Sadlier-Oxford Level G All Units

jocular

(adj.) humorous, jesting, jolly, joking

recumbent

(adj.) in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting, inactive

feckless

(adj.) lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable

myopic

(adj.) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment

unwonted

(adj.) not usual or expected; not in character

incumbent

(adj.) obligatory, required (n.) one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of

moot

(adj.) open to discussion and debate, unresolved; (v.) to bring up for discussion; (n.) a hypothetical law case argued by students

overt

(adj.) open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized

histrionic

(adj.) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic

sylvan

(adj.) pertaining to or characteristic of forests; living or located in a forest; wooded, woody

ludicrous

(adj.) ridiculous, laughable, absurd

inane

(adj.) silly, empty of meaning or value

piquant

(adj.) stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative

intermittent

(adj.) stopping and beginning again, sporadic

devious

(adj.) straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way

pejorative

(adj.) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling

distraught

(adj.) very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict

nefarious

(adj.) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards

summarily

(adv.) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely

encomium

(n) a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute

reconnaissance

(n) a survey made for military purposes, any kind of preliminary inspection or examination

largesse

(n) generosity in giving, lavish or bountiful contributions

diatribe

(n.) a bitter or prolonged verbal attack

animadversion

(n.) a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval

effigy

(n.) a crude image of a despised person

eulogy

(n.) a formal statement of commendation; high praise

bastion

(n.) a fortified place, stronghold, citadel

travesty

(n.) a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation; a disguise, especially the clothing of the opposite sex; (v.) to ridicule by imitating in a broad or burlesque fashion

halcyon

(n.) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj.) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent

neophyte

(n.) a new convert, beginner, novice

nettle

(n.) a prickly or stinging plant (v.) to arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex or irritate severely; to annoy, peeve

motif

(n.) a principal idea, feature, theme, or element; a repeated or dominant figure in a design

stratagem

(n.) a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end

concord

(n.) a state of agreement, harmony, unanimity; a treaty, pace, covenant

grouse

(n.) a type of game bird; a complaint; (v.) to complain, grumble

surveillance

(n.) a watch kept over a person; careful, close and disciplined observation

maelstrom

(n.) a whirlpool or great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction

talisman

(n.) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

credence

(n.) belief; mental acceptance

disarray

(n.) disorder, confusion (v.) to throw into disorder

flotsam

(n.) floating debris; homeless, impoverished people

sacrilege

(n.) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred

gambit

(n.) 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

complicity

(n.) involvement in wrongdoing; the state of being an accomplice

perspicacity

(n.) keenness in observing and understanding

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

agnostic

(n.) one who believes that nothing can be known about God; a skeptic; (adj.) without faith, skeptical

derelict

(n.) someone or something that is abandoned or neglected; (adj.) left abandoned; neglectful of duty

celerity

(n.) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action

indictment

(n.) the act of accusing; a formal accusation

propriety

(n.) the state of being proper, appropriateness; (pl.) standards of what is proper or socially acceptable

equity

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

atrophy

(n.) the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; deterioration (v.) to waste away, to wither

exigency

(n.) urgency, pressure; urgent demand, pressing need; an emergency

eschew

(v) to avoid, shun, keep away from

congeal

(v) to change from liquid to solid, thicken, to make inflexible

arrogate

(v) to claim or take without right

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

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

accost

(v.) to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way

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

glean

(v.) to gather bit by bit; to gather small quantities of grain left in a field by the reapers; to collect; to pick up

incarcerate

(v.) to imprison, confine, jail

undulate

(v.) to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form

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

mordant

(adj.) biting or caustic in thought, manner, or style; sharply or bitterly harsh, acrimonious

indubitable

(adj.) certain, not to be doubted or denied

plenary

(adj.) complete in all aspects or essentials; absolute; attended by all qualified members

consummate

(adj.) complete or perfect in the highest degree; (v.) to bring to a state of completion or perfection

pecuniary

(adj.) consisting of or measured in money; of or related to money; monetary

pusillanimous

(adj.) contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited

murky

(adj.) dark and gloomy, obscure; lacking in clarity and precision

abject

(adj.) degraded; base, contempitible; cringing, servile; complete and unrelieved

incendiary

(adj.) deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; (n.) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife

avid

(adj.) desirous of something to point of greed; intensely eager

primordial

(adj.) developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest stage; fundamental, basic

testy

(adj.) easily irritated; characterized by impatience and exasperation

utopian

(adj.) founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical

frenetic

(adj.) frenzied, highly agitated, frantic

verdant

(adj.) green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgement

viscous

(adj.) having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity

brackish

(adj.) having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink

carping

(adj) tending to find fault, especialy in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n) petty, nagging criticism

acquisitive

(adj) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property

tenable

(adj) capable of being held or defended

taciturn

(adj) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little

banal

(adj) hackneyed, trite, commonplace

coherent

(adj) holding or sticking together, making a logical whole, comprehensible, meaningful

suppliant

(adj.) asking humbly and earnestly; (n.) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor

invidious

(adj) offensive, hateful, tending to cause bitterness and resentment

intransigent

(adj) refusing to compromise, irreconcilable

germane

(adj) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

insatiable

(adj) so great or demanding as not to be satisfied