10th Grade Vocabulary

Unit 1

Latin VINCERE, VICTUM “to conquer”

1. Invincible (adj.) unable to be conquered

At this point in his career, fighter Muhammad Ali appeared to be invincible.

Synonym: invulnerable Antonym: Vulnerable

2. Provincial (adj.) Limited in knowledge of the world; narrow-minded

Belle didn’t like small-town life and wanted much more than a provincial life.

Antonym: sophisticated

3. Evince (v.) to establish; to reflect the truth of

An attorney’s job is to evince the truth of his client’s alibi.

Latin DUCERE, DUCTUM “to lead”

4. Conducive (adj.) supportive; encouraging; helping to bring about

Soft music and candlelight are conducive to romance!

Synonym: helpful, favorable

5. Induce (v.) to lead toward some action

When a child swallows a poison, a doctor will often suggest ipecac to induce vomiting and get the poison out.

Synonym: persuade antonym: discourage

6. Deduce (v.) to draw a conclusion from fact; to infer

Sherlock Holmes, the super sleuth, was able to deduce the villain’s motive and his plan from the evidence.

Synonym: conclude

Latin TRAHERE, TRACTUM “ to drag”

7. Protracted (adj.) Extended in time; prolonged

The war on terror has been a protracted effort of the United States and its allies.

Synonym: lingering Antonym: brief

8. Intractable (adj.) stubborn; obstinate; hard to move forward.

A mule is an intractable animal which is difficult to persuade to do anything against its will.

Synonym: immorale Antonym: malleable

9. Retract (v.) To draw back; withdraw

Milly had to retract the awning before the storm blew in.

Synonym: repeal

Latin PETERE, PETITUM“to seek aggressively, to

assail, to rush

10. Petulant (adj.) irritable; short-tempered

Maggy is a petulant child whose temper is intolerable for the adults around her.

11. Impetuous (adj.) acting passionately and without forethought

Fighting is an impetuous behavior that a child must learn to control.

Synonym: rash Antonym: careful

12. Impetus (n.) That which drives one; momentum

Dissatisfied customers are often the impetus for change at the corporate level.

Synonym: stimulus