1. Vocabulary List 3

2. ameliorate epitome
aplomb exhort
bombastic ex officio
callow infringe
drivel ingratiate

3. ameliorate To improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming
Syn: amend, better

4. ameliorate
A hot meal can ameliorate the discomforts of even the coldest day.

5. aplomb Poise, assurance, great self-confidence
Syn: composure, levelheadedness

6. aplomb Considering the family’s tense mood, you handled the
situation with
aplomb.

7. bombastic
Pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas
Syn: inflated, pretentious

8. Bombastic
He delivered a bombastic speech that did not even address the problem.

9. Callow Without experience; immature, not fully developed
Syn: green, raw, unfledged, inexperienced

10. callow
They entered the army as callow recruits and left as seasoned veterans.

11. Drivel
Saliva or mucas flowing from the mouth or nose; foolish, aimless talk or thinking; nonsense
Syn: balderdash, hogwash

12. Drivel
To me, my dream of becoming an astronaut made perfect sense, but when I told it to my friend, it sounded like drivel.

13. Epitome
A summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality
Syn: model, archetype

14. Epitome
Admitting when you have been fairly defeated is the epitome of sportsmanship.
Oprah is the
epitome of a TV
star.

15. Exhort
To urge strongly, advise earnestly
Syn: entreat, implore

16. exhort
With dramatic gestures, our captain vigorously exhorted the team to play harder.

17. Ex officio
By virtue of holding a certain office

18. Ex officio
The President is the ex officio commander in chief of the armed forces in time of war.
The President of the
college is an ex officio
member of the Board
of Trustees.

19. Infringe To violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds
Syn: encroach, intrude

20. Infringe
If you continue to infringe on my responsibilities, will you also take the blame for any mistakes?
Many feel surveillance
Cameras infringe on
People’s rights.

21. Ingratiate
To make oneself agreeable and thus gain favor or acceptance by others (sometimes used in a critical or derogatory sense)
Syn: cozy up to, curry favor with

22. Ingratiate
It is not a good idea to ingratiate oneself by paying insincere compliments.