Vocabulary Enrichment No. 1

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Myriad
- noun; a countless or extremely great number
We were appalled by the myriad of trash left on the beach after Labor’s Day.
- adjective; having innumerable aspects
The myriad problems surrounding global warming need our attention.

Innocuous
- adjective; harmless or not offensive
Though it was bright green with yellow stripes, the snake was innocuous.

Feign
- verb; pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury)
To avoid jumping jacks, Little Benny feigned a heart attack.

Temerity
-noun; excessive confidence or reckless contempt of danger
Bad boys that ride motorcycles and smoke always exert an aura of temerity that is surprisingly attractive.

Affront
- noun; a deliberate offense, insult
Trump’s comments was an affront to the community.
- transitive verb; to insult especially to the face by behavior or language, to face in defiance
Recent laws about abortion affront women all over the world.

Acquiesce
- transitive verb; to accept or comply passively
To avoid an argument, he acquiesced to her demands.

Interim
- noun; an intervening time
The fire alarm caused an interim in the exam.
adjective; done or occurring for an interim
The company had an interim position for the upcoming season.

Trepidation
- noun; a nervous or fearful feeling of uncertain agitation
Nothing could alleviate the trepidation she felt on her first day of school.

Alleviate
- transitive verb; to sooth or make more bearable
The president promised to alleviate the financial crisis.

Stagnant
- adjective; not advancing or developing, without flow
Despite recent plans to increase the economy’s GDP, the economy remained stagnant.

Elicit
- transitive verb; to call forth or bring out
The artwork elicited tears.

Exacerbate
- transitive verb; to make more violent or bitter
His comment only exacerbated the problem.

Tumultuous
- adjective; loud, excited and emotional
Her speech evoked a tumultuous applause.
- adjective; marked by violent or overwhelming turbulence
The tumultuous protest made front page.

Bolster
- transitive verb; to support with
His new clothing only bolstered his cocky personality.

Cajole
- transitive verb; to persuade with flattery, especially in the face of reluctance.
She cajoled her parents for money.

Clandestine
- adjective; marked by or held in secrecy
Since the job was going to leave five people dead, she had to keep a clandestine location at all times.

Ameliorate
- transitive verb; to make better or more tolerable
She took medication to ameliorate the pain.

Cessation
- noun; the fact or process of ending or being brought to an end
The cessation of the war was a relief.

Proliferation
- transitive verb; to rapidly increase in number
Cancer is caused by the proliferation of cells.

Fervent
- adjective; exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling
He continued to write fervent love letter to her.

Ubiquitous
- adjective; existing or being everywhere at the same time
Many religious people believe God is ubiquitous.

Sweltering
- adjective; oppressively hot
During summer, it is sweltering in the jungle.

Extraneous
- adjective; existing from the outside, having no relevance
The arguments were extraneous to the issue and only made the solution less attainable.

Recalcitrant
- adjective; having an uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline
It is hard to accomplish multiple activities with a recalcitrant group of campers.

Schadenfreude
-noun; pleasure derived by someone from another person’s misfortune
She was an ultimate prankster who messed around out of pure schadenfreude.

Malleable
- adjective; able to be hammered or pressed permanently out of shape, capable of being altered by outside forces
The material was malleable enough to create an opening.

Augment
- transitive verb; to make greater or more intense
She made a more inclusive marketing plan to augment the sales.

Debauchery
- noun; extreme indulgence in bodily pleasures and especially sexual pleasures
The church was appalled when they found out she had spent last Saturday night dwelling in debauchery.

Decadence
- noun; a period of decline
Ever since Trump went into office, the economy has been in a decadence.

Presumptive
-adjective; giving grounds for reasonable opinion or belief
He was not executed despite presumptive evidence that he was the murderer.

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