AdvanceVocab Ch1,2,3

lethargy

A great lack of energy; inactivity due to laziness; sluggishness - weariness With the hot weather, lethargy descended upon the class. The students had trouble staying awake, and even the instructor gazed dreamily out the window.

dissident

A person opposed to established ideas or beliefs, especially in politics or religion - a rebel Some dissidents in the Catholic church favor such changes as allowing women to be priests and allowing priests to marry.

zealot

A person totally devoted to a purpose or cause - an extremist Annie, a zealot about health, runs a hundred miles a week and never lets a grain of sugar touch her lips.

ambiguous

Able to be interpreted in more than one way; not clear - unclear Omar left an ambiguous message on my answering machine: "Meet me at twelve o'clock." I couldn't tell whether he meant noon or midnight.

resilient

Able to recover quickly from harm, illness, or misfortune - quick to recover Plant life is resilient. For example, a few weeks after the Mount St.Helens volcano erupted in Washington in 1980, flowers were growing in the ashes.

optimum

Best possible; most favorable; most desirable - ideal The road was so icy that the optimum driving speed was only about ten miles an hour.

scrupulous

Careful about moral standards; conscientious - ethical The senator promised to run a scrupulous campaign, but her ads were filled with lies about her opponent's personal life.

despondent

Downhearted; hopeless; overwhelmed with sadness - depressed Devon becomes despondent too easily. If he gets even one bad grade, he loses all hope of succeeding in school.

vicarious

Experienced through the imagination; not experienced directly - indirect If you can't afford to travel, watching videos and visiting tourist websites can give you the vicarious experience of traveling in foreign countries.

rudimentary

Fundamental; necessary to learn first - basic A grammar book usually starts with rudimentary skills, such as identifying nouns and verbs.

discretion

Good judgment or tact in actions or speaking - good sense Small children haven't yet developed discretion. They ask embarrassing questions like "When will you be dead, Grandpa?"

sporadic

Happening now and then; occasional - irregular It rained continuously until noon. After that, there were only sporadic showers.

sensory

Having to do with seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, or smelling - of the senses Because our sensory experiences are interrelated, what we taste is greatly influenced by what we smell.

facetious

Humorous; playfully joking - funny Dr. Segura has a facetious sign on his office door: "I'd like to help you out. Which way did you come in?"

ostentatious

Meant to impress others; flashy - showy The lobby of that hotel is ostentatious, with fancy furniture, thick rugs, and tall flower arrangements. The guest rooms upstairs, however, are extremely plain.

retrospect

Reviewing the past; considering past events - looking back When I took Ms. Klein's writing course, I thought she was too demanding. In retrospect, though, I realize that she taught me more than anyone else.

dexterous

Skillful in using the hands or body - skilled The juggler was so dexterous that he managed to keep five balls in motion at once.

gregarious

Sociable; enjoying and seeking the company of others - outgoing My gregarious brother loves parties, but my shy sister prefers to be alone.

detriment

Something that causes damage, harm, or loss - disadvantage Loni's purple hair may be a detriment when she goes for a job interview.

instigate

To bring about by moving others to action; stir up - to cause The rock group's violent performance instigated a riot in the audience.

embellish

To decorate; beautify by adding details - to decorate Lauren embellished the door of her room with postcards from her friends and photos of her cats.

scoff

To make fun of; mock; refuse to take seriously - to laugh at Tony scoffed at reports that a hurricane was coming until he saw the winds knocking down trees and overturning cars.

juxtapose

To place close together, especially in order to compare or contrast - to put side by side Dottie spread her new dress out on her bed and then juxtaposed all her scarves and jackets to it to see which combination would look best.

venerate

To respect deeply; revere - to honor The guests at our dean's retirement banquet made it clear that they venerated her; when she entered the room, everyone rose.

squelch

To silence or suppress; crush - to hold back My history teacher shot me a dirty look during class when I couldn't quite manage to squelch a burp.

subsidize

To spend or waste a little at a time - to pay for During college, many students are subsidized by their parents, while others rely on grants or loans.

fritter

To spend or waste a little at a time - to waste I thought my little sister would fritter away her entire allowance on M&M's, but instead of wasting her money, she put it in her piggy bank.

collaborate

To work together on a project; cooperate in an effort - to act as a team Several writers and editors have collaborated in preparing this vocabulary text, sharing their knowledge and skills.

inadvertent

Unintentional; accidental - not intended The final draft of Nancy's paper was shorter than the previous version, but this was inadvertent. She had accidentally deleted an entire page without realizing it.

inane

Without sense or meaning; foolish - silly The conversation at the party was inane, consisting mainly of foolish comments about whose clothes were the most "awesome."