Focus on the goal. Voc. Unit 6 Ms. B. Wulchak

Vocab. Unit 6 Darry Evans c/o 2009 Revised 2010

Abject  Adj.- wretched, base, utter, most miserable, complete and unrelieved.  In the American dream, those who work hard can escape abject poverty.

Agnostic  Noun-  Noun- one who believes that nothing can be known about God.  Adj.-  Adj.- without faith, skeptical.  Although he was a confirmed agnostic, he supported the rights of others to practice their religion.

Complicity  Noun- involvement in wrongdoing; the state of being an accomplice.  If you know a crime is being committed and you do nothing to prevent it, you may be accused of complicity.

Derelict a derelict boat  Noun-  Noun- someone or something that is abandoned or neglected.  Adj.-  Adj.- remiss neglectful of duty   The family complained about the unsightly collection derelict of derelict vehicles in their neighbor’s driveway.

Diatribe  Noun- a bitter and prolonged verbal attack.  Synonyms- tirade, harangue  The senator’s speech was more of a diatribe than a reasoned address.

Effigy  Noun-  Noun-a crude image of a despised person.   The night before the battle, the troops burned the despised enemy leader in effigy.

Equity  Noun- state or quality of being just, fair, or impartial.  Prompted by considerations of equity, the father decided to divide his estate equally among his children.

Inane  Adj.-  Adj.- silly, empty of meaning or value.   The comment the girl made was so inane that all we could do was look at her.   “Do they sell walls at Wal-Mart?

Indictment  Noun- the act of accusing; a formal accusation.  The Grand Jury handed down the indictment for murder after deliberating in secret for two weeks.

Indubitable  Adj.-  Adj.- certain, not to be doubted or denied.   You can not argue with indubitable truths. Muhammad Ali - 3 time heavyweight champ; beating Liston, Frazier, & Foreman

Intermittent  Adj.- stopping and beginning again, sporadic; off and on.  The pulled muscle in his back gave him intermittent pains for about a week.  We are expecting intermittent rain showers today.

Meretricious  Adj.-  Adj.- showy in a cheap or vulgar way.   Madonna has been meretricious at times in her career.

Moot  Adj. open to discussion and debate; a kind of hypothetical law case competition argued by students.  Verb- to bring up for discussion.  The law student prepared for the moot court competition.  It’s a moot point.

Motif  Noun -  Noun - a principal idea, feature, theme, or element.   The collector admired the unusual Asian motif that was woven into the fabric of the tapestry.

Neophyte  Noun -a new convert, beginner, novice.  In comparison to an experienced wilderness hiker, he is a mere neophyte in the woods.

Perspicacity  Noun -  Noun -keenness In observing and understanding, acuity   The birdwatcher scans the surrounding trees and fields with the same perspicacity as a hawk looking for prey. (Some hawks have vision of 8X binoculars.)

Plenary  Adj.- complete in all aspects or essentials.  Because of its importance, the case was presented at a plenary session of the Superior Court.

Prestigious  Adj.-  Adj.- having a highly favorable reputation.   Harvard is one of the most prestigious universities in the world.  [1.pre-stij-uhs, 2.pre-stij- ee-uhs, 3.pre-stee- juhs,4.pre-stee-jee-uhs] Listen at dictionary.com

Surveillance  Noun - a watch kept over a person, scrutiny, close observation  The police kept the suspect under close surveillance after she was released due to lack of evidence.

Sylvan  Adj.-  Adj.- pertaining to or characteristic of woods and forests.   Once upon a time, Hansel and Gretel walked down a sylvan path, leaving only bread crumbs in their wake.

Testy  Adj.- easily irritated; characterized by impatience and exasperation.  The baby was quite testy after getting his shots.

Travesty  Noun - mockeryparody  Noun - an imitation, a mockery, a parody  Verb-  Verb- to ridicule by imitating in a broad or burlesque fashion.   Weird Al Yankovic created a travesty to the song “Trapped in the Closet” by R. Kelly.