vocabularyStella Yun

adversity

difficulties

I had to overcome various adversities to achieve my goal.

brawny

physically strong

The browny man caught a wild bear by himself.

congenial

pleasant because of a personality, qualities, or interests

I like to skate with Sarah who is congenial to me. We both love to ice-skate.

decorum

behavior in keeping with good propriety

We have to observe decorums when meeting adults.

docile

ready to accept control or instruction

My docile pet dogs always follow me.

quell

put an end to, typically by the use of force

The rebellion was easily quelled by polices.

reprieve

cancel or postpone punishment

His sentence was reprieved for a week.

slanderous

action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation

Friends should not make slanderous statements to each other.

transpire

happen

The detective came to see what transpired and how did the victim got killed.

vigilant

keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties

During the war, all the soldiers were vigilant.

ardent

enthusiastic or passionate

The ardent student always participated in class and school activities very well.

somber

dark or dull in color or tone

The sky was somber and it made me feel gloomy, too.

ambition

strong desire to do or to achieve something

Her ambition about swimming made her win the gold medal.

eminent

famous and respected within a particular sphere or profession

J.K.Rowling became an eminent writer because of her Harry Potter series.

intoxicating

cause to lose control of their faculties or behavior

Drinks containing alcohol makes you intoxicate.

commendation

praise

Because she was an ambitious student, teachers wrote good commendations about her.

intone

say or recite with little rise and fall of the pitch of the voice

The prayers intoned together in the church.

impression

an idea about something one formed without conscious thought or on the basis of small evidence

The manager employed a man with good first impression.

obligation

duty or commitment

All Korean males have obligation to do military service for 2 years.

succumb

fail to resist

Because he was succumbed to temptation, he betrayed his own country.

confining

keep or restrict something within certain limits of

Some adults are still confined to old thoughts.

agog

very eager and curious to hear or see something

After the contest, our team was agog to know the final consequence.

gesticulated

use gestures etc. to emphasize one’s words

She gesticulated the important phrases during her presentation.