1. American Literature Vocabulary
Unit 12

2. absolve to clear from blame, responsibility, or guilt acquit excuse
pardon
convict
condemn

3. caricature
(n) a representation, such as a drawing, that exaggerates a subject’s features
(v) to present someone or something in a deliberately distorted way

4. clangor (n) a loud ringing sound (v) to make a loud ringing noise
uproar
silence

5. contiguous side by side, touching near next door to
detached

6. cupidity an eager desire for something greed craving avarice
satiation

7. deleterious harmful injurious destructive damaging
beneficial

8. enhance to raise to a higher degree
to increase the value or desirability of
improve
elevate
reduce

9. enthrall to captivate, charm to hold spellbound
to enslave, to imprison
attract
repel

10. extenuate
to lessen the seriousness or magnitude of an offense by making partial excuses
moderate, diminish, downplay

11. implicit implied or understood though unexpressed
without doubts or reservations
unquestioning
potentially contained in
unspoken
stated

12. incisive
perceptive
sharp
keen
acute
cutting

13. ostentatious marked by conspicuous or pretentious display showy flashy
overdone
flamboyant
modest, plain

14. paragon a model of excellence or perfection ideal paradigm model
good example

15. politic prudent shrewdly conceived and developed tactful diplomatic
unwise, rash

16. prosaic dull, lacking in distinction and originality matter-of-fact
literal
inspired, poetic

17. redundant more than is needed wordy repetitive unnecessary superfluous
verbose

18. sanctimonious making a show of virtue or righteousness
hypocritically moralistic or pious
holier-than-thou
sincere, humble

19. scintillating sparkling, twinkling exceptionally brilliant stimulating
glittering
dull

20. winsome charming attractive pleasing delightful ------------------
repulsive

21. inimical tending to cause harm or obstruct developments
being oppositional or adverse
unfriendly
hostile
antagonistic