Vocabulary

 Covetous – (adj) having or showing great desire to possess something belonging to

someone else
 Gait – (noun) a person’s manner of walking
 Shrewd – (adj) having or showing sharp powers of judgement; astute
o Piercingly cold
o Severe; malicious
 Entreaty – (noun) an earnest or humble request
 Palpable – (adj) able to be touched or felt
o (of a feeling or atmosphere) so intense as to almost seem tangible
o Plain to see or comprehend
 Ruddy – (adj) (of a person’s face) having a healthy red colour
o Having a reddish colour
 Humbug – (noun) deceptive or false talk or behaviour
o A hypocrite
 Morose – (adj) sullen and ill-tempered
 Veneration – (adj) great respect; reverence
 Cordial – (adj) warm and friendly
o Strongly felt
 Facetious – (adj) treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humour;
flippant
 Misanthropic – (adj) having or showing a dislike of other people
 Regale – (verb) entertain or amuse (someone) with talk
o Lavishly supply someone with food or drink
 Congenial – (adj) (of a person) pleasing or liked on account of having qualities or
interests that are similar to one’s own
o (of a thing) pleasant or agreeable because suited to one’s taste or inclination
 Tacit – (adj) understood or implied without being stated
 Beguile – (verb) charm or enchant someone, often in a deceptive way
o Help (time) pass pleasantly
 Fain – (adj) pleased or willing under the circumstances
o Compelled by the circumstances; obliged
 Hearse – (noun) a vehicle for conveying the coffin at a funeral
 Incredulous – (adj) unwilling or unable to belive something
 Fetter – (noun) a restraint or check on someone’s freedom to act
o (verb) confine or restrict someone
 Incessant – (adj) (of something regarded as unpleasant) continuing without pause or
interruption
 Countenance – (noun) a person’s face or facial expression
o Support or approval
 Recumbent – (adj) lying down; close to the ground
 Reverent – (adj) feeling or showing deep and solemn respect
 Conducive – (adj) making a certain situation or outcome likely or possible
 Supplication – (noun) the act of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly
 Latent – (adj) (of a quality or state) existing but not yet developed or manifest;
hidden or concealed
 Despondent – (adj) in low spirits from loss of hope or courage
 Loth – (adj) reluctant or unwilling
 Tumult – (noun) a large confused noise, especially one caused by a large mass of
people
o A state of confusion or disorder
 Corroborate – (verb) confirm or give support to
 Supposition – (noun) a belief held without certain proof or knowledge; assumption,
hypothesis
 Dower – (noun) a widow’s share for life of her husband’s estate
 Apprehensive – (adj) anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will
happen
 Genial – (adj) friendly and cheerful; pleasantly
 Diffuse – (verb) spread over a wide area or between a large number of people
 Apoplectic – (adj) overcome with anger; furious
 Opulence – (noun) great wealth or luxuriousness
 Wanton – (adj) (of a cruel or violent action) deliberate and unprovoked
o (especially of a woman) sexually immodest or promiscuous
 Demure – (adj) (of a woman or her behaviour) reserved, modest, and shy
 Bilious – (adj) affected by or associated with nausea or vomiting
o Spiteful; bad-tempered
 Bigotry – (noun) intolerance towards those who hold different opinions from oneself
 Gallant – (adj) brave; heroic
 Exult – (verb) show or feel triumphant happiness or exhilaration
 Ken – (noun) one’s range of knowledge or understanding
 Blithe (adj) showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or
improper
 Affable – (adj) friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to
 Indignant – (adj) showing or feeling anger or annoyance at what is perceived as
unfair treatment
 Revel – (verb) enjoy oneself in a lively and noisy way
o Gain great pleasure from
 Execrable – (adj) extremely bad or unpleasant
 Imperceptible – (adj) so slight, gradual or subtle as not to be perceived
 Precept – (noun) a general rule intended to regulate behaviour or thought
 Pendulous – (adj) hanging down loosely
 Excrescence – (noun) an unattractive or superfluous object or feature
 Bereft – (adj) (bereft of) deprived of or lacking
o (Of a person) sad and lonely, especially through someone’s death or
departure
 Relent – (verb) abandon or mitigate a severe or harsh attitude, especially by finally
yielding to a request
o Become less severe or intense
 Enrapture – (verb) give intense pleasure or joy to
 Poignancy – (noun) the quality of evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret; pathos
 Malaise – (noun) a general feeling of discomfort, illness or unease whose exact cause
is difficult to identify