Honors Vocabulary #4

intrepid - fearless.
He was intrepid when it came to walking across the tightrope.

I feel like this image demonstrates fearlessness because it takes a lot of guts in order to jump off a cliff and bungee jump. It's a perfect depiction of what the word intrepid means. It's taking a leap of faith and not giving yourself the chance to be afraid, even when most people are.

trepidation - anxious; fearful; trembling.
He entered the room full of trepidation because he was late to the meeting.


despondent - dejection; discouragement.
She felt despondent at the idea that her crush would be moving back to Idaho.

This person seems to epitomize the meaning of despondency because she looks so down and sad. It is clear that something is bothering her and she is very sad - perhaps even discouraged and dejected, which is the definition of despondent.

decorum - dignified propriety; proper.
The princess hated having to be full of decorum at events, because she was secretly a rebel.


aspire - to seek ambitiously.
He had always aspired to get out of his hometown and do something great with his life.

This baby is extremely ambitious because it is trying to eat a watermelon bigger than itself! It is clear that it could not accomplish this feat - but it is very ambitious and aspires to be able to eat the watermelon.

vacillate - to waver or sway.
The teacher kept vacillating on how to handle the situation.


desultory - lacking in consistency.
The conversation she had with her college counselor was desultory - it didn't make any sense and kept being tangential.


fallacy - a misleading argument; a false notion.
Her argument was extremely fallacious - she kept bringing up facts that weren't even true.

A wrong way sign is a perfect depiction of the term fallacy, which can be a misleading argument. If you lead someone down the wrong road or the wrong way down a road, they hit a road block, or a "wrong way" sign.

formidable - causing fear; arousing awe.
The height of the mountain was extremely formidable and awe-inspiring.


heritage - something that belongs to someone by birth.
Her heritage helped define who she is today.

This image depicts heritage because family trees demonstrate someone's past and where they come from, which is essentially what your heritage is - it's where you come from and what's in your past.

guru - an intellectual leader.
It is an honor to be called a guru by someone who is extremely intelligent.