Vocabulary List 3

ameliorate epitome aplomb exhort bombastic ex officio callow infringe drivel ingratiate

ameliorate To improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming Syn: amend, better

ameliorate A hot meal can ameliorate the discomforts of even the coldest day.

aplomb Poise, assurance, great self-confidence Syn: composure, levelheadedness

aplomb Considering the family’s tense mood, you handled the situation with aplomb.

bombastic Pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas Syn: inflated, pretentious

Bombastic He delivered a bombastic speech that did not even address the problem.

Callow Without experience; immature, not fully developed Syn: green, raw, unfledged, inexperienced

callow They entered the army as callow recruits and left as seasoned veterans.

Drivel Saliva or mucas flowing from the mouth or nose; foolish, aimless talk or thinking; nonsense Syn: balderdash, hogwash

Drivel To me, my dream of becoming an astronaut made perfect sense, but when I told it to my friend, it sounded like drivel.

Epitome A summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality Syn: model, archetype

Epitome Admitting when you have been fairly defeated is the epitome of sportsmanship. Oprah is the epitome of a TV star.

Exhort To urge strongly, advise earnestly Syn: entreat, implore

exhort With dramatic gestures, our captain vigorously exhorted the team to play harder.

Ex officio By virtue of holding a certain office

Ex officio The President is the ex officio commander in chief of the armed forces in time of war. The President of the college is an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees.

Infringe To violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds Syn: encroach, intrude

Infringe If you continue to infringe on my responsibilities, will you also take the blame for any mistakes? Many feel surveillance Cameras infringe on People’s rights.

Ingratiate To make oneself agreeable and thus gain favor or acceptance by others (sometimes used in a critical or derogatory sense) Syn: cozy up to, curry favor with

Ingratiate It is not a good idea to ingratiate oneself by paying insincere compliments.