Vocabulary 2

  1. Iconoclast (n): 

    A person who destorys religious images or attacks beliefs or institutions
    The iconoclasts in our government are attempting to eliminate all mention of God from our nation's history.
  2. Immutable (adj): 

    not capable of or susceptible to change
    Knowing her father's decision was immutable, Erica realized she would not be attending the dance.
  3. Impugn (v): 

    to assail, oppose, or attack as false or lacking integrity
    • We have to assume the opposing counsel will attempt to impugn our most valuable expert witness.
  4. Indolent (adj): 

    lazy, averse to activity
    Some believe the three-toed sloth is an indolent creature, but it is merely content to stay in one place.
  5. Inertia (n):

    failure to move
    After Hurricane Katrina, the  government's inertia and red tape delayed assistance to New Orleans.
  6. Innocuous (adj)

    producing no injury; harmless
    Telling your children the Tooth Fairy is real seems to be an innocuous lie--until they find out the truth!
  7. Insipid (adj):

    lacking taste or qualities that interest
    When I took my daughter to see "Hotel Transylvania," I found it so insipid that I fell asleep.
  8. Integral (adj):

    essential to completeness, essential
    • The eye witness was so integral to the prosecutor's case that without her the case would be lost.
  9. Intrinsic (adj): 

    inherent, belonging to the essential nature or consitution of a thing
    Animals in the wild have an intrinsic ability to sense a nearby threat.
  10. Irascible (adj):

    marked by a hot temper; easily provoked
    Soccer parents exhibit irascible behavior by yelling and fighting with the referees
  11. Juxtapose (v): 

    To place side by side
    The Science Center designed the exhibit to juxtapose the prehistoric era with the modern era--the clever placement enhanced their differences.
  12. Loquacious (adj):

    full of excessive talk; wordy
    I don't have time to talk on the phone with a loquacious friend when I have an assignment due the next day.
  13. Lascivious (adj):

    Lewd, lecherous, lustful
    The court found Sandusky guilty for his lewd and lascivious behavior with young boys.
  14. Lugubrious (adj):

    Mournful; especially exaggerated
    Her demeanor seemed rehearsed and lugubrious; everyone said she was crying crocodile tears.
  15. Magnanimous (adj):

    Generous, noble spirit
    Because of Harriet's magnanimous gifts to charity, she is invited to numerous charitable events each year.
  16. Metamorphosis (n):

    Transformation; a magical change in form
    My daughter's metamorphosis from an awkward tween to a beautiful teen has been extraordinary!
  17. Metaphor (n):

    A figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them
    Wait staff say they are "in the weeds" as a metaphor when they are running behind.
  18. Morose (adj): 

    Having a sullen & gloomy disposition
    Scientists believe elephants become depressed; their behavior morose when they have lost a member of their herd.
  19. Myopic (adj):

    Unable or unwilling to act prudently; shortsighted; lacking foresight
    The banks capitalized on our myopic, instant-gratification society which led to the market collapse.
  20. Neolithic (adj):

    Belonging to an earlier age and now outmoded
    My daughter thinks talking on the phone is a neolithic mode of communication;she prefers to text.
  21. Nemesis (n):

    One that inflicts retribution or vengeance; a formidable and usually victorious rival.
    The defense attorney's shoulders slumped in defeat when he realized the prosecutor was his old nemesis.
  22. Nettle (v):

    To irritate; sting; arouse sharp but transitory annoyance or anger.
    The toddler seemed to nettle the shoppers with his loud, irritating shrieks.
  23. Obfuscate (v):

    To make obscure; darken; to confuse
    When I help my daughter with her Algebra homework, it seems to obfuscate her instead of help her.
  24. Officious (adj):

    Nosey, obtrusive; volunteering one's services where they are neither asked nor needed; meddlesome
    I do not ask for her officious, meddlesome advice.
  25. Omniscient (adj):

    Having an infinite awareness, understanding & insight; possessed of universal or complete knowledge
    My daughter believes I am omniscient because I always know what she is up to--as if I have eyes in the back of my head!
  26. Ossify (v):

    To become hardened or conventional & opposed to change
    We cannot allow these events to ossify our hearts and minds--we must continue to believe.
  27. Ostensible (adj):

    Intended for display; open to view; apparent
    The ad showed an ostensible offer that seemed to be a bait and switch to draw in unwary customers.
  28. Panacea (n):

    A remedy for all ills or difficulties; a cure-all
    Unfortunately, one man is not the panacea to fix all that is wrong with the government.
  29. Paradox (n):

    A tenet contrary to received opinion; contradiction
    States legalizing marijuana causes a paradox because it is a direct violation of federal law.
  30. Pejorative (n) or (adj):

    A word or phrase that has a negative connotation or that is intended to disparage or belittle

    Having negative connotations; especially tending to disparage or belittle
    Handicapped is now a pejorative term--the more politically correct, acceptable term is "handi-capable."
  31. Perfunctory (adj):

    Characterized by routine or superficiality; lacking in interest or enthusiasm
    • My drive to and from school has become so perfunctory that it seems as if I am on autopilot.
  32. Perspicuous (adj):

    Plain to the understanding especially because of clarity and precision of presentation.
    The legislature does not write laws to be perspicuous; they seem to prefer to be ambiguous.
  33. Petulant (adj):

    Insolent or rude speech or behavior; rude, cranky; ill-tempered
    The judge chose to ignore her rude, petulant remarks about the plaintiff.
  34. Pique (n):

    A transient feeling of wounded vanity; resentment
    ; provoke; arouse
    The defense attempted to pique the plaintiff's temper during his cross-examination.
  35. Platitude (n):

    The quality or state of being dull or insipid; banal, trite or stale remark
    The populace seems to have been swayed by his platitudes and promises.
  36. Plethora (n):

    Excess, superfluity; abundance
    Because of the plethroa of evidence, the prosecution easily won their case.
  37. Preclude (v):

    To prevent something from happening; to make impossible by necessary consequence
    Failing this class will preclude him from completing his degree this year.
  38. Proclivity (n):

    An inclination or predisposition toward something; a strong inherent inclination toward something objectionable
    Many famous composers showed a proclivity for music at an early age.
  39. Prodigious (adj):

    Extraordinary in bulk, quantity, or degree; exciting amazement or wonder
    In an effort to prepare for a catostrophe, they stored a prodigious amount of food in their bunker.
  40. Prognosticate (v):

    To predict; foretell from signs or symptoms
    It is better to properly prepare for the case than to prognosticate that we will win.
  41. Promulgate (v):

    To make known or public; declare
    They wanted to promulgate the law in December, but they had to delay the announcement.
  42. Pugnacious (adj):

    Having a quarrelsome or combative nature; inclined to fight; antagonistic
    There is always that one person who is so pugnacious that they will disagree just for spite.
  43. Punctilious (adj)

    Marked by or concerned about precise accordance or details
    Her obsessive-compulsive disorder caused her to be punctilious about even the smallest details--nothing could be out of place.
  44. Rapacious (adj):

    Excessively grasping or covetous
    ; greedy
    This entitlement mentality has produced a group of rapacious youth who envy the fortunate while coveting their success.
  45. Raze (v):

    To destroy to the ground; tear down
    In order to build a new shopping center, the demolition company had to raze the old farmhouse.
  46. Recant (v):

    To withdraw or repudiate a statement; revoke
    If the witness decides to recant her testimony, the court may prosecute her for perjury.
  47. Rectitude (n):

    Moral integrity; righteousness, state of being correct in judgment
    I assumed paralegal students had a higher sense of rectitude--then I saw my classmates cheating.
  48. Remittent (adj):

    Recurring; abating for a time or at intervals
    Her habit for incurring debt seems to be chronic and remittent.
  49. Remunerate (v):

    To pay an equivalent; compensate
    Punitive damages are not awarded to remunerate the victim, they are meant to punish the perpetrator.
  50. Reparation (n):

    The act of making amends; indemnification; paying back
    The criminal's apology was not a sufficient reparation for his heinous crime.
  51. Replicate (v):

    Duplicate, repeat
    Attempting to replicate another person's signature is considered forgery.
  52. Reproach (n):

    An expression of rebuke or disapproval; to scold
    Apparently this man is beyond reproach; he can do no wrong.
  53. Recrimination (n):

    The act of making a bitter counterclaim; a retaliatory accusation
    An effective leader should not use recrimination and bitterness to inspire his people.
  54. Rudimentary (adj):

    Elementary; basic; of a primitive kind
    The tools of early man were rudimentary at best and would not be useful today.
Author
tnbarr3
ID
181546
Card Set
Vocabulary 2
Description
Vocab for Legal Research Quiz 2
Updated