The Giver / Vocabulary Ch. 6-10
1. re·prieve n. v. -prieved, -prieving, -prieves relief from difficulty or punishment for a short time: The governor gave the criminal a <n.> reprieve from being put to death. He <v.> reprieved the criminal.
2. me·tic·u·lous adj. careful and thorough, painstaking: She is meticulous in spelling every word correctly in her papers.
3. re·lin·quish v. -es 1 to give up, hand over, (syn.) to surrender: The thief relinquished his gun to the police. 2 to stop doing, (syn.) to give up: He relinquished alcohol and fatty foods to go on a diet.
4. pres·tige n. qualities, such as excellent reputation, wealth, and power, that bring admiration or honor: Her job as a lawyer for a big corporation has a lot of prestige. -adj. prestigious
5. ex·cru·ci·at·ing adj. extremely painful, (syn.) agonizing: I have an excruciating stomachache (headache, back pain, etc.). -adv. excruciatingly.
6. ex·u·ber·ant adj. high-spirited, enthusiastic: She is exuberant about her new job offer. -n. exuberance; -adv. exuberantly.
7. ac·qui·si·tion n. 1 the purchase, the process of getting ownership of: My parents' latest acquisitions are a dishwasher and a new car. 2 (in business) a business or part of a business taken over or bought by another company: The software company's acquisition of Acme Company will help it compete in the hardware market. 3 building up of skill, knowledge, etc., (syn.) attainment: The acquisition of the knowledge of medicine takes years of study.
8. in·dul·gent adj. tolerant, (syn.) pampering: He is indulgent in buying his children all that candy.
9. an·guish n. painful sadness: She felt anguish when her 15-year-old dog died.
-v. 1 to suffeer painful sadness: She anguished over the death of her dog. 2 to be unable to decide on, which
makes one feel pain: She anguished for days over whether or not she should try to keep the dog alive.
10. scru·pu·lous adj. 1 attentive to detail and correctness: Marta does her work with scrupulous efficiency. 2 having scruples: Manuel keeps the business records with scrupulous honesty
11. buoy·an·cy noun 1 a : the tendency of a body to float or to rise when submerged in a fluid b : the power of a fluid to exert an upward force on a body placed in it; also : the upward force exerted 2 : the ability to recover quickly from depression or discouragement : RESILIENCE
12. in·do·lence n. frml. laziness: His indolence made him lose his job, since he didn't work hard enough. -adj. indolent.
13. con·spic·u·ous adj. evident, noticeable, often causing negative comments or suspicion: Everyone at the wedding was well-dressed, but she was conspicuous in jeans and a cowboy hat. -adv. conspicuously.
14. be·nign adj. 1 harmless, gentle: Though he talks in a rough manner, his actions are benign. 2 not having cancer: The doctor took out a benign tumor. -adv. benignly. See: malign
15. ex·as·per·ate v. -ated, -ating, -ates to anger and frustrate: Time after time, he refused to cooperate; he exasperated me completely. -n. exasperation; -adj. exasperating.
16. cre·scen·do n. -dos 1 a gradual increase in loudness in a piece of music 2 a high-energy ending: Our talks ended with a crescendo of agreement and friendliness.
17. ex·hil·a·rate v. -rated, -rating, -rates to make feel strong and happy, (syns.) to invigorate, enliven: The cold autumn air exhilarates me. -adj. exhilarating; -n. exhilaration.