Vocabulary #6

abase - cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of
Ex- I watched my colleagues abase themselves before the board of trustees.
abdicate - give up, such as power, as of monarchs and emperors, or duties and obligations
Ex- The government was accused of abdicating its responsibilities.
abomination - an action that is vicious or vile; an action that arouses disgust or abhorrence; a person who is loathsome or disgusting; hate coupled with disgust
Ex- This law is an abomination to all mankind.
brusque - marked by rude or peremptory shortness
Ex- She is known to be brusque and impatient.
saboteur - someone who commits sabotage or deliberately causes wrecks
Ex- The saboteur was punished severely.
debauchery - a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity
Ex- One may find another's personality debauchery.
proliferate - cause to grow or increase rapidly; grow rapidly
Ex- Apple products continue to proliferate.
anachronism - an artifact that belongs to another time; a person who seems to be displaced in time; who belongs to another age; something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred
Ex- Everything was as it would have appeared in centuries past apart from one anachronism, a bright yellow construction crane.
nomenclature - a system of words used to name things in a particular discipline
Ex- For one thing, the basic nomenclature was confusing.
expurgate - edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
Ex- The editors expurgated hateful references to the government in the author's book before publishing it.
bellicose - having or showing a ready disposition to fight
Ex- There is a group of bellicose men.
gauche - lacking social polish
Ex- Some will find it gauche; others will enjoy its boldness.
rapacious - excessively greedy and grasping; devouring or craving food in great quantities; living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey
Ex- His landlord is very rapacious.
paradox - a statement that contradicts itself
Ex- The man lied many times before, but when he told his friend, "I'm lying right now," the paradox confused him.
conundrum - a difficult problem
Ex- Jane was confronted with a large conundrum and didn't know what to do.
anomaly - a person who is unusual; deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule
Ex- There are a number of anomalies in the present system.
ephemeral - lasting a very short time; noun anything short-lived
Ex- Fashion is ephemeral.
rancorous - showing deep-seated resentment
Ex- Many people became rancorous because of the man's ignorant speech.
churlish - having a bad disposition; surly; rude and boorish
Ex- It seems churlish to complain.
precipitous - extremely steep; done with very great haste and without due deliberation
Ex- The cliffs on the North Atlantic coast are precipitous.