The Crucible Vocabulary Words and Definitions

Abrogate To abolish; to do away with

Abyss bottomless hole; a vast expanse or depth
Adamant inflexible; immovable; obstinate
Ameliorate to make better; to relieve; to improve
Apparition ghost
Augury an omen or prophecy
Autocrat a person with unlimited influence and authority (usually a negative word)
Baseness the quality of lacking higher values
Begrudge to give reluctantly; to envy a possession or one’s enjoyment
Beguile to deceive; to mislead; to persuade with charm
Bemuse to confuse or to bewilder
Blasphemous irreverent; profane
Calamity a serious event causing distress or misfortune
Conciliate to reconcile; to pacify; to renew a friendship
Confound to cause one to become confused
Conspiracy the act of plotting together
Contempt scorn; extreme dislike or disdain
Contentious quarrelsome; stirring controversy
Corroboration confirmation
Credulous believing on slight evidence; gullible
Defamation act of harming or ruining another’s reputation
Deference courteous going along with the opinions or wishes of another
Deposition written statement by a witness
Dissemble to disguise; to pretend
Dogmatic strongly opinionated in an unwarranted manner
Ecstasy extreme happiness
Effrontery extreme boldness; audacity
Exalt to glorify; to praise; to raise in rank
Fiend the devil; demon
Formidable menacing; causing fear or awe
Gaunt very thin; emaciated; angular
Guile deceitful cunning; duplicity
Heretical contrary to church doctrine or accepted beliefs or standards
Hypocrite one who is insincere or deceitful
Indictment an accusation
Indigenous native to a certain area
Indignation anger as a result of something unjust
Ineptness lack of competence or judgment
Inert unable to move or to act; sluggish
Ingratiate to make an effort to gain good favor with someone
Iniquity wickedness; immorality
Innate existing from birth; inborn
Junta a group of people who join in running a government (after a revolution)
Licentious lacking in moral or sexual restraint; wanton
Malevolence ill will or evil intentions
Malign to utter injuriously misleading reports about
Methodical proceeding in a regular or systematic order
Orthodox conforming to established standards; conventional
Pallor extreme paleness usually relating to the face
Paradoxical something that appears false or contradictory but is actually correct
Parochial limited in range or scope; narrow; provincial
Partisan one who exhibits extreme or possibly blind allegiance to a group or cause
Penitence regret or sorrow for sins or faults
Pious religious
Placid peaceful; calm
Predilection preference
Prodigious extraordinary in bulk, quantity, or degree; great in size; enormous
Propriety correct conduct
Providence sign of good fortune; God’s will; God’s intervention in human affairs
Prudent wise and careful about practical matters
Quake to shake from shock or instability
Reprieve to delay punishment
Reproach to blame for something; a disgrace
Rescind to cancel
Resurge to rise again
Savory appetizing
Sectarian a member of a sect that is a faction with extreme beliefs
Sublime exalted; noble; uplifting
Theocracy governed by religion
Trafficked had dealings with
Trepidation fear; trembling; agitation
Vestry room in a church used for nonreligious meetings or church business
Vindictive revengeful; spiteful
Wily cunning; crafty; sneaky