Sadlier-Oxford Level G Unit 1-5
acquisitive
(adj.) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property
tenable
(adj.) capable of being held or defended
utopian
(adj.) founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical
verdant
(adj.) green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgement
taciturn
(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little
banal
(adj.) hackneyed, trite, commonplace
viscous
(adj.) having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity
coherent
(adj.) holding on or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful
feckless
(adj.) lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable
unwonted
(adj.) not usual or expected; not in character
invidious
(adj.) offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment
distraught
(adj.) very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict
nefarious
(adj.) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards
encomium
(n.) a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute
eulogy
(n.) a formal statement of commendation; high praise
halcyon
(n.) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj.) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent
verbiage
(n.) language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness; a manner of expression
propinquity
(n.) nearness in place or time; kinship
arrogate
(v.) to claim or take without right
decry
(v.) to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate
dissemble
(v.) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression
evince
(v.) to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke
substantiate
(v.) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to
emulate
(v.) to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model
articulate
(v.) to pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; to connect by a joint or joints; (adj,) expressed clearly and forcefully; able to employ language clearly and forcefully; jointed
exhume
(v.) to remove from a grave; to bring to light
cavort
(v.) to romp or prance around exuberantly; to make merry
temporize
(v.) to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise
belabor
(v.) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly
animadversion
a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval
figment
a fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion
bastion
a fortified place, stronghold
stratagem
a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end
concord
a state of agreement, harmony, unanimity; a treaty, pact, covenant
penchant
a strong attraction or inclination
nuance
a subtle or slight vvariation (as in color, meaning, quality), delicate gradation or shade of difference
grouse
a type of game bird; a compliant; (v.) to complain, grumble
reputed
according to reputation or general belief; having widespread acceptance and good reputation
consummate
complete or perfect in the highest degree; (v.) to bring to a state of completion or perfection
flotsam
floating debris; homeless, impoverished people
frenetic
frenzied, highly agitated
fecund
fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive
brackish
having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink
jocular
humorous, jesting, jolly, joking
sacrilege
improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred
depraved
marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principles
incumbent
obligatory, required; (n.) one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of
celerity
swiftness, rapidity of motion or action
garner
to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use
accost
to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way
glean
to gather bit by bit; to gather small quantities of gran left in a field by the reapers
mypoic
nearsighted
overt
open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized
histrionic
pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic
ubiquitous
present or existing everywhere
sophistry
reasoning that seems plausible but is acctually unsound; a fallacy
ludicrous
ridiculous, laughable, absurd
ignominy
shame and disgrace
acuity
sharpness (particularly of the mind or senses)
devious
straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way
pejorative
tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling
propriety
the state of being proper, appropriateness; standards of what is proper or socially acceptable
atrophy
the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; (v.) to waste away
incarcerate
to imprison, confine, jail
undulate
to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form
delineate
to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially
hallow
to set apart as holy or sacred, sanctify, consecrate; to honor greatly, revere
enervate
to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring
exigency
urgency, pressure; urgent demand, pressing need; an emergency
malestrom
whirlpool; turbulence; agitated atate of mind
summarily
without delay or formality; briefly, concisely
intransigent
(adj.) refusing to compromise, irreconcilable
germane
(adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting
insatiable
(adj.) so great or demading as not to be satisfied
piquant
(adj.) stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative
carping
(adj.) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n.) petty, nagging criticism
reconnaissance
(n.) a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination
credence
(n.) belief; mental acceptance
largesse
(n.) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions
eschew
(v.) to avoid, shun, keep away from
congeal
(v.) to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid
idiosyncrasy
a peculiarity that servers to distinguish or identify
nettle
a prickly or stinging plant; (v.) to arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex or irritate severely
fiat
an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of will or consciousness
talisman
an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish
suppliant
asking humbly and earnestly; one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor
mordant
biting or caustic in though, manner, or style; sharply or bitterly harsh
overweening
conceited, presumptuous; excessive, immoderate
pecuniary
consisting of or measured in money; of or related to money
pusillanimous
contemptible cowardly or mean-spirited
sumptuous
costly, rich, magnificent
incendiary
deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife
avid
desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager
disarray
disorder, confusion; (v.) to throw into disorder
mundane
earthly, worldly, relating to practical and material affairs; concerned with what is ordinary
murky
(adj.) dark and gloomy, obscure; lacking in clarity and precision
primordial
(adj.) developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest stage; fundamental, basic
recumbent
in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting
gambit
in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of a minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type
esoteric
intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret