Vocabulary #9

1. Abortive: failing to produce the intended result
"The marriage was abortive after the couple got divorced within the first few months."
2. Bruit: spread a report or rumor widely
"The group of girls bruited the false statement that one of the girls was pregnant."

3. Contumelious: scornful and insulting behavior
"His contumelious attitude towards people makes others dispise him."

4. Dictum: a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source; a short statement that expresses a general truth or principle
"The judge's dictum was final."

5. Ensconce: establish or settle
"The settlers ensonced a newfound culture and way of living when they came to America."

6. Iconoclastic: characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions
"His inconoclastic comeback was forced by his built up anger."

7. In medias res: a narrative that begins somewhere in the middle of a story rather than the beginning
"When the girl was interrupted by her mom, she had to start her story in medias res."

8. Internecine: destructive to both sides in a conflict
"The fatal earthquake was an internecine to both side of the war."

9. Maladroit: ineffective or bungling; clumsy
"The group left the annoying girl behind because of how maladroit she was. She kept holding up the group."

10. Maudlin: self-pitying or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness
"The old man's maudlin talk was making me feel actually a little sad for him."

11. Modulate: exert a modifying or controlling influence on
"Her modulate control could make her followers practically do anything."

12. Portentous: of or like a portent; done in a pompously or overly solemn manner
"Our portentous praises to the gods made us hopeful they would grant us want we wanted."

13. Prescience: the power to foresee the future
"She has a prescience manner about her that makes me think that she knows what's going to happen."

14. Quid pro quo: a favor or advantage granted in return for something
"When I do something nice for someone, I don't expect a quid pro quo."

15. Salubrious: health-giving, healthy; pleasant, not run-down
"Fruits and vegetables are salubrious foods."

16. Saturnalia: the ancient Roman festival of Saturn in December; an occasion of wild revelry
"The party was so wild it was almost saturnalia."

17. Touchstone: a standard or criterion by which something is judged or recognized
"His touchstone was often critiqued."

18. Traumatic: emotionally disturbing or distressing; relating to or causing psychological trauma
"I went through a tramatic experience when my brother almost died."

19. Vitiate: spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of; destroy or impair the legal validity of.
"Most couples in high school end up vitiated their relationship because they are so young and naive."

20. Waggish: humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner
"His waggish mood made it almost impossible to not laugh when you're around him."