Vocabulary #4

accolade: any award, honor, or laudatory notice; a touch on the shoulder with a sword during a knighthood ceremony
The hard-working student received the accolade of an AP Scholar because of her test scores.

acerbity: sourness, with roughness of taste; harshness or severity in temper or expression
His acerbity towards others didn't earn him many friends.

attrition: a decrease in numbers, size, or strength; the wearing down or weakening of resistance
His developing attrition towards his daily routine caused him to have a mid-life crisis.

bromide:  a platitude or trite saying; a person who is platitudinous and boring
His speech was full of so many bromides that the audience didn't hear anything that they hadn't heard before.

chauvinist: a person who aggressively and blindly patriotic; a person who believes one gender is superior to the other
The male chauvinist thought it was a mistake that women were granted the right to vote, and he actively stated so to his wife.

chronic: constant; habitual; recurring frequently
Her chronic back pain made her go see her doctor for some medication to help get rid of it.

expound: to state in detail; to explain; to interpret
He expounded his flaws to prove that he wasn't perfect.

factionalism: of a faction or factions; self-interested; partisan
The factionalism present in Congress prevented the passing of an important bill.

immaculate: spotlessly clean; pure; free from errors
She wanted her house to be immaculate before her critical mother arrived.

imprecation: the act of cursing; a curse; malediction
She was so angry that she screamed as many imprecations as she could at her parents.

ineluctable: inescapable; incapable of being evaded
The conversation about future colleges with his parents was ineluctable to the high school senior.'

mercurial: volatile; erratic; flighty; animated; lively; quick-witted
Her mercurial personality was too much for her friends to handle.

palliate: mitigate; alleviate; to relieve or lessen without curing
Her doctor attempted to palliate the chronic pain in her back with a prescription for a pain killer.

protocol: the regulations and customs dealing with formality, precedence, and etiquette
The little boy didn't follow the protocol of the classroom when he insisted on answering the question without raising his hand.

resplendent: shining brilliantly; gleaming; splendid
She looked resplendent on her wedding day as she walked down the aisle

stigmatize: to set some mark of disgrace or infamy upon; to mark with a stigma or brand
Her charges of theft stigmatized the family in the town.

sub rosa: confidentially; secretly; privately
She was kept the family matters sub rosa at the request of her parents.

vainglory: excessive elation and pride over one's achievements; empty pomp or show
His vainglory over his acceptance into Harvard University made his parents turn from feeling proud of his accomplishment to embarrassed by his blatant arrogance.

vestige: the mark, trace, or evidence of something that no longer exists; a slight trace or amount
The fighting couple was hoping they could still find some vestiges of happiness in their marriage.

volition: the act of willing, choosing, or resolving; a decision made by will
She returned to her husband of her own volition after they had separated.