1. American Lit
Vocabulary Unit 1

2. approbation
n. the expression of approval or praise syn. approval, Commendation, sanction ant. disapproval, censure
Saban gives his team another sign of approbation as they win the National title.

3. assuage
to make easier or milder, to calm or to quench, to appease or satisfy
syn. mitigate, alleviate
ant. Intensify, aggravate, exacerbate
Granny can assuage your hunger with a homemade Jimmy Dean sausage and biscuit..

4. coalition n. a combination, union or merger syn. alliance, league,
ant. splinter group
The United States created the coalition that defeated Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War.

5. decadence decadence if they only produce a one-hit wonder.
n. decline and decay; a period of
decline and decay; excessive
self indulgence
syn. Degeneration
ant. rise, growth,
development
SENTENCE
Some musicians may experience a time of
decadence if they only produce a one-hit wonder.

6. elicit
v. to draw forth or to bring out from some source syn. Call forth, evoke, extract, Educe ant. Repress, quash, stifle SENTENCE A teacher’s question may elicit several responses from the class.

7. expostulate
v. to attempt to dissuade someone from course or decision by earnest reasoning syn. Protest, remonstrate, complain
Though it was a scorching 98 degrees outside, Bernie dressed in the chicken outfit in an attempt to expostulate against the harmful effects of eating fast food.

8. hackneyed
adj. Used so often as to lack freshness or originality syn. banal, trite, common place, corny ant. new, fresh, novel, original
“to be honest”
“actually”
“don’t just talk the talk; you got to walk the walk”
“when I get around to it”
“the fact of the matter is”
“in conclusion”
“first of all”
Mrs. Sellors said I must “hack” away at the hackneyed phrases in my essay if I expected to earn an A.

9. hiatus
n. a gap, an opening, or a break syn. pause, lacuna ant. continuity, continuation
Joe’s doctor informed him that he would need to take a hiatus from table tennis for about ten weeks since he broke his arm while trying to carry his girlfriend’s purse.

10. innuendo
n. A hint or indirect suggestion or reference (often in a derogatory sense) syn. Insinuation or intimation ant. direct statement
The gangster’s innuendo, “Nice store you got there. Would be a real shame if something happened to it,” made me cringe.

11. intercede
v. To plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement syn. intervene, mediate
Since Hailey and Casey could not get a long, my brother-in-law decided to intercede and tape the two of them together!

12. jaded
Adj. wearied, worn-out, dulled syn. Sated, surfeited, cloyed ant. Unspoiled, uncloyed
The jaded Aerosmith fan had seen the show fifty times.

13. lurid
adj. causing shock, horror, or revulsion; pale in color; lack of restraint syn. gruesome, gory, grisly, ghastly ant. pleasant, attractive, appealing, wholesome
The clown’s lurid appearance frightened Jesse so much that he could not sleep alone at night for three solid days.

14. meritorious
adj. worthy, deserving recognition, or praise syn. praiseworthy, laudable, commendable ant. blameworthy, reprehensible, discreditable
In recognition of all her meritorious efforts in the relief work, Dresden received a certificate.

15. petulant
adj. peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset syn. Irritable, testy, waspish ant. even-tempered, placid, serene, amiable
Acting like a petulant tortoise, Tommy decided to crawl home rather than make amends with the red globidydook.

16. prerogative prerogative to change her mind
n. a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence
syn. perk, perquisite
Brittany Spears thinks she has a
prerogative to change her mind
about going on tour, despite the fact
that thousands of fans have already
bought their tickets.

17. provincial
adj. pertaining to an outlying area, local, narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward n. A person with a narrow point of view syn. narrow-minded, parochial, insular, naïve Ant. cosmopolitan, broad-minded
The Puritans cast their provincial eyes on Hester Prynne as she tightly holds Pearl.

18. simulate
v. to make a pretense of; to imitate, to show the outer signs of syn. feign, pretend, affect
The video game SIMS simulates real life. Even the settings are realistic!

19. transcend transcended everyone’s v. to rise above or beyond; exceed
syn. surpass, outstrip
Sister Madonna Buder
transcended everyone’s
expectations. As the oldest
trathlete, Sister Madonna has
competed in more than 300 races
and is 78 years young!

20. umbrage
n. shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion syn. irritation, pique, annoyance ant. Pleasure, delight, satisfaction
One of my fondest childhood memories is when all of my family would gather underneath the umbrage of a Mimosa tree to shell peas and listen to my grandparents’ storytelling.

21. unctuous
adj. excessively smooth or smug; trying to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity or piety; fatty, oily, pliable syn. mealy-mouthed, servile, fawning, greasy ant. Gruff, blunt
Being naïve, I looked past his unctuous behavior and said yes when he asked me out.