Grade 11 Vocab Unit 12 Apathy-Unctuous 20 WORDS

Word: Apathy Definition: a lack of interest Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The mayor showed complete apathy for the city’s problems; as a result, he was not elected again.

Word: Artifice Definition: a trick Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The student came up with various artifices to cheat on quizzes, but somehow always got caught.

Word: Coup Definition: a takeover Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: In an attempted coup, a group of rebel soldiers stormed the king’s palace; however, the overthrow was not successful.

Word: Desiccate Definition: to dry out Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: After a week without water, the desiccated grass was completely dead

Word: Diverge Definition: to move in different directions; to branch off Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: The two candidates seemed similar, but they diverged on the issue of how to correct the economic recession

Word: Elicit Definition: to bring out Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: The interviewer skillfully elicited the truth about the cover-up by asking insightful questions.

Word: Extrovert Definition: an open, outgoing person Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: Maria is an extrovert; she walked boldly into the room full of strangers and struck up a number of conversations.

Word: Grandiloquent Definition: using a lot of big, fancy words to sound impressive Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The paper was grandiloquent, but the unimpressive ideas were quite the opposite.

Word: Incorrigible Definition: incapable of being reformed Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The convict was incorrigible; he committed a robbery within days of being released

Word: Legacy Definition: something handed down from the past Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The collection of baseball cards was the legacy that was passed down in the family since the early 1930’s

Word: Mortify Definition: to humiliate Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: Tom’s mother mortified him by showing his girlfriend pictures of Tom from middle school.

Word: Pathology Definition: the science/study of diseases Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: Nursing classes often include readings on pathology.

Word: PUTATIVE Definition: commonly accepted, supposed Part of Speech: adj Example Sentence: It is a putative fact that Rafael Nadal is one of the best tennis players. The putative reason that she was accepted to such a prestigious college with such average grades is that her father donated a great deal of money to the school.

Word: Premise Definition: an assumption; the basis for a conclusion Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: A good teacher works off of the premise that every student has the ability to succeed.

Word: Querulous Definition: complaining in a whining manner Synonyms: irritable; bad tempered Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The customer had such a reputation for being querulous that no one on the wait staff wanted to serve him.

Word: Recalcitrant Definition: disobedient Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The country was in turmoil, but the recalcitrant dictator refused to listen to the pleas of the international representatives.

Word: Robust Definition: strong and healthy Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The robust ninety-year-old woman runs 5 miles each morning before breakfast.

Word: Staunch Definition: firmly committed Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: Jen is a staunch supporter of the baseball team; she will watch the whole game even if the team is losing by many runs.

Word: Tangential Definition: only superficially related to the matter at hand; not especially relevant Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The vice president’s speech only had a tangential connection to the topic that had been announced.

Word: Unctuous Definition: oily, insincere (slippery/sketchy) Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: The car salesman came off as unctuous so we did not buy our car from him.