Lesson 12
Freshmen Vocabulary

1. celestial adj. of or related to the sky or universe; heavenly
   Astronomers are intrigued by celestial bodies.
   syn: ethereal, sublime       ant: earthly, mundane
   
   
2. chronic adj. lasting for a long time or recurring often; continuing
   When they grow tired of his chronic complaining, they will no longer let him speak more than a few minutes.
   syn: habitual, persistent       ant: fleeting, infrequent
   
   
3. clairvoyance noun the alleged power to see things not present to the senses
   The captain said that good, old-fashioned police work, not the clairvoyance of some quack mentalist will solve the crime.
   
   
4. impartial adj. favoring no side or party more than another, unbiased
   Because the judge had a problem being impartial, he removed himself from the case.
   syn: unbiased, nonpartisan        ant: partisan, partial, bigoted
   
   
5. implausible adj. not believable or acceptable
   Finding the defendant's alibi implausible, the prosecutor continued hammering at her story by asking her to repeat the details.
   syn: doubtful         ant: credible, believable
   
   
6. inadvertent adj. accidental, unintentional; not on purpose
   It was an inadvertent motion on jacks part which caused the canoe to overturn.
   syn: fortuitous        ant: intentional, deliberate
   
   
7. ponderous adj. very heavy; massive; unwieldy because of weight
   The big man moved the ponderous crate with ease.
   syn: cumbersome, awkward        ant: graceful, dainty
   
   
8. pretentious adj. making an exaggerated show of dignity or self importance; extravagantly showy
   Because he had neither money nor social connections to back him, they thought his behavior pretentious and were quick to call him fake.
   
   
9. prodigious adj. wonderful; amazing; of great size, power, or extent; huge
   The mountain of material to be shipped to the war zone was so prodigious that crews were working around the clock.
   
   
10. profusion noun greatly in quantity or amount; abundance
    There was a profusion of clothing and food goods donated for the flood victims.
    syn: surfeit, glut        ant: dearth, scarcity
    
    
11. sycophant noun someone who attempts to win favor through flattery of a superior, a, "yes man"
    Because the king kept only sycophants around him, he never heard an opposing opinion.
    syn: toady, bootlicker
    
    
12. tawdry adj. cheap and gaudy; showy; sleazy
    I tried to tell her the dress was tawdry, but she bought it anyway.
    
    
13. vanguard noun the front or leading position in an army or movement
    General Pate's division was in the vanguard of the attack.
    
    
14. vicarious adj. imagined participation in another's experience
    He took a vicarious trip with Luke Skywalker when she saw Star Wars.
    
    
15. vicissitude noun a sudden or unexpected change in one's life
    One cannot let the vicissitudes of life depress him; change is natural and is to be expected.