VOCAB WEEK 12

1. morose I felt so morose after failing all my tests. After reading through my writing, I realized that I can come across rather morose and irritable.

1. morose (adj.) having a gloomy or sullen manner; not friendly or sociable

2. opaque Because privacy is important to me, I have opaque blinds on my windows. Some students are experienced liars with opaque stories, and so the teacher has difficulty differentiating the truth.

2. opaque (adj.) not letting light through; not clear or lucid

3. paramount It is paramount that you complete all of your assignments if you want a good grade. Nelson Mandela believed that “education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” and, in other words, that education is paramount.

3. paramount (adj.) chief in importance, above all others

4. piffle As a teacher, I have to ignore when my students piffle before class. The debater piffled when he did not have anything important to say.

4. piffle (v) to talk or act in a trivial, inept, or ineffective way Bonus Synonym: prattle

5. rebut In a persuasive essay you should be able to rebut the ideas of the opposing argument. In debate many of the speeches focus on having to rebut other teams’ points.

5. rebut (v.) to offer arguments or evidence that contradict an assertion, to refute

6. reprimand My parents always reprimand me when I come home late after curfew. The teacher reprimanded her when she did not turn my essay in on time.

6. reprimand (v.) to scold, find fault with; to rebuke

7. servitude The children were forced into servitude at a young age. The soldiers were finally released from their servitude after the war ended.

7. servitude (n.) slavery, forced labor

8. slapdash When students turn in slapdash work, teachers become irate. His slapdash attempt to finish the project quickly ruined the work of his group.

8. slapdash (adj.) careless and hasty

9. stagnant Flies and other insects started to swarm around the stagnant water. “Our relationship right now is stagnant even though I am ready to get married!” she exclaimed.

9. stagnant (adj.) not running or flowing; foul from standing still; not advancing

10. succumb Even though I knew I was right, I had to succumb to the wishes of my parents. The old man finally had to succumb to his disease after visiting 10 doctors.

10. succumb (v.) to give way to superior force, yield