot; growth |
ruminate | to go over in the mind repeatedly, casually, or slowly |
soliloquy | the act of talking to oneself; dramatic monologue |
spectral | suggesting a spectator or ghost; ghostly |
trenchant | sharply perceptive; keen; sharp |
vacillate | to sway through a lack of equilibrium |
veracity | devotion to the truth; something true |
voracious | having a huge appetite; excessively eager |
wizened | dried and wrinkled as a result of aging |