1. Lesson 8—acquiesce to zeal

2. Acquiesce--verb To give in; to comply
No matter how much the Egyptians revolted, the leader refused to acquiesce to their demands.

3. Affinity--noun a likeness, a natural relationship, a kinship
She had an affinity for chocolate ice cream.

4. Blasphemous--adj Irreverent; profane (disrespectful)
The show South Park can be incredibly blasphemous when parodying religion s.

5. Buttress--noun A support or prop—as a verb---to prop up
The Victorian era was characterized by elaborate architecture with flying buttresses.

6. Circumspect--adjective
careful to consider consequences, cautious, prudent
Always be circumspect when using a blow dryer in the bathroom.

7. Corroboration--noun Confirmation ---to corroborate (verb)
She needed corroboration from her friends before believing his story.

8. Deplete--verb
to use up gradually, to lessen in amount or value The food reserves were depleted on the first day of the rescue mission.

9. Despotic--adj ruling oppressively and absolutely; tyrannical
The despotic ruler surrounded himself with armed guards and sentenced to death anyone who disagreed with him.

10. Emaciated--adj
very thin (usually as a result of starvation), wasting away
It breaks my heart to see this emaciated dog whose owner was so abusive.

11. Empirical--adj based on observation or experiment and not on theory
I can only trust studies with empirical proof.

12. Extraneous--adj not essential or vital
Try not to get bogged down by the extraneous details, and just concentrate on the important parts.

13. Fallow--adj inactive, plowed but not sowed
Although the farm land was fallow , and the building was abandoned, the property was worth millions.

14. Homogeneous--adj of the same kind; similar in nature
In a decade, the school’s population changed from being culturally homogenous to highly diverse.

15. Hyperbole--noun obvious exaggeration
She was so dramatic, she often peppered her conversations with hyperboles and flowery language.

16. Incontrovertible--adj
Indisputable
The winner of the debate was incontrovertible, yet the loser was determined to win the sympathy of the audience.

17. Irascible--adj irritable, easily angered, cranky, cross
Don’t bother Mom when she gets home from work; she is usually quite contentious and irascible.

18. Laconic--adj
using a minimum of words; concise to the point of seeming rude
I hate laconic replies to text messages…like “ha ha ha” or “LOL.”

19. Magnanimity--n having a lofty, generous, and courageous spirit
Beowulf was known for the magnanimity he showed Hrothgar.

20. Obsequious--adj overly attentive, like a sycophant, servile
The student was obsequious toward her teacher in an attempt to persuade him to give her an A.

21. Proliferation—noun (to proliferate-verb)
an increase in number, multiplication
The proliferation of assault weapons in our country is alarming to those who want gun control legislation.

22. Scrupulous--adj very principled, very careful and conscientious
Before submitting her college application, she scrupulously looked over every item.

23. Sublime--adj
Exalted, noble, uplifting, transcendent, awe-inspiring
The ocean front setting of their vacation was absolutely sublime.

24. Surreptitious--adj Secret; clandestine; stealthy
His efforts to be surreptitious confused us; we thought he was up to something bad.

25. Veracity-noun Devotion to the truth
We questioned the politician’s veracity; it seems people will say anything these days to get elected.

26. ZEAL --noun Enthusiasm; fervor
Everyday, Mrs. Fossum wakes up with zeal---just ready to start the day.

27. Test Yourself T/F ---If I have an affinity for chocolate, I abhor it.
T/F---A person who has trepidation about climbing will not be circumspect.
This week’s vocabulary word closest in meaning to superfluous is ____________.
A sycophant is likely to be ____________.