American LitVocabulary Unit

1

approbation

n. the expression of approval or praise

syn. approval,Commendation, sanction

ant. disapproval, censureSaban gives his team another sign of approbation as they win the National Title.HINT: a = not, without; If you have people’s approbation, you will

most likely NOT be on PROBATION (a state or period of being on test or trial)

assuagev. 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..

coalitionn. 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.HINT: co = with; The United Nations is a coalition of world leader representatives developed to try to keep world order.

decadence n. decline and decay; a period of decline and decay; excessive self indulgence syn. Degeneration

ant. rise, growth, development

SENTENCESome musicians may experience a time of

decadence if they only produce a one-hit wonder.

HINT: If you eat a chocolate bar every day for a decade, your desire for chocolate (or at least your figure) will likely decay; mmmmm….give me a bowl of Chocolate Decadence ice cream!!!

elicitv. 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.

HINT: When investigators elicit a confession, they must licit (listen ;-0) very closely.

expostulatev. to attempt to

dissuadesomeone 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.

HINT: ex = out, away, from. POST a notice before it’s too LATE to get them out or away from what they are doing.

hackneyedadj. 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”

Ms. Thompson said I must “hack”

away at the hackneyed phrases in my essay if I expected to earn an A.

HINT: in the old days, you would hire a hackney (a coach for hire drawn by horses) to get you from one place to another; that idea, today, is rather banal or commonplace (so are the cabs/taxis that carry people – yuck!)

hiatusn. 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.

innuendon. 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.

intercedev. 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!

HINT: inter = between; cede = withdraw, yield

jadedAdj. wearied, worn-out,

dulledsyn. Sated, surfeited,

cloyedant. Unspoiled, uncloyed

The jaded Aerosmith fan had seen the show fifty times.

HINT: jade used to be a popular stone; today, most jaded jewelry is worn out and dull due to excessive wear; the same can happen to people – when you’ve done something so long you’re terribly tired of doing it, you are said to be jaded – even if it started out as a good thing

luridadj. 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.

HINT: the lurid details of a gruesome scene tend to lure people in; hence the fascination with ‘slasher’ movies

meritoriousadj. worthy, deserving

recognition, or praise

syn. praiseworthy, laudable, commendable

ant. blameworthy, reprehensible, discreditable

In recognition of all hermeritorious efforts in the reliefwork, Dresden received acertificate.

HINT: merit = reward; scouts earn merit badges for a job well done

petulant

adj. peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset

syn. Irritable, testy, waspish

ant. even-tempered, placid, serene, amiable

Acting like a petulanttortoise, Tommy decided to crawl home rather thanmake amends with the red

globidydook.HINT: when your treat your children like pampered pets, they are likely to become petulant (and very annoying!!!)

prerogativen. a special right or privilege; a special

quality showing excellence

syn. perk, perquisite

Brittany Spears thinks she has aprerogative to change her mindabout going on tour, despite the factthat thousands of fans have alreadybought their tickets.

Continued on next slide

prerogativeChorus of “My Prerogative” by Bobby Brown

Everybody’s talking all this stuff about meWhy don’t they just let me live?Tell me why I don’t need commissionMake my own decisionsThat’s my prerogativeIt’s my prerogative (it’s my prerogative)

It’s the way that I wanna live (it’s my prerogative)I can do just what I feel (it’s my prerogative)No one can tell me what to do (it’s my prerogative)Cause what I’m doing I’m doing for you

provincialadj. 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 as she tightly holds Pearl.

HINT: province = in a country, everything except the cities

simulatev. 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!

HINT: sim = same

transcendv. to rise above or beyond; exceed

syn. surpass, outstrip

Sister Madonna Buder

transcended everyone’sexpectations. As the oldesttriathlete, Sister Madonna hascompeted in more than 300 racesand is 78 years young!

HINT: trans = across; Middle English, from Latin transcendere to climb across, transcend, from trans- + scandere to climb; opposite of descend

umbragen. 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.

HINT: like an UMBRella, umbrage tends to cover, or overshadow

unctuousadj. excessively smooth

or smug; trying too and to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity or piety; fatty, oily, pliable

syn. mealymouthed, servile, fawning, greasy

ant. Gruff, bluntBeing naïve, I looked past his

unctuous behavior and said yes when he asked me out.

unctuous

Unctuous describes a person who has many of the same characteristics as an unction or ointment: appearing to help, greasy, smooth Continued on next slide

• HINT: an unction is an ointment or unguent used for healing or rituals; an ointment is made by combining a greasy, fatty substance (like Vaseline) with medicines or herbs

Professor Severus Snape