Vocabulary #3

accolade - noun a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
My student athlete award was an accolade of my hard work on and off the field.
acerbity - noun a sharp sour taste; a sharp bitterness; a rough and bitter manner
He showed complete acerbity by his explicit language in his writing.
attrition - noun the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction; a wearing down to weaken or destroy; sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation; the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice; erosion by friction
The attrition of the cars tires sliding on the street created a rubber smell.
bromide - noun any of the salts of hydrobromic acid; formerly used as a sedative but now generally replaced by safer drugs; a trite or obvious remark
The statement "I am entitled to my own opinion" is bromide.
chauvinist - noun an extreme bellicose nationalist; a person with a prejudiced belief in the superiority of his or her own kind
The movie American History X is very chauvinist.
chronic - adj. being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering
The chronic earthquakes in some areas limit the types of structures that can be safely built.
expound - verb add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; state
We expound in class when we do Socratic seminars.
factionalism- existence of factions: the existence of or conflict between groups within a larger group
Frequent internal splits have produced great factionalism.
immaculate - adj. completely neat and clean; free from stain or blemish; without fault or error
I try to be immaculate with my room and my school work.
imprecation - noun the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult); a slanderous accusation
The boy muttered imprecations about a man that killed his brother.
ineluctable - adj. impossible to avoid or evade:"inescapable conclusion"
The car crash was ineluctable.
mercurial - adj. relating to or containing or caused by mercury; relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury; relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury; liable to sudden unpredictable change
Everyone stayed away from him because his temper was mercurial.
palliate - verb provide physical relief, as from pain; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
The advil helped my headache palliate.
protocol - noun code of correct conduct; forms of ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats and heads of state; (computer science) rules determining the format and transmission of data
The military uses protocol.
resplendent - adj. having great beauty and splendor
The flower was resplendent.
stigmatize - verb mark with a stigma or stigmata; to accuse or condemn or openly or formally or brand as disgraceful
People seen as traitors are universally despised and stigmatized.
sub - noun a submersible warship usually armed with torpedoes; different names are used in different sections of the United States; verb be a substitute
The sub was very nice.
rosa - noun large genus of erect or climbing prickly shrubs including roses
vainglory - noun outspoken conceit
Don't com off sounding to boastful or vainglorious.
vestige - noun an indication that something has been present
The trace, or vestige, of the dinosaur proved its existence.
volition - noun the act of making a choice; the capability of conscious choice and decision and intention
He didn't need anyone to tell him what to do because of his volition.