VocabularyEnglish II Honors
Unit 5
Altruistic: unselfish, selfless
The group was altruistic with their ‘feed the poor’ program.
Assent: agree, concur
The police must assent to the demands of the robber in order to save his life.
Benefactor: one who does good
The politician became a benefactor to the city when he wanted their votes.
Chivalrous: courteous and courageous
A chivalrous man opens the door for his date.
Clemency: leniency, mercy
Because it was his first offence, the judge showed clemency in his sentencing.
Dearth: insufficiency, scarcity
As the winter grew colder, it seemed that there was a dearth in the food supply.
Diffident: shy, timid, bashful
The greatest difficulty for a diffident person is to perform in front of others.
Discrepancy: inconsistency
There was a discrepancy between the teacher’s story and what the student had said.
Embark: begin, launch
The team was to embark on a voyage through Canada.
Facile: easily done or attained
Last year’s vocabulary words seem facile compared to this year’s.
Indomitable: unconquerable, invincible
During the whole race, her strength seemed indomitable.
Infallible: free from error, perfect
To win the prize, one must have an infallible record of truthfulness.
Plod: trudge, to walk heavily
It is easier to plod through the thick snow than to drag your feet.
Pungent: stinging, biting, sharp
The pungent smell of onions can cause one’s eyes to water while cutting them.
Remiss: neglectful, negligence
If you remiss in doing your chore’s now, you must do twice as much later.
Repose: rest, sleep
After the long journey, a brief repose was requested before going back home.
Temerity: boldness, audacity
It would take great temerity to talk back to the principal.
Truculent: belligerent, aggressive, harsh
The truculent lawyer gave a fiery speech to preserve his client’s innocence.
Unfeigned: sincere, genuine, heartfelt
He had an unfeigned love for his girlfriend.
Virulent: hateful, spiteful, poisonous
She posed a virulent appeal to the courts.