ADVANCED VOCABULARY LIST 2
destiny A predetermined state; fate.
apathy Lack of interest or concern.
There is widespread apathy among the school
staff.
dismal Gloomy; depressing; dreary.
When the weather is dismal, I have a hard time
getting motivated to do anything.
dismay To cause the sudden loss of courage; to
cause the feeling of consternation and distress.
We were dismayed by the president's policy
reversal.
emulation The imitation or copying of someone.
Bill Gates has become the subject of emulation
among billionaires the world over.
endeavor To try very hard to achieve something.
We hoped that the president would endeavor to
help the people.
frugal Thrifty; economical.
You don't have to have a lot of money to travel if
you are frugal.
impair To weaken; to affect negatively.
Alcohol should be avoided because it impairs
your judgement.
mercenary A professional soldier hired to serve
in a foreign army.
The war was fought mostly by mercenaries.
naive Lacking experience.
It was naive of me to think that the governor
actually cared about the people living in his state.
stringent Strict; restrictive; rigid; severe.
Mary has been on a stringent diet for months.
adverse Unfavorable; harmful.
Adverse weather conditions will not stop Max
from going fishing.
advocate A person who publicly supports
something or someone.
Max is an advocate for animal rights.
Max considered it his destiny to die poor and
alone.
diminish To make smaller or less or to cause to
appear so.
Max laughed at Mary's award and tried to
diminish the award's importance.
donor One who contributes to a cause or fund.
The Red Cross sent a letter of gratitude to all of
the donors.
exempt Free from a duty or obligation.
Most churches are exempt from paying taxes.
query To ask, inquire.
The police officer queried the drivers involved in
the accident.
patron A customer
Some of the patrons complained to the waiter
about the quality of the food.
savor To enjoy or appreciate the taste or smell
of something.
Homer savored every bite of the chocolate
donut.
vocation Employment; occupation; avocation;
calling; business; trade
It is important to choose a vocation that you
enjoy.
adroit having or showing skill, cleverness, or
resourcefulness in handling situations
He was adroit with money and invested in great
projects.
bogus Not true; fake.
The politician's allegations against the prime
minister were completely bogus.
impede o interfere with or slow the progress of
He claims that economic growth is
being impeded by government regulations.
loathe To hate, detest, revile.
How I loathed the look of that font on my
pages!
 ADVANCED VOCABULARY LIST 2
revere to show devoted deferential honor
to : regard as worthy of great honor
The family reveres old traditions.
rudimentary fundamental, of a primitive kind
the equipment of these past empire-builders
was rudimentary
skirmish a minor fight in war usually incidental
to larger movement, a minor dispute or contest
between opposing parties
Violent skirmishes with the enemy continue
despite talks of peace.
terse Brief, concise, to the point.
a terse summary
trivial of little worth or importance
Stop arguing about trivial matters and get to the
point!
coherent logically or aesthetically ordered
or integrated
Make sure your essay is coherent or you will lose
points on organization.
consecutive following one after the other in
order
The president served four consecutive terms in
office
detain to hold or keep in or as if in custody
Max was detained by the police for more than 3
hours at the airport.
disclose to expose to view
In his last moments he refused under torture
to disclose his father's hiding-place.
disrobe to remove clothes, undress
The nurse asked the patient to disrobe and wait
for the doctor in the exam room.
distort to twist out of a natural, normal, or
original shape, condition or meaning
Curved glasses will distort your vision.
Some newspapers distort the truth.
flout Openly disregard. ignore
Despite repeated warnings, they have
continued to flout the law.
hostile Unfriendly; Antagonistic
Despite peace talks, the countries were hostile
towards each other
lethal deadly
A rattlesnake's venom is lethal.
malign To speak bad about someone.
Please do not malign Mary. She is a very good
person.
meander To follow a winding course; to wander.
Max arrived late to school everyday because
instead of walking straight to school he’d first
meander through the park.
prohibit to forbid by authority; prevent
from doing something
The use of mobile phones in school is prohibited.
provoke to stir up purposely, to incite anger
His interview questions provoked an argument
between the guests.
recede go or move back or further away from a
previous position.
After a century and half it began to recede rather
than to advance.
revoke To take back by reversing; to cancel the
validity of something.
The judge said that he would revoke my driver's
license if I got another speeding ticket.
ridicule to make fun of
His ideas were ridiculed by his colleagues.
stamina Endurance; ability to sustain physical or
mental effort.
You must have incredible stamina to compete in
the Tour de France.