Unit 6B Vocabulary Words
Officious
(uh-fish-iss) (adjective): meddlesome or intrusive in an overly-domineering way
Though officious sounds like official, it means being annoyingly eager to do more than is required. "The
officious lunch lady made everyone's food choices her business, and made nasty comments when students chose
cookies over carrots."
Officious is a tricky word as it seems like it might mean something like office or official. Instead, it is a word to
describe someone that acts more official than they actually are. People who are officious are busybodies. They
want to make their opinions known and followed, despite not having any kind of real power.
Ominous (awe-min-iss) (adjective): giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen
If something looks or sounds ominous, be careful, a threat or an unpleasant event is at hand. If you see an
ominous frown on your boss's face, you're in trouble!
Ominous, and the related word omen both come from the 16th century Latin word ōmen "foreboding."
However, unlike omen, which is a sign of something good or bad to come, ominous always describes something
unpleasant or threatening. If the future looks ominous, you've got nothing to look forward to. Figuratively, an
ominous sky or ominous clouds promise rain or a storm.
Pinnacle (pin-ick-ull) (noun): a high peak or point
Going as far into the sky as you can go on foot, you'll reach the highest point, or pinnacle, of the Himalayas. A
successful climb like that might also become the pinnacle, or peak, of your success.
Two synonyms for pinnacle also start with the letter "p," "peak" and "point." A pinnacle can be a physical thing,
like the top of a high mountain or the antenna on the very top of a building, or it can be a high point that can’t
be measured with a ruler, like an achievement or a goal. Whatever the pinnacle is, reaching it is almost always a
completion of something where you have gone the highest you can go. "Acme" is a great synonym for pinnacle.
Premeditated (pre-med-ih-tate-id) (adjective): considered beforehand, deliberately planned
Something premeditated is planned in advanced and has a purpose behind it. In other words, it's no accident. A
premeditated crime involves careful planning and research before it happens.
Premeditated comes from a combination of two Latin words: pre, meaning "before," and meditat, meaning “to
ponder.” If you ponder — or think about — something before you act, that makes it premeditated. If you watch a lot
of TV crime dramas, you may be familiar with the term "premeditated murder." This means that the murderer didn't
just lose his temper and kill someone in the moment — instead, he went after a specific person on purpose.
Rampant (ram-pint) (adjective): growing in an uncontrolled or unchecked way, running wild
Rampant means wild, out of control, to be up on your hind legs roaring at the world. You don't have to be fourlegged: "The children ran rampant at the supermarket even though their mother tried to control them."
If you're running rampant, you're on a rampage. Both come from the French word ramper meaning "to climb, creep"
like an animal on hind legs, paws in climbing-mode, or like wild plants such as the kudzu that ran rampant over an
old barn until the entire thing was covered. There can also be rampant wildfires that destroy houses in the
Southwest, or robots that run rampant in the lab after the janitor accidentally sets them free.
Solace (sawl-iss) (noun) comfort, relief
If something eases your disappointment or grief, consider it a solace. If you're sad, you might find solace in
music or in talking to your friends.
It is no surprise that consolation and solace are similar in meaning as they share a root in the Latin verb sōlārī
"to comfort." In fact, solace, consolation and comfort are synonyms meaning relief from grief or
disappointment. When you go to sleep-over camp, your parents will miss you, but they'll find solace in knowing
that you are having fun.
Stately (state-ly) (adjective): impressive in appearance
To be stately is to appear noble and impressive, almost in a larger than life kind of way. You may encounter a
stately gentleman or a stately statue. If you do, take a little bow.
There are a few meanings of stately, but they both refer to people and things that have an impressive bearing.
The first meaning has to do with nobility and class. A ceremony honoring a prince is stately, and the music and
dress surrounding such events are stately. Stately things convey sophistication and regality. Also, stately can
mean statuesque. Someone with great posture and an impressive physique is stately, almost as if they were
made by a sculptor.
Supple (supp-ul) (adjective): bending and moving with ease
Something or someone that is supple bends and moves easily, like a contortionist at a circus sideshow. If you
can wrap your legs around your neck, you most likely have a supple body.
Supple is often used as an adjective describing a body — such as a dancer’s; a fabric — such as soft leather; or
a sound — such as an accomplished singer’s voice. This makes for a strange supple family, but all of its
members can move with ease and flexibility. More idiomatically, supple can also be used to describe a mind. In
this sense, it does not mean “easily brainwashed,” but has a more positive association with the open-mindedness
of free-thinkers.
Suppress (sup-press) (verb): to forcibly stop or hold back
To suppress something means to curb, inhibit, or even stop it. If the sound of your boss moving in his chair
sounds like gas, you’re going to have to learn how to suppress your giggles.
In the strictest sense, suppress means to put an end to something by force, like a government that suppresses the
right to free speech by shutting down the newspapers or the military suppressing an uprising by rebel forces.
But we also use suppress in less serious terms to describe an attempt to muffle or stifle something, such as
suppressing a sneeze in a quiet theater or suppressing your true emotions to not cause a teary scene.
Venal (vee-null) (adjective): capable of being bribed or corrupted
Someone with venal motives is corrupt and maybe a little evil. Nobody wants to be thought of as venal.
Venal actions include taking bribes, giving jobs to your friends, and cheating. Venal means about the same thing
as "corrupt" or "corruptible." Venal people are considered sleazy and untrustworthy. They're often criminals. No
one is perfect, and most of us have venal motives at some point.