Vocabulary Grade 12 — Set 2: Meanings flashcards
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The second 100 of the 300 Grade 12 words, from decorum and gamut to tumult and verity: pronunciation, a plain definition and three example sentences, the most common use first.
Learn deck · part of Vocabulary Level 7 · Grade 12 · written against: Our own grade placement (VOCABULARY-PLAN.md): word frequency (wordfreq, CC BY-SA 4.0) and editorial review; no publisher's grade or word list is reproduced. Updated 2026-10-10.
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impervious (adj.) · im-PUR-vee-uhsunmoved or unbothered by something; keeping water, air or another substance from getting throughCharacter & Behavior
The mayor seemed impervious to criticism from her own party.
Coach Lee stayed impervious to the booing and kept calling plays.
The landfill's thick plastic liner is impervious to leaking chemicals.
Watch out: it is usually followed by "to": impervious to pain, to doubt, to water. -
chagrin (n.) · shuh-GRINannoyance or embarrassment at having failed or been made to look foolishFeelings & Attitudes
Much to her chagrin, Rosa's science project collapsed during judging.
To the coach's chagrin, his starting pitcher forgot his glove.
Ethan hid his chagrin with a shrug when the scores were posted. -
chimera (n.) · kigh-MEER-uha notion that exists only as fantasy, with no real chance of happening; a monster in Greek mythThinking & Knowing
For decades, a cure for the common cold has remained a chimera.
A tax cut with no spending cuts and no new debt is a chimera.
Ancient artists carved a chimera with a lion's head and a serpent's tail. -
tirade (n.) · TIGH-raydan angry rant that goes on and on, usually lashing out at a person or thingSpeaking & Arguing
The coach launched into a tirade about missed free throws.
The senator's tirade against the press lasted twenty minutes.
After the customer's tirade, the cashier calmly offered a refund. -
deft (adj.) · DEFTquick, skillful and clever in movement or in handling a situationActions & Effort
With deft fingers, Nadia untangled the knotted necklace chain.
The diplomat's deft handling of the crisis prevented a trade war.
The goalkeeper was deft with her hands and quick on her feet. -
crescendo (n.) · kruh-SHEN-doha stretch of music that grows louder bit by bit; the loudest or most intense stage something builds up toChange & Growth
The symphony ends with a long, thrilling crescendo.
As the runner neared the finish line, the cheering built to a crescendo.
Neighbors' complaints over the leaf blowers reached a crescendo by summer.
Watch out: some usage guides object to the peak sense, since in music a crescendo is the buildup. -
gamut (n.) · GAM-uhtevery possible variety or degree of something, from one extreme to the otherSize & Amount
Volunteers at the food bank run the gamut from teenagers to retirees.
Houses on our street run the gamut in age, size and style.
Most printers can't reproduce the full gamut of colors a screen shows.
Don't confuse with: "run the gauntlet," meaning to face a series of attacks or criticisms. -
befitting (adj.) · bih-FIT-ingin keeping with what a particular person, occasion or position calls forQuality & Judgment
The veterans received a welcome befitting their service.
She behaved with a dignity befitting a team captain.
The parade was a befitting tribute to the championship team. -
reprisal (n.) · rih-PRIGH-zuhlan act of revenge or retaliation, especially against an enemy or someone who has complainedSociety & Power
Workers feared reprisals if they reported the safety problems.
The law protects whistleblowers from reprisal.
The nation raised its tariffs in reprisal for the trade ban. -
progenitor (n.) · proh-JEN-uh-turan early ancestor of a family, breed or species; a person or thing that began somethingNature & Time
Ancient wolves were the progenitors of today's dogs.
Genealogists traced the family to a progenitor who arrived in 1720.
Her small backyard garden became the progenitor of the city's community farm program.
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Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- Senses, parts of speech and sense order checked against Merriam-Webster.com, the American Heritage Dictionary and the frequency-ordered Oxford, Longman and Cambridge learner's dictionaries; all definitions, notes and example sentences are original.
- Grade placement is our own, from wordfreq frequency data (CC BY-SA 4.0) and editorial review; no publisher's grade or word list is reproduced.
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