Level F - Units 1-12
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phillipknutson on August 24, 2011
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240 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 abate | to make less in amount, degree, etc.; to subside, become less; to nullify; to deduct, omit |
| adulation | praise or flattery that is excessive |
| anathema | an object of intense dislike; a curse or strong denunciation (often used adjectivally without the article) |
| astute | shrewd, crafty, showing practical wisdom |
| avarice | a greedy desire, particularly for wealth |
| culpable | deserving blame, worth of condemnation |
| dilatory | tending to delay or procrastinate, not prompt; intended to delay or postpone |
| egregious | conspicuous, standing out from the mass (used particularly in an unfavorable sense) |
| equivocate | to speak or act in a way that allows for more than one interpretation; to be deliberately vague or ambiguous |
| evanescent | vanishing, soon passing away; light and airy |
| irresolute | unable to make up one's mind, hesitating |
| nebulous | cloudlike, resembling a cloud; cloudy in color, not transparent; vague, confused, indistinct |
| novice | one who is just a beginner at some activity requiring skill and experience (also used adjectivally) |
| penury | extreme poverty; barrenness, insufficiency |
| pretentious | done for show, striving to make a big impression; claiming merit or position unjustifiably; making demands on one's skill or abilities, ambitious |
| recapitulate | to review a series of facts; to sum up |
| resuscitate | to revive, bring back to concsiousness or existence |
| slovenly | untidy, dirty, careless |
| supposition | something that is assumed or taken for granted without conclusive evidence |
| torpid | inactive, sluggish, dull |
| acrimonious | stinging, bitter in temper or tone |
| bovine | resembling a cow or ox; sluggish, unresponsive |
| consternation | dismay, confusion |
| corpulent | fat; having a large, bulky body |
| disavow | to deny responsibility for or connection with |
| dispassionate | impartial; calm, free from emotion |
| dissension | disagreement, sharp difference of opinion |
| dissipate | to cause to disappear; to scatter, dispel; to spend foolishly, squander; to be extravagant in pursuit of pleasure |
| expurgate | to remove objectionable passages or words from a written text; to cleanse, purify |
| gauntlet | an armored or protective glove; a challenge; two lines of men armed with weapons which to beat a person forced to run between them; an ordeal |
| hypothetical | based on an assumption or guess; used as a provisional or tentaive idea to guide or direct investigation |
| ignoble | mean, low, base |
| impugn | to call into question; to attack as false |
| intemperate | immoderate, lacking in self-control; inclement |
| odium | hatred, contempt; disgrace or infamy resulting from hateful conduct |
| perfidy | faithlessness, treachery |
| relegate | to place in a lower position; to assign, refer, turn over; to banish |
| squeamish | inclined to nausea; easily shocked or upset; excessively fastious or refined |
| subservient | subordinate in capacity or role; submissively obedient; serving to promote some end |
| susceptible | open to; easily influenced; lacking in resistance |
| austere | severe or stern in manner; without adornment or luxury, simple, plain; harsh or sour in flavor |
| beneficent | performing acts of kindness or charity; conferring benefits, doing good |
| cadaverous | pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse |
| concoct | to prepare by combining ingredients, make up (as a dish); to devise, invent, fabricate |
| crass | coarse, unfeeling; stupid |
| debase | to lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade, adulterate; to cause to deteriorate |
| desecrate | to commit sacrilege upon, treat irreverently; to contaminate, pollute |
| disconcert | to confuse; to disturb the composure of |
| grandiose | grand in an impressive or stately way; marked by pompous affectation or grandeur, absurdly exaggerated |
| inconsequential | trifling, unimportant |
| infraction | a breaking of a law or obligation |
| mitigate | to make milder or softer, to moderate in force or intensity |
| pillage | to rob of goods by open force (as in war), plunder; the act of looting; booty |
| prate | to talk a great deal in a foolish or aimless fashion |
| punctilous | very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety |
| redoubtable | inspiring fear or awe; illustrious, eminent |
| reprove | to find fault with, scold, rebuke |
| restitution | the act of restoring someone or something to the rightful owner or to a former state or position; making good on a loss or damage |
| stalwart | strong and sturdy; brave; resolute; a brave, strong person; a strong supporter; one who takes an uncompromising position |
| vulnerable | open to attack; capable of being wounded or damaged; unprotected |
| absolve | to clear from blame, responsibility, or guilt |
| caricature | a representation (especially a drawing) in which the subject's characteristic features are deliberately exaggerated; to present someone or something in a deliberately distorted way |
| clangor | a loud ringing sound; to make a loud ringing noise |
| continguous | side by side, touching; near; adjacent in time |
| cupidity | an eager desire for something; greed |
| deleterious | harmful, injurious |
| enhance | to raise to a higher degree; to increase the value or desirability of |
| enthrall | to captivate, charm, hold spellbound; to enslave; to imprison |
| extenuate | to lessen the seriousness or magnitude of an offense by making partial excuses |
| implicit | implied or understood though unexpressed; without doubts or reservations, unquestioning; potentially contained in |
| incisive | sharp, keen, penetrating (with a suggestion of decisiveness and effectiveness) |
| ostentatious | marked by a conspicuous or pretentious display, showy |
| paragon | a model of excellence or perfection |
| paraphrase | to restate in other words; a statement that presents a given idea in new language |
| politic | prudent, shrewdly conceived and developed; artful, expedient |
| prosaic | dull, lacking in distinction and originally; matter-of-fact, straightforward; characteristic of prose, not poetic |
| redundant | extra, excess, more than is needed; wordy, repetitive; profuse, lush |
| sanctimonious | making a show of virtue or righteousness; hypocritically moralistic or pious, self-righteous, canting, holier-than-thou |
| scintillating | sparkling, twinkling, exceptionally brilliant (applied to mental or personal qualities) |
| winsome | charming, attractive, pleasing (often suggesting a childlike charm and innocence) |
| abstemious | moderate, sparing (as in eating and drinking); characterized by abstinence and self-discipline |
| censurable | deserving of blame or correction |
| contingent | likely but not certain to happen, possible; dependent on uncertain events or conditions; happening by chance; a representative group forming part of a larger body |
| corroborate | to confirm, make more cetain, bolster, substantiate, verify |
| denizen | an inhabitant, resident; one who frequents a place |
| discursive | passing aimlessly from one place or subject to another, rambling, roving, nomadic |
| disseminate | to scatter or spread widely |
| dowdy | poorly dressed, shabby; lacking smartness and good taste |
| florid | highly colored, reddish; excessively ornate, showy |
| foist | to impose by fraud; to pass off as worthy or geniune; to bring about by stealth, dishonestly, or coercion |
| gauche | awkward, lacking in social graces, tactless, clumsy |
| heresy | an opinion different from accepted belief; the denial of an idea that is generally held sacred |
| inculcate | to impress on the mind by repetition, teach persistently and earnestly |
| palpable | capable of being touched or felt; easily seen, heard, or recognized |
| perceptive | having sympathetic insight or understanding, capable of keen appreciation |
| pernicious | extremely harmful; deadly, fatal |
| salient | leaping, jumping, or springing forth; prominent, standing out, conspicuous; a projection or bulge, a land form that projects upward or outward |
| satiate | to satisfy completely; to fill to excess; full, satisfied |
| sear | to make or become dry and withered; to char or scorch the surface of; to harden or make unfeeling; to parch, dessicate, singe |
| specious | deceptive, apparently good or valid but lacking real merit |
| accrue | to grow or accumulate over time; to happen as a natural result |
| annotation | a critical or explanatory note or comment, especially for a literary work |
| bedlam | a state or scene of uproar and confusion |
| covert | hidden, disguised, a purposefully kept secret; sheltered, secluded; a sheltered place, a hiding place |
| debonair | pleasant, courteous, lighthearted; smooth and polished in manner and appearance |
| dun | to demand insistently, especially in payment of a debt; a creditor; dark, dull, drab, dingy |
| efficacious | effective, producing results |
| equanimity | calmness, composure, refusal to panic |
| fortuitous | accidental, occurring by a happy chance |
| gist | the essential part, main point, or essence |
| gratuitous | freely given; not called for by circumstances, unwarranted |
| imperious | overbearing, arrogant; seeking to dominate; pressing, compelling |
| invective | a strong denunciation or condemnation; abusive language; abusive, vituperative |
| motley | showing great variety; composed of different elements or many colors; a jester's costume; a jester |
| munificent | extremely generous, lavish |
| procrastinate | to delay, put off until later |
| provocative | tending to produce a strong feeling or response; arousing desire or appetite; irritating, annoying |
| recondite | exceeding ordinary knowledge and understanding |
| reprobate | a depraved, vicious, or unprincipled person, scoundrel; wicked, corrupt, or unprincipled; to disapprove of, condemn |
| sedentary | characterized by or calling for continued sitting; remaining in one place |
| anomalous | abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual |
| aspersion | a damaging or derogatory statement; the act of slandering or defaming |
| bizarre | extremely strange, unsual, atypical |
| brusque | abrupt, blunt, with no formalities |
| cajole | to coax, persuade through flattery or artifice; to decieve with soothing thoughts or false promises |
| castigate | to punish severely; to criticze severely |
| contrive | to plan with ingenuity, invent; to bring about as the result of a scheme or plan |
| demagogue | a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power |
| disabuse | to free from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking |
| ennui | weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest, boredom |
| fetter | a chain or shackle placed on the feet (often used in plural); anything that confines or restrains; to chain or shackle; to render helpless or impotent |
| heinous | very wicked, offensive, hateful |
| immutable | not subject to change, constant |
| insurgent | one who rebels or rises against authority; rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority; surging or rushing in or on |
| megalomania | a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, talent, etc., far in excess of reality |
| sinecure | a position requiring little or no work; an easy job |
| surreptitious | stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation; made or accomplished by fraud |
| transgress | to go beyond a limit or boundary; to sin, violate a law |
| transmute | to change from one nature, substance or form to another |
| vicarious | performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another |
| amnesty | a general pardon for an offense against a government; in general, any act of forgiveness or absolution |
| autonomy | self-government, political control |
| axiomatic | self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle or rule |
| blazon | to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely |
| caveat | a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior |
| equitable | fair, just, embodying principles of justice |
| extricate | to free from entanglements or difficulties; to remove with effort. |
| filch | to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts. |
| flout | to mock, treat with contempt |
| fractious | tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable |
| precept | a rule of conduct or action |
| salutary | beneficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome |
| scathing | bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm |
| scourge | to whip, punish severely; a cause of affliction or suffering; a source of severe punishment or criticism |
| sepulchral | funereal, typical of the tomb; extremely gloomy or dismal |
| soporific | tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy; something that induces sleep |
| straitlaced | extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish, puritanical |
| transient | lasting only a short time, fleeting; one who stays only a short time |
| unwieldy | not easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity |
| vapid | dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force |
| affable | courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to |
| aggrandize | to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater |
| amorphous | shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion |
| aura | that which surrounds (as an atmosphere); distinctive air or personal quality |
| contraband | illegal traffic, smuggled goods; illegal, prohibited |
| erudite | scholarly, learned, bookish, pendantic |
| gossamer | thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; a very thin, light cloth |
| infer | to find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the basis of thought; to hint, suggest, imply |
| inscrutable | incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically |
| insular | relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience |
| irrevocable | incapable of being changed or called back |
| propensity | a natural inclination or predilection toward |
| querulous | peevish, complaining, fretful |
| remonstrate | to argue or plead with someone against something, protest against, object to |
| repudiate | to disown, reject, or deny the validity of |
| resilient | able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly |
| reverberate | to re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly |
| scurrilous | coarsely abusive, vulgar or low (especially in language), foul-mouthed |
| sedulous | persistent, showing industry and determination |
| sleazy | thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethicaly low, mean, or disreputable |
| abominate | to have an intense dislike or hatred for |
| acculturation | the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another; the resultant blend |
| adventitious | resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause or character; accidental, not essential; (medicine) acquired, not congenital |
| ascribe | to assign or refer to (as a cause or source), attribute |
| circuitous | roundabout, not direct |
| commiserate | to sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress |
| enjoin | to direct or order; to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way; to prohibit |
| expedite | to make easy, cause to progress faster |
| expiate | to make amends, make up for; to avert |
| ferment | a state of great excitement, agitation, or turbulence; to be in or work into such a state; to produce alcohol by chemical action |
| inadvertent | resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental |
| nominal | existing in name only, not real; too small to be considered or taken seriously |
| noncommittal | not decisive or definite; unwilling to take a clear position or to say yes or no |
| peculate | to steal something that has been given into one's trust; to take improperly for one's own use |
| proclivity | a natural or habitual inclination or tendency (especially of human character or behavior) |
| sangfroid | composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances |
| seditious | resistant to lawful authority; having the purpose of overthrowing an established government |
| tenuous | thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance or significance; lacking a sound basis, poorly supported |
| vitriolic | bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting (like strong acid) |
| wheedle | to use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end |
| ameliorate | to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming |
| aplomb | poise, assurance, great self-confidence; perpendicularity |
| bombastic | pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas |
| callow | without experience; immature, not fully developed; lacking sophistication and poise; without feathers |
| drivel | saliva or mucus flowing from the mouth or nose; foolish, aimless talk or thinking; nonsense; to let saliva flow from the mouth; to utter nonsense or childish twaddle; to waste or fritter away foolishly |
| epitome | a summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality |
| exhort | to urge strongly, advise earnestly |
| ex officio | by virtue of holding a certain office |
| infringe | to violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds |
| ingratiate | to make oneself agreeable and thus gain favour or acceptance by others (sometimes used in a critical or derogatory sense) |
| interloper | one who moves in where he or she is not wanted or has no right to be, an intruder |
| intrinsic | belonging to someone or somthing by its very nature, essential, inherent; originating in a bodily organ or part |
| inveigh | to make a violent attack in words, express strong disapproval |
| lassitude | weariness of body or mind, lack of energy |
| millennium | a period of one thousand years; a period of great joy |
| occult | mysterious, magical, supernatural; secret, hidden from view; not detectable by ordinary means; to hide, conceal; eclipse; matters involving the supernatural |
| permeate | to spread through, penetrate, soak through |
| precipitate | to fall as moisture; to cause or bring about suddenly; to hurl down from a great height; to give distinct form to; characterized by excessive haste; moisture; the product of an action or process |
| stringent | strict, severe; rigourously or urgently binding or compelling; sharp or bitter to the taste |
| surmise | to think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to conjecture or guess; likely idea that lacks definite proof |
| approbation | the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval |
| assuage | to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench |
| coalition | a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose |
| decadence | decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence |
| elicit | to draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person) |
| expostulate | to attempt to dissuade someone from some course or decision by earnest reasoning |
| hackneyed | used so often as to lack freshness or originality |
| hiatus | a gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing) |
| innuendo | a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense) |
| intercede | to plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement |
| jaded | wearied, worn-out, dulled (in the sense of being satiated by excessive indulgence) |
| lurid | causing shock, horror, or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow in color; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restraint |
| meritorious | worthy, deserving recognition and praise |
| petulant | peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset |
| prerogative | a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence |
| provincial | pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; of a simple, plain design that originated in the countryside; a person with a narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area; a soldier from a province or colony |
| simulate | to make a pretense of, imitate; to show the outer signs of |
| transcend | to rise above or beyond, exceed |
| umbrage | shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion |
| unctuous | excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable |
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