Vocabulary Workshop Level G Units 1 - 8

macabre

adj. grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject

irrefutable

adj. impossible to disprove; beyond argument

lackadaisical

adj. lacking spirit or interest, halfhearted

saturnine

adj. of a gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood

fatuous

adj. stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way

arrant

adj. thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant

felicitous

adjective, Appropriate, apt, well chose; marked by well-being or good fortune, happy

bestial

adjective, Beastlike, beastly, brutual; subhuman in intelligence and sensibility

furtive

adjective, Done slyly or stealthily, sneaky, secret, shifty; stolen

inordinate

adjective, Far too great exceeding reasonable limits; excessive

garish

adjective, Glaring; tastelessly showy or overdecorated in a vulgar or offensive way

ephemeral

adjective, Lasting only a short time, short-lived

illusory

adjective, Misleading, deceptive; lacking in or not based on reality

indigent

adjective, Needy, impoverished

picayune

adjective, Of little value or importance, paltry, measly; concerned with trifling matters, small-minded

pertinacious

adjective, Very persistent; holding firmly to a course of action or a set of beliefs; hard to get rid of, refusing to be put off or denied

reputed

adjective, according to reputation or general belief; having widespread acceptance and good reputation; (part.) alleged

mordant

adjective, biting or caustic in thought, manner, or style; sharply or bitterly harsh

indubitable

adjective, certain, not to be doubted or denied

consummate

adjective, complete or perfect in the highest degree; verb, to bring to a state of completion or perfection

overweening

adjective, conceited, presumptuous; excessive, immoderate

pecuniary

adjective, consisting of or measured in money; of or related to money

pusillanimous

adjective, contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited

sumptuous

adjective, costly, rich, magnificent

abject

adjective, degraded; base, contemptible; cringing, servile; complete and unrelieved

testy

adjective, easily irritated; characterized by impatience and exasperation

convivial

adjective, festive, sociable, having fun together, genial

frenetic

adjective, frenzied, highly agitated

fecund

adjective, fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive

jocular

adjective, humorous, jesting, jolly, joking

recumbent

adjective, in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting

esoteric

adjective, intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret

depraved

adjective, marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principles

incumbent

adjective, obligatory, required; noun, one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of

moot

adjective, open to discussion and debate, unresolved; verb, to bring up for discussion; noun, a hypothetical law case argued by students

sylvan

adjective, pertaining to or characteristic or forest; living or located in a forest; wooded, woody

ubiquitous

adjective, present or existing everywhere

ludicrous

adjective, ridiculous, laughable, absurd

inane

adjective, silly, empty of meaning or value

intermittent

adjective, stopping and beginning again, sporadic

juggernaut

n. a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path

litany

n. a prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternating with response from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list

paucity

n. an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth

badinage

n. light and playful conversation

echelon

n. one of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a steplike formation or arrangement

coterie

noun, A circle of acquaintances; a close-knit, often exclusive, group of people with a common interest

counterpart

noun, A person or thing closely resembling or corresponding to another; and complement

misanthrope

noun, A person who hates or depises people

raiment

noun, Clothing, garment

effrontery

noun, Shameless boldness, impudence

diatribe

noun, a bitter and prolonged verbal attack

effigy

noun, a crude image of a despised person

figment

noun, a fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion

bastion

noun, a fortified place, stronghold

travesty

noun, a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation; a disguise, especially the clothing of the opposite sex; verb, to ridicule by imitating in a broad or burlesque fashion

neophyte

noun, a new convert, beginner, novice

idiosyncrasy

noun, a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify

nettle

noun, a prickly or stinging plant; verb, to arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex or irritate severely

motif

noun, a principal idea, feature, theme, or element; a repeated or dominant figure in a design

stratagem

noun, a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end

concord

noun, a state of agreement, harmony, unanimity; a treaty, pact, covenant

penchant

noun, a strong attraction or inclination

nuance

noun, a subtle or slight variation, as in color, meaning, quality; delicate gradation or shade or difference

grouse

noun, a type of game bird; a complaint; verb, to complain, grumble

surveillance

noun, a watch kept over a person; careful, close, and disciplined observation

indictment

noun, an act of accusing; a formal accusation

fiat

noun, an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of will or consciousness

plenary

noun, complete in all aspects or essentials; absolute; attended by all qualified members

disarray

noun, disorder, confusion ; verb, to throw into disorder

flotsam

noun, floating debris; homeless, impoverished people

complicity

noun, involvement in wrongdoing; the state of being an accomplice

perspicacity

noun, keenness in observing and understanding

agnostic

noun, one who subscribes to the view that the truth value of certain claims — especially claims about the existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims — is unknown or unknowable; a skeptic; adjective, without faith, skeptical

sophistry

noun, reasoning that seems plausible but is actually unsound; a fallacy

ignominy

noun, shame and disgrace

acuity

noun, sharpness, particularly of mind or senses

derelict

noun, someone or something that is abandoned or neglected; adjective, left abandoned; neglectful of duty

equity

noun, the state or quality of being just, fair, or impartial; fair and equal treatment; something that is fair; the money value of a property value of a property above and beyond any other mortgage or other claim

exigency

noun, urgency, pressure; urgent demand, pressuring need; an emergency

mundane

noun,earthly, worldly, relating to practical and material affairs; concerned with what is ordinary

atrophy

the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; verb, to waste away

allege

v. to assert without proof or confirmation

countermand

v. to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first

slough

v. to cast off, discard; to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud

portend

v. to indicate beforehand that something is about to happen; to give advance warning of

exacerbate

v. to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful

conciliate

v. to overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease, pacify; to reconcile, make consistent

saturate

v. to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity; to satisfy fully

raze

v. to tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out

recant

v. to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract

allay

verb, To calm or pacify, set to rest; lessen of relieve

jettison

verb, To cast overboard, get rid of as unnecessary or burdensome

embellish

verb, To decorate, adorn, touch up; to improve by adding details

garner

verb, to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use

glean

verb, to gather bit by bit; to gather small quantities of grain left in a field by the reapers

incarcerate

verb, to imprison, confine, jail

demur

verb, to object or take exception to; an objection

delineate

verb, to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially

hallow

verb, to set apart as holy or scared, sanctify, consecrate; to honor greatly, revere

enervate

verb, to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring