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Vocab for Mr. Boham's MidTerm

adjourn (v.)

to stop proceedings temporarily; to close formally

adverse (adj.)

opposing or opposed; unfavorable

advocate (v., n.)

to speak in favor of; a person who pleads in the interest of a cause

aesthetic (adj.)

pertaining to a sense of beauty; artistic

affable (adj.)

easy to approach; courteous

affectation (n.)

a pretentious display of manners that are not genuine; mannerism adopted to impress others

affluent (adj.)

well supplied with material possession; wealthy

agenda (n.)

a list or program of things to be done

aggregate (n., v., adj.)

the total amount of sum of individual parts; to gather or merge into a single whole; total or collective

agile (adj.)

swift and light in action, movement, or thought

anomaly (n.)

deviation from the common rule; irregularity

apathy (n.)

a lack of feeling, emotion, or interest

appall (v.)

to fill with dismay, fear or intense horror

apprehend (v.)

to arrest or take into custody; to perceive or understand the meaning of; to look forward to with fear or anxiety

arbitrary (adj.)

unreasonable; based on one's own wishes or whims without regard for reason or fairness; spur of the moment

arbitrate (v.)

to act or give judgment; to settle

array (v., n.)

to line up or dress up; an imposing grouping or impressive display

articulate (v., adj,)

expressing yourself easily or characterized by clear expressive language

askew (adj., adv.)

out of line or position; turned to one side; disapprovingly, scornfully

assimilate (v.)

become similar to one's environment; adapt

avarice (n.)

extreme greed for material wealth

avid (adj.)

extremely eager, anxious, or enthusiastic

badger (v.)

to harass or annoy persistently; to tease

baffle (v.)

to puzzle completely; to prevent from achieving a goal; to foil

banal (adj.)

made stale by constant use or repetition

belligerent (adj., n.)

warlike or hostile; a party engaged in a war

benign (adj.)

gentle and kindly, wholesome or favorable

bicker (v.)

to engage in petty quarreling

bizarre (adj.)

weird or fantastic

bland (adj.)

mild or gentle; lacking interest or liveliness; flat

bungle (v.)

to mismanage or make a mess of

bureaucracy (n.)

a complicated system of administrative agencies and officials; the officials themselves

buttress (n., v.)

a support or reinforcement; to support or reinforce

cajole (v.)

to persuade or obtain by flattery or deceit

callous (adj.)

unfeeling or insensitive

calumny (n.)

a false statement deliberately made up to injure a person

candid (adj.)

fair and impartial; frank or outspoken; informal or unposed

cantankerous (adj.)

foul-tempered and quarrelsome

captious (adj.)

quick to finding faults; overly demanding

catholic (adj.)

broad or widely inclusive; general or universal

coerce (v.)


cogent (adj.)

forceful and convincing; to the point

cohere (v.)

to hold, stick or fit together

collaborate (v.)

to work together; to cooperate

compatible (adj.)

able to get along with or work well together; capable of use with some other model or system

complacent (adj.)

overly self-satisfied; smug

concise (adj.)

saying a lot in a few words; brief

condone (v.)


confrontation (n.)

a face-to-face encounter, usually suggesting a hostile or defiant attitude

conjecture (n., v.)

a conclusion based on inadequate evidence; a guess; to conclude from inadequate evidence; to guess

anthropomorphism (n.)


Memento Mori

Latin for "remember you will die;" a reminder of one's mortality

profusion (n.)

a plentiful supply; a great or generous amount

mnemonic (adj.)

relating to or assisting the memory

menagerie (n.)

a collection of live animals for study or display

agnosticism (n.)

the disbelief in any claims of ultimate knowledge; a religious orientation of doubt

atheism (n.)

a lack of belief in the existence of God or gods

theism (n.)

belief in the existence of God or gods

lecherous (adj.)

given to excessive indulgence in sexual activity; lustful

lascivious (adj.)

driven by lust; inciting sexual desire

syncretism (n.)


ostentatious (adj.)

intended to attract notice and impress others; showy

tremulous (adj.)

marked by trembling, quivering or shaking

cosmogony (n.)

a set of religious beliefs concerning the origin of the universe

fratricide (n.)

a person who murders their brother or sister, or the act of doing so

nirvana (n.)

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace; the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation in Hinduism and Buddhism

destitute (adj.)

lacking something that is needed or desirable

eschatology (n.)

a set of religious beliefs concerning death or the end or the world

din (n.)


monolith (n.)


coarse (adj.)

harsh, raucous, or rough in tone

sinuous (adj.)

curved or curving in and out

serpentine (adj.)

winding in and out; coiled or twisted

occult (n.)

supernatural forces and events and beings collectively

unkempt (adj.)

not properly maintained; untidy

lithe (adj.)

gracefully slender; flexible

aura (n.)

a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing

apparition (n.)

the appearance of a ghostlike figure

sublime (adj.)

inspiring awe

interminable (adj.)

tiresomely long; endless

ephemeral (adj.)

enduring a very short time

hallucination (n.)

illusory perception

livid (adj.)

furiously angry; pale or ash-colored

sycophantic (adj.)

attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

pallid (adj.)

abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress

disposition (n.)

mood or temperament; a habitual tendancy and inclination

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