1. Abstruse Adj. Difficult to understand  The abstruse math equation proved to be a challenge for even the most advanced math students. 2. Acrimony N. Words or behavior filled with anger  John’s acrimony toward his accuser during his trial became such a distraction that John was asked to leave.

3. Banal Adj. Boring, ordinary  When writing, try to avoid banal words and instead use active words. 4. Belie V. To disguise, give false impression  By petting the dog, Sara belied her true feelings of being fearful of dogs.

5. Cajole V. To gently persuade by flattery or false promises  Kelsi had to cajole the bird out of its cage in order to line it with fresh paper. 6. Caustic Adj. Burning either with chemicals or sarcasm  Her caustic remarks after the senator's speech irritated his followers.

7. Concur V. To agree with  I have to concur that juniors are a great group of hard working students. 8. Diatribe N. A bitter verbal attack  Lance’s diatribe about having too much homework did not win him any points with his teacher.

9. Eccentric Adj. Different from others in personality or behavior  The eccentric professor was well liked because of his outlandish way of teaching. 10. Enigma N. Not easily understood, puzzling  The missing aircraft is still an enigma today as to where it is and why is went missing.

11. Garrulous Adj. Talking too much  Being the garrulous student in class, Stacie was always moved to the front of the classroom next to the teacher. 12.Heinous Adj. Shockingly evil  The Holocaust was a heinous idea by Hitler to cleanse the country of Jews.

13. Innocuous Adj. Harmless, inoffensive  Some innocuous weeds in a lawn can be a nuisance, but others can become a real problem and choke out the grass. 14.Laconic Adj. Using very few words  Brett becomes laconic when having to stand in front of the class and present his projects, but otherwise he is very talkative.

15. Malleable Adj. Able to be shaped, bent, or influenced by others  Because small children are so malleable, adults need to be careful what they say around them.

Vocabulary Practice Assignment For each word, list three things that are examples of the word and explain why. 1.caustic Gossip – hurts feelings and ruins reputation Bleach – takes color out of fabric Apathy – society suffers if no one cares