Sunday, October 28, 2012

Vocabulary List #9


Abortive – failing to produce the intended result
Bruit – spread a report or rumor widely
Contumelious – insulting or scornful behavior
Dictum – a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source uses expresses general truth
Ensconce – to establish or settle
Iconoclastic – characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions
In medias res – a narrative that begins somewhere in the middle of a story rather than the beginning
Internecine – destructive to both sides in a conflict
Maladroit – ineffective or bungling; clumsy
Maudlin – self-pitying or tearfully sentimental, often when drunk
Modulate – exert a modifying or controlling influence on
Portentous – done in a pompously or overly solemn manner
Prescience – the power to foresee the future
Quid pro quo – a favor or advantage granted in return for something
Salubrious – health-giving, healthy
Saturnalia – a festive or being in a festive mood
Touchstone – a standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized
Traumatic – emotionally disturbing or distressing
Vitiate – spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of
Waggish – humorous in a playful, mischievous manner

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