Vocabulary: List #17

  1. solipsistic (adj): self-absorbed; behaving as though no one else besides oneself matters
  2. My SOLIPSISTIC sister complained about her broken nail when we found out my dad lost his job and shattered his leg.
  3. profligate (adj): extremely extravagant to the point of wastefulness
  4. Many people complained that the government party was PROFLIGATE, having only the most expensive food and giving diamond necklaces to all guests while the country suffered from extreme poverty and famine.
  1. purloin (verb): to steal something, particularly when the theft breaks trust
  2. My best friend PURLOINED my money; I thought I could trust her when I gave her the combination to my safe, so I was heartbroken when she stole all of the cash.
  1. decadence (noun): a process of decline or decay in society, especially in its morals due to unrestrained self-indulgence.
  2. When the Smythe family won the lottery, they fell into great DECADENCE, forgetting their morality and indulging themselves in excess to the point of depravity due to their newfound wealth!
  1. mordant (adj): sharply or harshly sarcastic
  2. His movie review was so MORDANT that it just came off as angry rather than lightly sarcastic; this harsh sarcasm undermined his professionalism as a journalist.
  1. perspicacious (adj): perceptive or astute; extremely discerning, wise, and insightful
  2. The essay was not only free from major grammatical errors, but it was extremely PERSPICACIOUS, analyzing deep themes at a level even I hadn’t thought of.
  1. perseverate (verb): to repeat something insistently or redundantly
  2. Jillian’s autism causes her to PERSEVERATE her desires to a point where it can aggravate many of her peers; she is working on trying not to incessantly repeat her requests.
  1. blandishment (noun): the use of flattery to persuade somebody to do something
  2. My mom only bought that dress because the salesman used BLANDISHMENTS; I can’t believe she fell for all that flattery!
  1. fractious (adj): irritable and likely to complain or misbehave
  2. My FRACTIOUS brother was always in a bad mood, starting arguments and complaining at every turn.
  1. purview (noun): the scope or range of something, for example, a police officer’s jurisdiction or the scope of somebody’s knowledge.
  2. I do not even attempt to help students with their math assignments, as this subject is entirely out of my PURVIEW; my knowledge is focused within the scope of the humanities.