equivocate | to say something that has more than one possible meaning, in order to avoid giving a clear or direct answer. |
hurly-burly | a commotion; noisy activity. |
minions | followers who just obey other people’s orders. He ordered his minions to dispose of the body |
recompense | to give someone a payment for trouble or losses that you have caused them, or a reward for their efforts to help you : We hope this payment will go some way to recompense you for any inconvenience we may have caused |
harbinger | a sign that something is going to happen soon : The fatal hoot of the owl was a harbinger of Duncan’s death. |
palpable | able to be touched or physically felt. Their love seemed almost palpable |
amorous | expressing love or the state of being in love After his divorce, he envied other couples’ amorous behavior. |
evocative | calling forth an emotional response : The setting of the first scene of Macbeth is evocative of loneliness. |
provocative | serving to provoke or stimulate. The predictions were very provocative |
vociferously | marked by insistent outcry. The witches spoke vociferously(adv). It was a heated and vociferous debate (adj). |
divulge | to make known something secret; to reveal She divulged my secret, even after I made her promise she wouldn’t |
ingrate | an ungrateful person That worthless ingrate took the present without even a “thank you”! |
moribund | close to death; in a dying state The company was moribund soon after he became CEO. |
censure | to blame or find fault with. The judge censured the lawyer for filing his papers late. (n) a severe criticism or harsh judgment. Independent women experienced greater censure during the 1800s than today. |
voluble | characterized by a ready flow of words; talkative. The voluble host rarely gave his guests a chance to speak. |
ensconce | to place securely; to conceal I like to sleep ensconced in flannel sheets |
odious | hateful, contemptible. While many people consider studying vocabulary an odious task, there are some who find it enjoyable |
precursor | something that leads to a later development or idea. “The automobiles of the 1940’s were precursors of the PT Cruiser.” |
sumptuous | extravagantly splendid or costly; luxurious. The king enjoyed the sumptuous meal. |
motif | a theme or idea in a work of art or literature that is developed or repeated. The motif of time in woven into Macbeth from the first word to the last. |
adroit | clever at dealing with difficult situations; adept; skillful Her adroit handling of the brush was a sign of her talent as an artist |
affront | an insulting or offensive act Her foul anguage was an affront to our family’s values. |
pariah | a social outcast You could tell she was a friendless pariah. |
raucous | boisterous and disorderly. The teacher yelled at us for our raucous behavior |
tacit | expressed without words; implied. We had a tacit agreement to help each other if we ever got into trouble |
allure | the power to attract or charm Hollywood has an age-old allure |
beguile | to trick or charm with deception I was beguiled into donating $100 to a fake cause |
quandary | a state of being in doubt about what to do I was in a quandary about which elective to take |
scintillating | lively, witty, or sparkly I was attracted to his scintillating personality |
scrutinize | to examine with great care The jeweler scrutinized my ring to see the quality of the gem |
macbeth vocab
November 26, 2019