Vocabulary List

Here are the last five lists in alphabetical order. These are the short hand definitions for my personal use, but I will make them available to you for reference to study. If you have different wording that is fine - exact wording of definitions is not required. The format of the test will look like the last cumulative vocabulary test with matching, sentences, pictures, write in definitions, and a series of short answers.

• adamant – determined, stubborn, set in opinion
  
• anarchy – absence of rules, lack of gov't
  
• anastrophe – alteration of the normal order of words or phrases in a grammatical construction, usually for rhetorical effect
  
• anomaly – peculiarity, irregularity
  
• cacophony – opposite of euphony, signifies discordant, jarring, unharmonious language; often used deliberately to emphasize a discordant idea or unpleasant image
  
• carpe diem – seize the day
  
• catharsis – Aristotle's term for the purgation or purification of the emotions of pity and fear, results from experiencing a drama in person
  
• caustic – intended to mock, offend, or belittle – abrasive
  
• chariness – wary, concerned
  
• cliché – overused expression or idea
  
• congenial – agreeable, friendly
  
• cordial - hospitably warm, sincere
  
• criteria – standard for making judgments
  
• deductive reasoning – proceeds from a general premise to a specific conclusion
  
• delineate – describe or draw
  
• eccentric – unconventional
  
• enfeebled – weakened, depleted
  
• epiphany – sudden realization
  
• equivocation – meaning of key terms is not consistent throughout the argument
  
• erratic - inconsistent, changing direction
  
• euphemism – use of less offensive words
  
• facetious – supposed to be funny, but often inappropriate
  
• flippant – not taking seriously enough
  
• forlorn – lonely, miserable, desolate
  
• incessant – continuing for a long time w/o stopping
  
• inductive reasoning – proceeds from a specific premise to a general conclusion
  
• indulgent – permissive, generally allowing people to have what they want
  
• innuendo – hint or interpretation of something improper
  
• insidious – harmful in a subtle way
  
• lackey – obedient follower
  
• litotes – rhetorical tool of understatement, often expressed negatively
  
• maniacal – affected by mania
  
• non sequitur – fallacy where a statement does not logically follow from the previous statement
  
• pedagogy – science or profession of teaching
  
• philanthropy – desire to benefit humanity, esp. through charitable activities
  
• pristine – immaculate, unspoiled, perfect
  
• prodigious – marvelous, impressive
  
• proliferate – reproduce rapidly
  
• rendezvous – meeting point/ meeting
  
• sardonic – disdainfully mocking
  
• sedate - calm; serene
  
• straw man fallacy – making an opponent's argument weaker than it appears or offering a false rebuttal
  
• sweeping generalization – jumping to a conclusion with the basis of little evidence
  
• syllogism – consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion
  
• symbiosis – mutually beneficial relationship
  
• synecdoche – figure of speech which represents the whole through a part
  
• synesthesia – use of two different senses in a description, such as "yellow sound"
  
• tacit – unspoken
  
• valid argument –the conclusion logically follows the given premises
  
• warrant – inference that connects the claim to the evidence