1. Vocab 5

2. Rampant Adj. Growing quickly and difficult to control
There was nothing she could do to stop the rampant, false rumors that she had cheated on her boyfriend.

3. Inane Adj. Being very silly or stupid; lacking sense or significance
Raj quickly tired of his little cousins inane comments about videogames.

4. Placate Verb To soothe, pacify or appease by doing what a person wants
The new mom placated her toddler by buying her that bunny she wanted.

5. Concur
Verb
To cooperate or agree in opinions; to occur at the same time; happen together
The Justice League concurred on the issue of preventing crime and the prevention of mass destruction at the Watch Tower.

6. Clandestine
Adj.
Being secretive or hidden for illegal purposes; done in secret
The clandestine drug cartels were being funded by the senator before he was caught.

7. Flagrant
Adj.
Being obviously wrong or offensive; shockingly noticeable or evident
The fans booed the ref as he completely ignored the flagrant foul against their player.

8. Admonish
Verb
To caution, advise, or counsel against something; to scold in a gentle or mild manner
The teacher admonished her students for talking, but continued to lecture after they quieted down.

9. Duress
Noun
Force or threats meant to make someone do something against their will; (blackmail is a form of duress)
The jury decided that the prisoner was innocent under duress because he was tortured until he confessed to falsehoods.

10. Culprit
Noun
A person guilty of a crime; the source or cause of a problem
The police caught the culprit three blocks from the scene of the crime.

11. Inexorable
Adj.
Being impossible to stop, alter, or resist; unrelenting; cannot be moved or influenced by persuasion or entreaty
Steph couldn’t believe her inexorable boss was going through with what many thought was a horrible merger.

12. Egregious
Adj.
Being outstanding for undesirable qualities; remarkably bad
Dillon was considered egregious because he always lied about everything and no one knew when he was telling the truth.

13. Distraught
Adj.
Being extremely troubled or agitated from worry or grief
The mother was distraught when she couldn’t find her kids from the burning building.

14. Duplicity
Noun
Deceitfulness in speech or conduct by speaking or acting two different ways; double dealing
Sarah was caught with her duplicity when she was acting like a popular girl when in reality she wasn’t.

15. Acrimonious Adj. Being bitter or harsh in manner, speech, or feelings
When the couple was arguing, the girlfriend acted in an acrimonious way which made the boyfriend questions whether the relationship was worth it.

16. Paucity Noun A smallness of quantity; scarcity
In the Middle East, there are many countries that have a paucity of resources and are begging for help.

17. Elicit
Verb
To get a response, information, or facts from; to evoke; to cause to be revealed
The linebacker’s hackling elicited unsportsmanlike conduct from the other team’s running back.

18. Pernicious Adj. Causing harm, ruin, or destruction; harmful; injurious
Many don’t realize the pernicious effects intense drug use can do to a young person.

19. Tolerate
Verb
To allow something unpleasant or bad to exist, happen or be done
I had to tolerate my grandfather’s smoking even though I gag at the smell.

20. Construe
Verb
To explain or give the meaning of or to analyze or figure out something
The detectives tried to construe a tale as to explain why three billon dollars were missing.

21. Impunity Noun A freedom or exemption from punishment, harm, or loss
The child who stole his mother’s purse was given impunity since he was only trying to find gum.