1. VOCAB UNIT 12

2. Absolve (v.): To clear from blame or guilt Ex: The detective absolved the suspect of all charges.

3. Absolve

4. Caricature (n) A representation in which the subject’s characteristic features are deliberately exaggerated (v) to present someone or something in a deliberately distorted way Ex: The comedian caricatured the scandalous celebrity.

5. Caricature

6. Clangor (n) a loud ringing sound Ex: The school emptied when they heard the clangor of the fire alarm.

7. Clangor

8. Contiguous (adj) side by side, touching; near; adjacent in time Ex: The contiguous girls were rarely seen without each other.

9. Contiguous

10. Cupidity (n) an eager desire for something; greed Ex: The dog had a great cupidity for the new toy.

11. Cupidity

12. Deleterious (adj) harmful, injuries Ex: People had to wear heavy-duty gloves to handle the deleterious chemical.

13. Deleterious

14. Enhance (v) To raise to a higher degree; to increase the value or desirability of Ex: The use of new vocabulary enhances the quality of one’s writing.

15. Enhance

16. Enthrall (v) to captivate, charm, hold spellbound; to enslave; to imprison The opera singer’s voice enthralled me throughout the performance.

17. Enthrall

18. Extenuate (v) To lessen the seriousness or magnitude of an offence by making partial excuses Ex: The parent extenuated the student’s cheating by saying he did it because he was very tired.

19. Extenuate

20. Implicit (adj) Implied or understood though unexpressed; without doubts or reservations, unquestioning; potentially contained in Ex: The students knew the implicit direction to raise their hands before they spoke in class.

21. Implicit

22. Incisive (adj) Sharp, keen, penetrating The incisive insults were truly hurtful, as they were aimed right to the core of who I am.

23. Incisive

24. Ostentatious (adj) marked by conspicuous or pretentious display, showy The ostentatious wedding was over the top and cost way too much money.

25. Ostentatious

26. Paragon (n.) A model of excellence or perfection Many believe the United States is a paragon of governmental structure, as it has effectively worked for two hundred years.

27. Paragon

28. Paraphrase (v) To restate in other words (n) a statements that presents a given idea in new language Everyday I will ask you to paraphrase the happenings of The Catcher in the Rye.

29. Paraphrase

30. Politic (adj) Prudent, shrewdly conceived and developed; artful, expedient The mother was politic in giving advice to her children, as she wanted to help but did not want to make all their decisions for them.

31. Politic

32. Prosaic (adj) Dull, lacking in distinction and originality; matter-of-fact, straightforward; characteristic of prose, not poetic While the paper was factual, it was prosaic and boring to read.

33. Prosaic

34. Redundant (adj) Extra, excess, more than is needed; wordy, repetitive; profuse, lush The teacher gave a redundant speech on the importance of vocabulary because she wanted her students to finally see the importance of learning new words.

35. Redundant

36. Sanctimonious (adj) Making a show of virtue or righteousness; hypocritically moralistic or pious, self-righteous, canting, holier-than-thou The sanctimonious speech made me roll my eyes, as the person delivering it was not the saint he tried to make himself out to be.

37. Sanctimonious

38. Scintillating (adj., part.) Sparkling, twinkling, exceptionally brilliant The engagement ring contained a scintillating diamond.

39. Scintillating

40. Winsome (adj) charming, attractive, pleasing (often suggesting a childlike charm and innocence) The winsome day at the beach consisted of floating in the water, playing in the sand, and peacefully sleeping in the sun.

41. Winsome