| Apoplexy | a sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to lack of oxygen in the brain |
| Arduous | difficult to accomplish |
| Canon | conforming to orthodox or recognized views |
| Capacious | large in capacity |
| Credulity | tendency to believe readily |
| Debonnaire/Debonair | courteous, gracious, and having a sophisticated charm |
| Earnest | serious; showing sincerity of feeling; grave; important |
| Effrontery | shameless boldness; impudence |
| Epigram | a witty saying |
| Equanimity | mental calmness or stability esp. in a difficult situation |
| Expurgation | the deletion of objectionable parts from a literary work |
| Farce | a comedy characterized by broad satire and improbable situations |
| Flat | apartment |
| Forte | one’s strong point or strength |
| Gorgon | any of the three winged sister monsters and the mortal Medusa who had snakes for hair |
| Impetuous | characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation |
| Indecorous | lacking propriety and good taste in manners and conduct |
| Indignant | feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment |
| Indiscretion | behavior or speech that displays a lack of good judgment |
| Insuperable | incapable of being surmounted or excelled |
| Inversion | the reversal of the normal order or words |
| Machination | a crafty and involved plot to achieve sinister ends |
| Mercenary | working or acting merely for money or other reward at the expense of ethics |
| Misanthrope | someone who dislikes people in general |
| Neogolism | a newly coined word or expression |
| Ostentatious | characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice |
| Philanthropic | generous in assistance to the poor |
| Precept | rule of personal conduct |
| Profligate | recklessly wasteful |
| Pun | a humorous play on words |
| Quixotic | not sensible about practical matters |
| Recumbent | lying down; reclining |
| Salver | a small serving tray |
| Snare | a trap for catching birds or animals; a thing likely to lure or tempt someone into harm |
| Surmise | infer from incomplete evidence |
| Tutelage | protection of or authority over someone or something; guardianship |
| Utilitarian | designed to be useful or practical rather than attractive |
| Vacillate | waver between two choices; be undecided |
| Advection | the horizontal transfer of heat or other atmospheric properties |
| Affinity | a natural attraction or feeling of kinship |
| Alacrity | promptness or eager and speedy readiness |
| Anon | soon |
| Baseness | unworthiness by virtue of lacking higher values |
| Beguile | to charm, deceive, cheat |
| Beseech | beg |
| Billet | accommodation or house temporarily for people in the armed forces |
| Bombast | pompous or pretentious talk or writing |
| Caitiff | coward |
| Castigation | verbal punishment |
| Catechize | teach about Christianity |
| Censure | to condemn someone that they have done something wrong |
| Choler | anger |
| Circumspection | knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress |
| Consecrate | give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause |
| Cuckold | husband whose wife has been unfaithful |
| Cudgel | short, heavy club |
| Dilatory | wasting time |
| Dissemble | put on false appearance |
| Dotage | old age |
| Edified | instructed and encouraged in moral, intellectual, and spiritual improvement |
| Egregious | conspicuously (obviously) bad or offensive |
| Enfettered | bound or enchained |
| Epithet | an abusive insulting word or phrase |
| Expostulate | express disagreement to dissuade action |
| Facile | arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth |
| Fulsome | unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech |
| Garner | win or gain something (especially information) |
| Hie | to go in a hurry |
| Homage | a show of reverence and respect |
| Importune | bother insistently |
| Iniquity | great injustice or extreme immorality |
| Inordinate | excessive/unrestrained |
| Insolent | showing an aggressive lack of respect in speech or behavior |
| Laconic | brief and to the point; effectively cut short |
| Languish | be neglected or deprived |
| Lascivious | arousing sexual desire |
| Lechery | unrestrained indulgence in sexual activity |
| Mar | to spoil or detract |
| Mettle | strength of character, inherent temperament |
| Mitigate | lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of |
| Mountebank | somebody who deceives other people |
| Mutiny | open rebellion against constituted authority (especially by seamen or soldiers against their officers) |
| Nuptial | relating to marriage/mating of animals |
| Obsequious | excessively eager to please or obey |
| Palpable | capable of being perceived; especially capable of being handled or touched or felt |
| Paragon | example of excellence |
| Peevish | irritable |
| Penitent | feel regret for sin |
| Propriety | correct or appropriate behavior |
| Perdition | punishment in hell |
| Pernicious | causing serious harm or death |
| Procure | acquire |
| Rapier | sword with a long slender blade |
| Requite | pay back |
| Ruminate | go over incessantly |
| Satiety | state or overindulgence |
| Sordidness | unworthiness by virtue of lacking higher values |
| Strumpet | harlot, mull, trull, trollop, callet, hussy, minx, prostitute, commoner, huswife |
| Subjugate | make subservient; force to submit or subdue |
| Timorous | showing fear or hesitancy |
| Traduce | say critical or disparaging things |
| Upbraid | to criticize or scold in a harsh manner |
| Verve | an energetic style |
| Virtuosity | technical skill or fluency or style |
| Voluble | talking easily and at length/lengthy talking |
| Wanton | lewd woman |
| Warrant | formal and explicit approval |
The Importance of Being Earnest and Othello Vocabulary
September 5, 2019