1. Vocabulary #2 Yes, that’s right! You should already have 20 words for vocabulary and here are 20 more. You’re welcome!

2. cursory Hasty, not thorough My cursory glance through my papers didn’t let me find my homework at first.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. amicable Peaceable, friendly My amicable friends always get me through hard times with their silliness.

6. 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.

7. averse Having a deep-seated distaste; opposed, unwilling Many people are averse to certain odors.

8. quintessence The purest essence or form of something; the most typical example The girl’s soul was the quintessence of purity.

9. 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.”

10. impetus A moving force, impulse, stimulus The tank is an impetus as it forces its way through the countryside.

11. retrogress To move backward; to return to an earlier condition At their 50 th wedding anniversary, the couple couldn’t help but retrogress back to their early days of marriage.

12. belligerent Given to fighting; warlike The Aztec Indians were belligerent to the Spanish conquistadors and treated them horribly.

13. feasible Possible; able to be done Giving the cat a bath is not very feasible.

14. tepid Lukewarm; unenthusiastic; marked by an absence of interest The man had a tepid attitude about whether he wanted to start work or not.

15. meticulous Extremely careful; careful about details Experienced knitters are meticulous about every stitch they make.

16. 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.

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

18. 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.

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

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

21. benevolent Kindly, charitable The benevolent hospital volunteers spent countless hours making pink quilts for breast cancer patients.