Vocabulary 10th grade
How to study for a vocabulary quiz
Be able to:
1. Write a definition for each word.
2. Use each word in a sentence that shows the words meaning.
3. Complete sentences by filling in blanks with appropriate vocabulary words.
List #11 - More words from Macbeth
116. eminence (n) a position of superiority or fame; a raised piece of ground
: James Brown achieved great eminence in the musical world and is known as “The Godfather of Soul.”
: She rose to eminence as a surgeon after developing a technique that lowered the risk of complications.
: The house is built on an eminence overlooking the sea.
117. equivocate (vb) - to use vague or ambiguous language, esp in order to avoid speaking directly or honestly
: “Where were you last night?” he asked.
“I went out,” she equivocated.
: She is equivocating about whether she will run in the next election.
List #10 - Words from Macbeth
104. hurly-burly (n) – noisy confusion; tumult
: The hurly-burly of modern city life was too much for the recluse, so he moved to a secluded cabin in the woods.
: In the hurly-burly of the protest march, I lost my friends.
105. heath (n) – open, uncultivated land
: The lush farmland gave way to a deserted heath that was covered in low shrubs and grasses.
106. thane (n) – a Scottish feudal lord; in early Scotland, a person of rank, often a clan chief, who held land of the king
: At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis.
107. flout (vb) – to mock or scoff at; to openly disregard
: Even after receiving dozens of speeding tickets, Fran continued to flout the law by driving too fast.
: Businesses who flout the rules get bad reports from the Better Business Bureau.
108. corporal (adj.) – physical; of the body
: By fifty years old, most people start to experience the corporal ailments that come with advancing age.
: When the witches suddenly vanish, Banquo says, "What seemed corporal melted as breath into the wind."
109. surmise (vb) – to imagine, guess; (n) – a guess from inconclusive evidence
: Since we were not there, we can only surmise what actually happened.
: My surmise is that the couple's “good news” is the announcement that they are going to have a baby.
110. compunctious (adj) – apologetic; remorseful
: Her compunctious attitude toward her crime persuaded the judge to give a shorter jail term.
[as an adverb] : He compunctiously admitted his unfaithfulness to his girlfriend hoping for forgiveness, but she broke up with him.
[as noun] : Without compunction, he flouted the rules.
111. pall (n) – a dark, heavy covering or atmosphere
: Her bereavement cast a pall on the party.
: The clouds formed a pall over the sky.
112. trammel (n) – a hindrance to free action
: She moved to another state to escape the trammels of her troubled past.
: The monk's ascetic lifestyle freed him from the trammels of materialism.
[as a verb] : Trammeled by inconsistent information, the detective sought out more witnesses.
113. mettle (n) – mental or physical strength
: The team showed their true mettle in the second half when they outscored their opponents two to one.
: The first real test of his mettle as a soldier came when he was called up to the front lines.
114. indissoluble (adj) unable to be destroyed; lasting
: The four musketeers seemed to have an indissoluble bond, until Larry left the group, leaving only three.
: You've just signed an indissoluble contract that can never be broken.
115. dauntless (adj) incapable of being intimidated; fearless
: Perseverance and dauntless courage brought them to their goal.
: The soldier, dauntless, drew his sword and fought in spite of being outnumbered.
List #9 - Common SAT verbs
92. venerate (v.) to regard with respect or to honor
: Mother Teresa is venerated as a saint.
: The tribute to John Lennon sought to venerate his music, his words, and his legend.
93. vacillate (v.) to fluctuate, hesitate
: He vacillates between seeking attention from the public and avoiding the media altogether.
: I kept vacillating between ordering a salad or a burger.
94. subjugate (v.) to bring under control; enslave
: The invading force captured and subjugated the natives of the land.
: The band subjugated the audience with their evocative music.
95. quell (v.) to suppress or pacify
: The skilled leader deftly quelled the rebellion.
: It took hours to quell her child’s fear after he woke up from a nightmare.
96. encumber (v.) to weigh down, burden
: At the airport, my friend was encumbered by her luggage, so I offered to carry two of her bags.
: Lack of funding has encumbered the project.
97. enfranchise (v.) to set free; to grant the vote to
: The Nineteenth Amendment enfranchised women.
: In a way, modern labor-saving appliances enfranchised people, giving them much more leisure time.
98. engender (v.) to bring about, create, generate
: During the Olympics, the victories of U.S. athletes engender a patriotic spirit among Americans.
: The controversial issue has engendered a considerable amount of debate.
99. consecrate (v.) to make or declare something sacred
: Brenda consecrated one wall of her bedroom as a shrine to Justin Bieber.
: At the next service the altar will be consecrated in the new church.
100. extricate (v.) to disentangle
: Instead of trying to mediate between my brother and sister, I extricated myself from the family tension entirely and left the house for the day.
: Emergency workers tried to extricate the survivors from the wreckage.
101. obfuscate (v.) to make obscure or unclear
: The attorney deliberately obfuscated the issue in order to protect his client.
: The fog obfuscated the shore.
102. construe (v.) to interpret
: He construed her throwing his clothes out the window as a signal that she wanted him to leave.
: The noun “fish” can be construed as singular or plural.
103. concede (v.) to accept as valid
: He finally conceded that he had been wrong.
: The losing candidate conceded at midnight after the polls had closed.
List #8 - Figures of Speech
Figures of Speech - an expression that uses language in an unusual (or "figured") way to achieve a rhetorical effect (Examples: simile, metaphor, hyperbole, alliteration)
For each term, write:
a. the term
b. long definition
c. “short-hand” definition
d. Greek literal meaning
e. an example
f. a visual cue
82. a. anaphora
b. the repetition of the same word or phrase at the start of successive clauses
c. the first-word repeater
d. "carrying up or back"
e. examples:
• "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in
the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."(Winston Churchill, speech to House of
Commons, June 1940)
• Will he read the book? Will he learn what it has to teach him? Will he live according to what he has learned?
f. visual cue
83. a. antithesis
b. the juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrases
c. the figure of contrasting ideas
d. " opposition "
e. examples:
• "Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing." (Goethe)
• "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of
foolishness…it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we
had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way."
(Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities)
• "Everybody doesn't like something, but nobody doesn't like Sara Lee."
f. visual cue
84. a. chiasmus
b. a verbal pattern in which the second half of an expression is balanced against the first with the parts reversed (a type of antithesis)
c. the criss-cross figure
d. " to invert "
e. examples:
• "My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington." (Barack Obama)
• "I am stuck on Band-Aid, and Band-Aid's stuck on me."
• "Never let a fool kiss you--or a kiss fool you."
• "Don't sweat the petty things--and don't pet the sweaty things."
f. visual cue
85. a. apostrophe
b. breaking off discourse to address some absent or nonexistent person or thing as if present and capable of understanding
c. the cut-away to an abstraction figure
d. " turning away "
e. examples:
• "Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art" (John Keats)
• "Science! True daughter of Old Time thou art!" (Edgar Allan Poe, "To Science")
• "Welcome, O life! I go to encounter for the millionth time the reality of experience and to forge in the
smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race. . . . Old father, old artificer, stand me now and
ever in good stead." (James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
• "Blue Moon, you saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own. (Lorenz Hart, "Blue Moon")
f. visual cue
86. a. euphemism
b. substitution of an inoffensive term for one considered offensively explicit
c. the sugar-coated figure
d. " use of good words "
e. examples:
• pre-owned for used
• undocumented worker for illegal alien
• wind for belch or fart
• passed away for died
• "Euphemisms are not, as many young people think, useless verbiage for that which can and should be said bluntly; they are like secret agents on a delicate mission, they must airily pass by a stinking mess with barely so much as a nod of the head. Euphemisms are unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic cologne." (Quentin Crisp, Manners from Heaven)
• "Wardrobe malfunction" (Justin Timberlake's description of his tearing of Janet Jackson's costume during a half-time performance at Super Bowl 38)
f. visual cue
87. a. litotes (LI-toe-teez)
b. an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite
c. the negative understatement
d. " plainness, simplicity "
e. examples:
• This is no small problem.
• "We are not amused." (Attributed to Queen Victoria)
• "for life's not a paragraph
And death I think is no parenthesis" (e.e. cummings, "since feeling is first")
f. visual cue
88. a. metonymy
b. a figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated
c. the figure of swap
d. " change of name "
e. examples:
• "crown" for "royalty"
• “Washington” for “the United States government”
• “the sword” for “military power”
• "The pen is mightier than the sword." (Edward Bulwer-Lytton)
f. visual cue
89. a. oxymoron
b. a figure of speech in which incongruous or contradictory terms appear side by side; a compressed paradox
c. the contradictory figure
d. " sharp-dull "
e. examples:
•"O brawling love! O loving hate! . . .
O heavy lightness! serious vanity!
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!
This love feel I, that feel no love in this." (William Shakespeare, “Romeo and Juliet” )
• "A yawn may be defined as a silent yell." (G.K. Chesterton)
• "act naturally," "original copy," "found missing," "alone together," "peace force," "definite possibility,"
"terribly pleased," "real phony," "ill health," "turn up missing," "jumbo shrimp," "alone together,"
"loose tights," "small crowd," "clearly misunderstood"
f. visual cue
90. a. synecdoche
b. a figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole or the whole for a part; a form of metonymy
c. the scale-changing figure
d. " gathering together "
e. examples:
• “Farmer Jones has two hundred head of cattle and three hired hands.”
•"All hands on deck."
•"Take thy face hence." (William Shakespeare, Macbeth V.iii)
• "Brazil won the soccer match."
• “The U.S. won three gold medals.”
f. visual cue
91.a. understatement
b. a figure of speech in which a writer or a speaker deliberately makes a situation seem less important or
serious than it is
c. the downplay figure
d.
e. examples:
• "I have to have this operation . . .. It isn't very serious. I have this tiny little tumor on the brain."
(Holden Caulfield in The Catcher In The Rye, by J. D. Salinger)
• "It's just a flesh wound."
(Black Knight, after having both of his arms cut off, in Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
• "The grave's a fine and private place,
But none, I think, do there embrace." (Andrew Marvell, "To His Coy Mistress")
f. visual cue
List #7 - words from All Quiet on the Western Front
70. voracious - (adj.) p.1-2 - wanting or devouring great quantities of something
: she had a voracious appetite
: his voracious reading of literature
noun : The voracity of her appetite stunned us.
71. renunciation (n.) p.22 - the formal rejection of something (esp. a belief or course of action)
: entry into the priesthood requires the renunciation of marriage
: a renunciation of violence
72. discomfiture - (n) p.24 - anxious embarrassment; lack of ease
: his red face revealed his shame and discomfiture…
: my rival’s discomfiture made me more confident
: to avoid the discomfiture of a bounced check…
73. esprit de corps (n) p.26 - a common spirit of comradeship; Fr, lit. “spirit of the body”
: a sense of esprit de corps and solidarity…
: infuse the young troops with esprit de corps..
: the esprit de corps of the team
74. indefatigable (adj) p.49 -seemingly incapable of being fatigued; tireless
: an indefatigable defender of human rights
: the indefatigable basketball player scored 48
75. embower (vb) p.52 -to enclose in
: the house stood remote, embowered in trees.
76. insatiable (adj) p.77 - impossible to satisfy
: an insatiable hunger for success
: an insatiable appetite for expensive jewelry
77. laconic (adj) p.78 -using very few words
: his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic
: their laconic press agent didn’t reveal anything about the scandal
78. automaton (n) p. 115 - someone who acts or responds in a mechanical way; a robot
: he went about her preparations like an automaton
: she arose with the abrupt stiffness of an automaton
: he plodded on, a mere automaton
79. debauch (vb) p. 115 - to corrupt morally
: he debauched several women
: public morals have been debauched
(n) debauchery
80. quixotic (adj) p. 139 -exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic & impractical
: a vast and perhaps quixotic project
: many dismissed his missionary work as imprudent and quixotic
81. laudable (adj) p. 170 -worthy of high praise
: laudable though the aim might be, the results have been criticized
: thanked for their laudable contributions of time and talent
List #6 - words with 5+ syllables
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia - the fear of long words
60. ignominious (adj) - deserving or causing public disgrace or shame
: the coward made an ignominious retreat
: drowning in a puddle might be called an ignominious fate
: her ignominious association with the disgraced young man…
61. incontrovertible (adj) - not able to be disputed; unquestionable
: incontrovertible proof of the defendant's innocence
: incontrovertible evidence
: it is an incontrovertible fact that …
62. verisimilitude (noun) - the appearance of being true or real
comes from Latin verum = truth and similis = similar
: the detail gives the novel some verisimilitude
: the little touches gave atmosphere and verisimilitude to the painting
63. vituperation (noun) - bitter and abusive language
: the rivals could not speak to each other without resorting to vituperation
: the torrent of vituperation shocked the crowd
64. supercilious (adj.) -having or showing arrogant contempt
: his mother eyed my clothes with a supercilious air
: curled his lip in a supercilious smile
: spoke in a supercilious manner
65. prestidigitation (noun) - performance of magic with the hands; sleight of hand
from French: preste ‘nimble’ + Latin: digitus ‘finger’ + -ation
prestidigitation: misdirection is usually used in the art of prestidigitation
prestidigitator : the wait people delivered plates with the quick gesture of a prestidigitator
66. extemporaneous (adj.) - spoken or done without preparation
: an extemporaneous speech
: an extemporaneous piano recital
: an accomplished extemporaneous speaker
67. conciliatory (adj.) - intended to placate or end a disagreement
: spoke in a conciliatory tone
: a conciliatory visit to my former rival
68.unconscionable (adj.) - not right or reasonable; unreasonably excessive
: the unconscionable conduct of his son
: shareholders have had to wait an unconscionable time for the facts to be established
: his unconscionable spending caused bankruptcy
69. circumlocution (noun) - indirect or roundabout expression; the use of many words where fewer would do, esp. in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive
: his admission came after years of circumlocution
: he used a number of poetic circumlocutions
List #5 - words from Things Fall Apart
48. callow (adj) - immature; inexperienced
: Although 45, he still acted like a callow young man
: a callow youth of 13
49. degenerate - (adj) having sunk below a former or normal condition
: He criticized what he believes is a degenerate society in which people had no sense of being citizens, only consumers.
: The old water pipes are degenerating with age…
gen = birth, produce, kind (generate, generation, genealogy)
50. miscreant (adj or n) – a non-believer; a villain
: She gave up her miscreant ways…
(noun): Local people demanded that the magistrate apprehend the miscreants.
cred = believe (credible, incredible, credence)
51. incipient (adj) – just beginning to exist or appear
: an incipient illness
: signs of incipient panic
52. adherent (n) – a supporter or follower (of a cause etc.)
: he was a strong adherent of free trade
: adherents of the Catholic faith
53. emanate (vb) - to come or send forth, as from a source
: light emanated from the lamp
: a stove emanates a steady heat
: the insults were emanations of his own tortured personality
54. blaspheme (vb) to speak profanely of God or sacred things
: found guilty of blaspheming the gods
: his words were considered blasphemy
55. debar (vb) – to exclude or prohibit (someone)
: women were once debarred from voting
: the unions were debarred from striking
56. expedient (adj) - recommended; appropriate to a purpose
: The politically expedient choice was to drop out of the race.
: We want to resolve this issue as expediently as possible.
57. pacify (vb) - to soothe or subdue
: Nothing would pacify the crying child.
: Using pepper spray to pacify a mob of protesters is not expedient.
58. sonorous (adj) - having a full, deep sound
: He has a deep, sonorous voice.
: The sonorous waterfall can be heard from a considerable distance.
son = sound (consonant, supersonic, unison)
59. superfluous (adj) – exceeding what is necessary
: I cleared off all the superfluous stuff on my desk to make room for the new computer.
: All the students understood, so any more discussion was superfluous.
flu (flux, fluc) = flowing (fluid, fluctuate, influence)
List #4 - "loan words"
35. malaise (noun) - French -a general feeling of uneasiness (whose exact cause may be difficult to identify)
: a society afflicted by a deep cultural malaise
: a general air of malaise
36. imbroglio (noun) - Italian [imb-role-ee-oh] - an extremely confusing or embarrassing situation
: the dinner date turned into an imbroglio when
: a legal imbroglio that no lawyer wanted to touch
37. aficionado (noun) - Spanish - -an enthusiastic fan or follower
: an aficionado of classical music
: a film aficionado
38. peccadillo (noun) - Spanish - a small, unimportant offense or sin
: I'm sure we can overlook a few peccadilloes
: What he considered a peccadillo, his prudish grandmother considered a mortal sin.
39. avatar (noun) - Sanskrit - an embodiment (concept, philosophy, tradition) usually in human form
: she was an avatar of perfect wisdom and beauty
: he became the new avatar of hip, popular culture
In computing… a movable icon representing a person in cyberspace or virtual reality graphics.
In Hinduism… the appearance of a god in human or animal form
: the Buddha is considered an avatar of the god Vishnu
40. dilettante (noun)† - Italian - an amateur; a dabbler in an art or a field of knowledge
: there is no room for the dilettante in this business
: “What is to me a means of livelihood is to him the merest hobby of a dilettante.” From The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir A.C.Doyle
41. maelstrom (noun) Dutch -a powerful whirlpool; a state of violent upheaval
: a maelstrom in the sea
: the train station was a maelstrom of crowds
: the maelstrom of war
42. zenith-the highest point
: the sun was well past the zenith
: the missile reached its zenith and fell
: the zenith of her career
43. nadir-the lowest point (nouns) Arabic
: they had reached the nadir of their sufferings
: the nadir of her career
44. raconteur (noun) - French - - a skilled and witty storyteller
: Everyone wanted to ride in the car with John, an entertaining raconteur…
: Salespeople benefit from developing the skills of a raconteur…
45. zeitgeist (noun) - German - the spirit of a specific time or period [German, literally: “time spirit”]
: the story captured the zeitgeist of the late 1960s
: the zeitgeist of the Great Depression…
46. angst (noun) - German - a feeling of deep anxiety or dread (typically an unfocused one about the human condition or the state of the world in general)
: adolescent angst
: his receding hairline causes him angst
47. nirvana (noun) - Sanskrit - a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self; (literally “to be extinguished”)
:the final goal of a Buddhist is to reach a state of Nirvana
:it wasn’t until the third day of my vacation that I attained nirvana
List #3 - more SAT words
23. stupefy (vb) – to astonish or make insensible
: the problem stupefies even the experts
: he drank to stupefy himself
On the first day of tryouts, the coach was stupefied by the puny 9th grader’s speed and strength.
24. usurp (vb) – to seize by force and without right
: to usurp control of
: gloom had usurped happiness at the party after the bad news
At the awards show, Kanye usurped the spotlight from Taylor Swift.
25. expunge (vb) – to erase or strike out
: please expunge this remark from the record
: he had tried to expunge his failure from his mind
She threw all memorbilia of her ex-boyfriend into the fireplace in an effort to expunge him from her memory.
26. inure – (vb) to make accustomed to something, esp. something unpleasant [usually “be inured to”]
: he became inured to the cold
: the children in the war-torn country have been inured to violence
After three months of construction next door, he became inured to the hammering and slept soundly into the late morning.
27. cajole (vb) – to urge, coax
: he hoped to cajole her into selling the house
: she pleaded and cajoled as she tried to win his support
He used all of his charm and reputation to cajole student body to elect him class president.
28. vilify (vb) – to lower in importance, defame
: he has been vilified in the press
: the Nazi propaganda vilified the Jews
29. proscribe (vb) – to condemn or prohibit
: the council voted to proscribe the sale of soda in school
: gambling was strictly proscribed by the authorities.
Because lead was found to be harmful, the government proscribed its use in children’s toys.
30. prescribe (vb) – to order or recommend the use of
: Dr. Greene prescribed antibiotics
: the school board prescribed regular tests
: exercise is often prescribed as a remedy for depression
After a stressful week of midterms, the student’s mother prescribed a restful weekend.
31. repudiate (vb) – to refuse to accept or be associated with
: she repudiated any connection to the communist party
: the celebrity repudiated the allegations against him
In front of the principal, she repudiated rumors that she had been a contributor to the senior prank that year.
32. palliate (vb) – to reduce the severity of
: tried to palliate the widespread discontent
: the treatment works by palliating symptoms
33. expiate (vb) – to make amends for; to atone for (guilt or sin)
: their sins must be expiated by sacrifice
: nothing could expiate her many crimes
He volunteered to clean up the shoreline to expiate his residual guilt from years of refusing to recycle.
34. undulate (vb) – to move in waves or have a wavy shape
: his body undulated to the thumping rhythm of the music
: hypnotized by the undulating waves
: Elvis Presley is known as the performer who brought undulating hips to popular culture.
List #2 - more SAT words
13. implicit (adj) – expressed indirectly; implied
: an implicit agreement not to raise the touchy subject
: anger was implicit in her argument
14. explicit (adj) - fully and clearly expressed; leaving nothing implied.
: the speaker's intentions were not made explicit.
: let me be explicit.
: an explicit commitment to democracy
: the film contains some sexually explicit scenes
15. cursory (adj) – brief to the point of being superficial
adv = cursorily
noun = cursoriness
: a cursory glance at the morning headlines
: cursory comments
16. incisive (adj) - penetrating, clear, and sharp (as in expression)
: an incisive mind
: incisive comments
17. salient (adj) – significant; most important (points or facts)
: the salient points of his speech…
: the most salient feature of the film…
18. multifarious (adj) – having great variety; diverse
: multifarious religious movements and political divisions sprang up around this time
: the multifarious noise of a big city
19. assiduous (adj) – hard-working; diligent
: an assiduous worker who strove for perfection.
: assiduous research
20. diaphanous (adj) – light, airy, transparent
: a hat with a diaphanous veil
: diaphanous dreams of glory
21. ubiquitous (adj) – existing everywhere; widespread
: cowboy hats are ubiquitous among country music singers
: his ubiquitous influence was felt by all the family
22. unctuous (adj) – insincerely earnest; oily
: she sees through his unctuous manners
: an unctuous smile or tone
: potatoes floated in an unctuous sauce
List #1: SAT words
1. elucidate (vb) – to clarify, explain (something)
: help to elucidate the process
: elucidate the mystery
2. reclusive (adj) – solitary; hermit-like
: a reclusive life in rural Ireland
noun: the monk lived as a recluse in the woods
3. ambiguous (adj)– having two or more meanings; unclear
: the ambiguous remark confused me
: Mona Lisa’s ambiguous expression
4. probity (n) – virtue; integrity
: a man of great probity and worth
: a reputation of probity
5. propitious (adj) – favorable; indicating a good chance of success
: not a propitious day
: a propitious sign
6. puerile (adj) – childishly silly; immature
: a puerile response
: puerile behavior
7. rancor (n) – deep, bitter resentment
: could not hide her rancor
: full of rancor and hatred
8. invective (n) – an angry verbal attack
:the argument deteriorated into insults and invective
:shocked by the stream of invective(s)…
9. extol (v) – to praise enthusiastically
: extol the virtues of…
: the article extolled her for…
10. eschew (v) – to deliberately avoid (using)
: his former friends eschewed his presence
: attempt to eschew all mention of…
11. vex (v) – to annoy or confuse
: his lying really vexes me
: don’t vex him with complicated instructions
12. vet (v) – to examine thoroughly (e.g. a candidate’s past record) vetted, vetting
: guests have to be vetted and vouched for
: vet the report before making it public