1. Vocabulary Unit 7

2. maverick (MAV uh rik) Noun Independent person
Individualist, independent thinker, nonconformist

3. esoteric (es uh TER ik) Adjective
Known or understood only by a select few
Synonyms: secret, mysterious, difficult, deep, profound, abstruse

4. undermine (un der MINE)
Verb
Weaken gradually; injure or destroy secretly or underhandedly; dig beneath or wear away from under
Synonyms: weaken, disable, cripple, undercut, sabotage

5. alleviate (uh LEE vee ate)
Verb
Relieve; lessen or make more bearable (pain, evil, suffering)
Synonyms: ease, lighten, reduce, mitigate

6. bacchanal, bacchanalia (bak uh NAL) (bak uh NAIL yuh)
Noun
Wild, drunken party
Synonyms: party, feast, merrymaking, overindulgence, spree, orgy

7. hedonist (HEE doh nist)
Noun
One who lives only for pleasure
Synonyms: pleasure seeker, playboy, playgirl, jet-setter, sybarite

8. nihilist (NY uh list, NEE uh list)
Noun
One who rejects all religious, moral, and traditional values, practices, and institutions
Synonyms: doubter, disbeliever, pessimist, revolutionary, rebel, anarchist

9. somnolent (SOM nuh lunt)
Adjective
Sleepy, drowsy; causing sleep
Synonyms: sleepy, drowsy, lulling, slumberous, soporific

10. diatribe (DY uh tribe) Noun Violent, angry, bitter attack in words
Synonyms: verbal abuse, denunciation, tirade

11. tribulation (trib yuh LAY shun)
Noun
Great suffering, misery, or distress
Synonyms: ordeal, trouble, sorrow, hardship, affliction