American Lit Vocabulary Unit 1

approbation n. the expression of approval or praise syn. approval, Commendation, sanction ant. disapproval, censure Saban gives his team another sign of approbation as they win the National title.

assuage to make easier or milder, to calm or to quench, to appease or satisfy syn. mitigate, alleviate ant. Intensify, aggravate, exacerbate Granny can assuage your hunger with a homemade Jimmy Dean sausage and biscuit..

coalition n. a combination, union or merger syn. alliance, league, ant. splinter group The United States created the coalition that defeated Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War.

decadence decadence if they only produce a one-hit wonder. n. decline and decay; a period of decline and decay; excessive self indulgence syn. Degeneration ant. rise, growth, development SENTENCE Some musicians may experience a time of decadence if they only produce a one-hit wonder.

elicit v. to draw forth or to bring out from some source syn. Call forth, evoke, extract, Educe ant. Repress, quash, stifle SENTENCE A teacher’s question may elicit several responses from the class.

expostulate v. to attempt to dissuade someone from course or decision by earnest reasoning syn. Protest, remonstrate, complain Though it was a scorching 98 degrees outside, Bernie dressed in the chicken outfit in an attempt to expostulate against the harmful effects of eating fast food.

hackneyed adj. Used so often as to lack freshness or originality syn. banal, trite, common place, corny ant. new, fresh, novel, original “to be honest” “actually” “don’t just talk the talk; you got to walk the walk” “when I get around to it” “the fact of the matter is” “in conclusion” “first of all” Mrs. Sellors said I must “hack” away at the hackneyed phrases in my essay if I expected to earn an A.

hiatus n. a gap, an opening, or a break syn. pause, lacuna ant. continuity, continuation Joe’s doctor informed him that he would need to take a hiatus from table tennis for about ten weeks since he broke his arm while trying to carry his girlfriend’s purse.

innuendo n. A hint or indirect suggestion or reference (often in a derogatory sense) syn. Insinuation or intimation ant. direct statement The gangster’s innuendo, “Nice store you got there. Would be a real shame if something happened to it,” made me cringe.

intercede v. To plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement syn. intervene, mediate Since Hailey and Casey could not get a long, my brother-in-law decided to intercede and tape the two of them together!

jaded Adj. wearied, worn-out, dulled syn. Sated, surfeited, cloyed ant. Unspoiled, uncloyed The jaded Aerosmith fan had seen the show fifty times.

lurid adj. causing shock, horror, or revulsion; pale in color; lack of restraint syn. gruesome, gory, grisly, ghastly ant. pleasant, attractive, appealing, wholesome The clown’s lurid appearance frightened Jesse so much that he could not sleep alone at night for three solid days.

meritorious adj. worthy, deserving recognition, or praise syn. praiseworthy, laudable, commendable ant. blameworthy, reprehensible, discreditable In recognition of all her meritorious efforts in the relief work, Dresden received a certificate.

petulant adj. peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset syn. Irritable, testy, waspish ant. even-tempered, placid, serene, amiable Acting like a petulant tortoise, Tommy decided to crawl home rather than make amends with the red globidydook.

prerogative prerogative to change her mind n. a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence syn. perk, perquisite Brittany Spears thinks she has a prerogative to change her mind about going on tour, despite the fact that thousands of fans have already bought their tickets.

provincial adj. pertaining to an outlying area, local, narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward n. A person with a narrow point of view syn. narrow-minded, parochial, insular, naïve Ant. cosmopolitan, broad-minded The Puritans cast their provincial eyes on Hester Prynne as she tightly holds Pearl.

simulate v. to make a pretense of; to imitate, to show the outer signs of syn. feign, pretend, affect The video game SIMS simulates real life. Even the settings are realistic!

transcend transcended everyone’s v. to rise above or beyond; exceed syn. surpass, outstrip Sister Madonna Buder transcended everyone’s expectations. As the oldest trathlete, Sister Madonna has competed in more than 300 races and is 78 years young!

umbrage n. shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion syn. irritation, pique, annoyance ant. Pleasure, delight, satisfaction One of my fondest childhood memories is when all of my family would gather underneath the umbrage of a Mimosa tree to shell peas and listen to my grandparents’ storytelling.

unctuous adj. excessively smooth or smug; trying to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity or piety; fatty, oily, pliable syn. mealy-mouthed, servile, fawning, greasy ant. Gruff, blunt Being naïve, I looked past his unctuous behavior and said yes when he asked me out.