Vocab 11

1) Augment – to increase in size, amount or degree My parents said they would augment my car fund if I earned all A’s.

2) Benign – kind; gracious; gentle Nurses are a benign presence in a hospital.

3) Connoisseur – person with a lot of knowledge concerning fine arts He was a connoisseur of oil paintings.

4) Discern – to detect with the eyes The fog was so thick that it was hard to discern the buildings.

5) Embellish –add details to a story to make more interesting Mark Twain often embellished his stories.

6) Execute – to carry out; perform In order to execute our plan, we had to leave early.

7) Exemplify – to illustrate by being an example She exemplifies honesty in a person.

8) Grotesque – so distorted or strange as to appear bizarre The movie was so grotesque that I had to leave early.

9) Hallowed – greatly respected; holy A cemetery is considered hallowed ground.

10) Impersonate – to assume the character or appearance of She tried to impersonate a teacher.

11) Malevolent – producing harm or evil He shot a malevolent look at the principal.

12) Ornate – heavily & elaborately detailed The decorations were so ornate that they gave me a headache.

13) Pastoral – relating to country life; relaxed and quiet Kansas is known for a pastoral culture.

14) Precarious – not safe or secure; dangerously uncertain She had a precarious hold on the child.

15) Renown – fame; honor Whitney Houston was a renowned singer in the ‘80s.