Vocabulary #2

August 25, 2010

cursory

Hasty, not thorough

My cursory glance through my papers didn’t let me find my homework at first.

nostalgia

A longing for something past; homesickness

As she watched her children open their presents from Santa, a feeling of nostalgia swept over her as she remembered her childhood Christmases.

holocaust

A large-scale destruction, especially by fire; a vast slaughter

When Dad added the lighter fluid, what had been a campfire became a holocaust.

amicable

Peaceable, friendly

My amicable friends always get me through hard times with their silliness.

impervious

Not affected or hurt by something;

admitting no passage or entrance

He covered his classic car with a tarp that was impervious to anything that could drip on it.

averse

 Having a deep-seated

distaste; opposed, unwilling 

Many people are averse to certain odors.

quintessence

 The purest essence

or form of something;

the most typical example 

The girl’s soul was the quintessence of purity.

extol

To praise extravagantly

When Mr. Nolan says “Good morning” on the announcements, he never fails to extol us as the “greatest student body and faculty in the state of Tennessee.”

impetus

 

A moving force, impulse, stimulus

The tank is an impetus as it forces its way through the countryside.

retrogress

 To move backward;

to return to an earlier condition

At their 50th wedding anniversary, the couple couldn’t help but retrogress back to their early days of marriage.

belligerent

 Given to fighting; warlike

The Aztec Indians were belligerent to the Spanish conquistadors and treated them horribly.

feasible

Possible; able to be done

Giving the cat a bath is not very feasible.

tepid

Lukewarm; unenthusiastic; marked by an

absence of interest

The man had a tepid attitude about whether he wanted to start work or not.

meticulous

Extremely careful; careful about details

Experienced knitters are meticulous about every stitch they make.

adroit

Skillful, expert in the use of the hands or mind

The painter was adroit in his trade and had a gallery of fine artwork to prove it.

duplicity

Deceitfulness; dishonesty

When the auditors checked the books, they found the bookkeeper’s duplicity had cost the church millions of dollars.

grimace

 A wry face, facial distortion;

to make a wry face

As soon as I saw the skunk, I began to grimace as though he had actually sprayed me.

jeopardy

 Danger; peril

We didn’t realize the jeopardy we put ourselves in by driving without seat belts.

scrutinize

 To examine closely

I don’t like others to scrutinize my behavior when they have vices of their own.

benevolent

Kindly, charitable

The benevolent hospital volunteers spent countless hours making pink quilts for breast cancer patients.