8A Vocab Week 6

solicitude

• Noun

• Anxiety and concern; concern for the well-being of others

• “After leaving for college, she called home twice a week to quell her parents’ solicitude.”

trepidation

• Noun

• A state of fearful uncertainty; dread

• He awaited the score on his midterm exams with great trepidation.

waif

• Noun

• A homeless person, especially an orphaned child

• The young waif sometimes sleeps in a tunnel beneath the highway bridge.

taint

• Verb

• To corrupt or ruin by contaminating

• The scientist tainted the laboratory sample when she touched it without wearing gloves.

assuage

• Verb

• To make less severe or painful

• Her soft words temporarily assuaged the child’s fears.

celestial

• Adjective

• Of or relating to the sky or heavens

• Astronomy is the scientific study of celestial bodies and their characteristics.

blasphemous

• Adjective

• Disrespectful toward what is considered sacred

• Jack was a religious man, and he took offense when others made blasphemous remarks.

exuberant

• Adjective

• Emotionally unrestrained and joyful; lavish, abundant

• Her exuberant expression relieved our fears of her being angry with us.

heretic

• Noun

• A person whose opinions conflict with established popular beliefs

• Because the heretic openly questioned longstanding traditions, she was forced to leave the village.

incorrigible

• Adjective

• Incapable of correction or rehabilitation

• The lengthy prison sentence gave the incorrigible man more time to plan for his next offense.