Vocabulary Week Five

Surreal (Adj.) Proportion (noun) Characterized by fantastic imagery and odd events resembling a dream. Dali’s paintings are a bizarre mix of elements like the surreal image of melting clocks. The relationship between thing with respect to their comparative quantity, magnitude, or degree. That hound dog’s tiny legs look out of proportion to that big, fat body.

Aesthetic(adj.) Proximity (noun) Sensitive to or appreciative of art or beauty. The aesthetic qualities of the house didn’t match the high price its sellers were asking, for it was rather simple and unassuming. Nearness or closeness. Soldiers will tell you that the proximity to death brings with it a corresponding proximity to life.

Anarchy (noun) Ambiguity (noun) Something that does not have clear meaning. The ambiguity of the clairvoyant’s message from the deceased allowed the grieving relatives to interpret them however they wished. The absence of any system of government. A disordered, chaotic, and uncontrolled situation. Too often, the presence of a substitute teacher leads to anarchy in the classroom.

Mundane (adj.) Fortify (verb) Commonplace, boring; ordinary or everyday. Relating to the concerns of the workaday world. After visiting Stephanie at college, her parents were surprised at how mundane the life of this high school partier had become Make strong or stronger. Food scientists have found ways to fortify cereal, but in addition to vitamins C and D, they usually add too much sugar.

Coy (adj.) Pester (verb) Trying to be modest or shy in a playful, flirtatious, or provocative manner. At times she gave off a kind of come-get- me energy, coy, and flirtatious, but it never bothered her boyfriend. Annoying and persistent. To nag someone about something. At the beginning of her second week, she began pestering her mom to take her down to the village at the foot of the hill.