VOCABULARY UNIT 2 English II Honors

 holocaust – a large scale destruction, especially by fire  The Jewish Holocaust was one of many genocides in the 20 th century.  nostalgia – desire for something from the past  Many parents and grandparents of today are nostalgic about their childhoods.  amicable – friendly, neighborly  Their divorce ended amicably after mediation with lawyers and counselors.  meticulous – extremely careful, particularly details  The interior designer was meticulous in following the home owners’ wishes.  cursory – hasty, not thorough  Chris McCandless made a cursory decision to go to Alaska.

 tepid – lukewarm, unenthusiastic  Before bathing the baby, the mother made tested the tepid water.  scrutinize – to examine closely  During the selection process in the concentration camps, Jews and others were heavily scrutinized.  quintessence – the most typical example  Gisele Bundchen is the quintessential supermodel.  duplicity – treachery, deceitfulness, fraud  The spy’s duplicitous behavior brought unwanted attention once he went back to his home country.  averse – opposed, unwilling; having a deep-seeded distaste  Because of the movie It, most people have an aversion to clowns.

 adroit – skillful, expert in the use of the hands or mind  With an adroit flick of the wrist, the pizza maker tossed the dough way in the air.  impervious – resistant; not affected or hurt by  The chef bought new knives impervious to rust.  impetus – impulse, stimulus, incentive  The family immediately offered a huge ransom to the kidnapper as an impetus for returning their child unharmed.  grimace – facial distortion, pained expression  The diner grimaced in horror when her steak came out completely rare.  belligerent – warlike, aggressive  The basketball coach became belligerent the referee gave him a technical foul.

 feasible – possible, able to be done  Students need to look for feasible ways to organize their time.  benevolent – well-meaning, charitable, kind  The benevolence of the silent donor enabled the shelter to stay open five more years.  retrogress – to return to an earlier condition  After the holidays, some people retrogress to their original weight and have to diet.  extol – to praise excessively  Drinking eight glasses of water a day is widely extolled by doctors.  jeopardy – danger  Don’t jeopardize your future by making bad decisions.

SYNONYMS  Holocaust - Carnage  Nostalgia - Wistful  Amicable - Congenial  Meticulous - Scrupulous  Cursory - Hurried  Tepid - Mild  Scrutinize - Examine  Quintessence - Epitome  Duplicity - Devious  Averse - Opposed

SYNONYMS  Adroit - Dexterous  Impervious - Impenetrable  Impetus - Provocation  Grimace - Scowl  Belligerent - Combative  Feasible - Viable  Benevolent - Generous  Retrogress - revert  Extol - Glorify  Jeopardy - Peril