Lesson 16 Vocabulary

irascible

(adjective) easily provoked to anger; very irritable; cranky; grouchy; grumpy; cantankerous; characterized or produced by anger Ex: It does not take much to aggravate my _________ neighbor who is annoyed by any little noise. Because I frown a great deal, I have been told I look _________ in my photos. Our teacher was _________ today and kicked several students out of the classroom. Because of the influence of alcohol, a drunken man is often _________.

disheveled

(adjective) hanging loosely or in disorder; unkempt; untidy; disarranged; scruffy; messy Ex: Everyone was shocked the homeless man did not look more __________ and unclean. After the twenty-four hour plane ride, all of the passengers looked tired and __________. The police entered the __________ home and knew a robbery had occurred. I knew Ellen was tired because her normally perfect hair was completely __________.

fervid

(adjective) heated or vehement in spirit, enthusiasm, etc.; zealous; passionate; ardent; burning; glowing; intensely hot Ex: The politician spoke with a ______ intensity that made people want to vote for him. Because I am concerned about my daughter's education, I am a ______ supporter of education reform. I cannot be a ______ supporter of any company that harms the environment to make its goods. When the defendant heard the guilty verdict, he made a ______ plea to the judge to be lenient on him. In hopes of getting an increase in her allowance, my daughter made a ______ statement regarding her need for new clothes.

invincible

(adjective) incapable of being conquered, defeated, or subdued; immune; insuperable; insurmountable; unbeatable; invulnerable Ex: Because the drug dealer was extremely arrogant, he thought he was __________ from prosecution. Since the seaside town has never been hit by a hurricane, the residents view their community as __________.

insidious

(adjective) intended to entrap or beguile; stealthily treacherous or deceitful; dangerous; subtle; Machiavellian; operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect Ex: The _________ playboy planned to con the heiress out of her fortune. Although the medicine made Gabriel feel better at first, its effect was _________ and only lasted a short time. Even though he seemed honest and trustworthy, the cult leader was an _________ man who only wanted to trick his followers into giving him their assets. Because I was so trusting, I did not realize the _________ man was using me to get information about the bank where I worked. After the police conducted their investigation, they realized the suspect had created an _________ scheme by which he tricked elderly people out of their medications.

discreet

(adjective) judicious in one's conduct or speech, especially with regard to respecting privacy or maintaining silence about something of a delicate nature; prudent; circumspect; careful; cautious; wary; showing prudence and circumspection; decorous; modestly unobtrusive; unostentatious Ex: Hoping to avoid detection, the shoplifter tried to be ________ while walking through the store. The married politician wanted to keep his affair ________ and hidden. Rather than risk being seen at the adult store, the famous actor decided to be ________ by sending an assistant to make his purchases. Since my boss put a camera in our office, everyone has been acting ________ to avoid being noticed.

imminent

(adjective) likely to occur at any moment; impending; forthcoming; inevitable; looming; projecting or leaning forward; overhanging Ex: When the Secret Service arrived, everyone knew the president's arrival was ________. The firemen told us it was safe to leave the building slowly because we were not in ________ danger. Because the swat team just arrived on the scene, it is likely a confrontation between the robbers and the police is ________. Since it was obvious from the dark clouds that a storm was ________, Melvin brought his dog in for the night.

malinger

(intransitive verb) to pretend illness, especially in order to shirk one's duty, avoid work, etc.; dodge; fake Ex: Because Tom was known for trying to ________ out of chores, nobody believed his story about a sore throat. Although Sherri tried to ________ to avoid going to work, she was caught in her lie when her boss offered to drive her to the doctor's office. Several of the office employees made plans to ________ and exchange a day of work for a day at the beach. My supervisor has no patience for people who ________ to avoid doing their share of the workload. When my husband does not want to cut the grass, he will ________ and complain about an imaginary stomach pain.

finesse

(noun) extreme delicacy or subtlety in action, performance, skill, discrimination, taste, etc.; skill in handling a difficult or highly sensitive situation; adroit and artful management; a trick, artifice, or stratagem Ex: The chess champion played the game with a _______ that allowed him to easily beat all the other players. Even though Marie had not danced in years, she was still able to move about the floor with outstanding _______. During her audition, Marilyn showed her vocal _______ by singing a song that revealed her ability to cover a wide range of notes. The medical students watched in amazement as the brilliant surgeon performed the operation with great _______.

penury

(noun) extreme poverty; destitution; scarcity; dearth; inadequacy; insufficiency; barrenness; indigence; privation; scantiness Ex: When Margot lost all her money gambling, her family was forced to live in ______. Jason foolishly went from a lifestyle of wealth and privilege to one of ______ and starvation. Once Ann's bank account was completely drained, she found herself in ______ and in need of financial assistance. The selfish dictator is not concerned about his citizens who live and die in ______. If you live in ______, you are entitled to a number of financial benefits which are given out by the government.

impediment

(noun) obstruction; hindrance; obstacle; burden; barrier; any physical defect that impedes normal or easy speech; a speech disorder Ex: The __________ that interferes with Gerald's goal of running a successful diner is the lack of good employees. In most romantic movies, there is always some sort of __________ that temporarily stops the guy from getting his dream girl. According to a number of teachers, the biggest __________ to working in a small town is the low salary paid to educators.

fixation

(noun) the act of fixing or the state of being fixed, obsessed, or overly preoccupied with something Ex: Because his parents were concerned with the consumed gamer's Fortnite ________, they decided to limit his game time down to a reasonable amount. Anna's preoccupation with her appearance and ________ on looking like a barbie doll lead her to undergo multiple plastic surgeries.

carnage

(noun) the slaughter of a great number of people, as in battle; butchery; massacre; fighting or other violence; great damage, utter defeat, or chaos; [Archaic] dead bodies, as of those slain in battle Ex: The suicide bomber left immeasurable _______ in the mall. According to the Red Cross, it will take months to clean up the _______ left by the Nepalese earthquake. The president vowed someone would pay for the _______ of the terror attacks on our country's soil.

mesmerize

(transitive verb) to hypnotize; spellbind; fascinate; compel by fascination; enthrall; stupefy Ex: They will _________ anyone looking you in the eye. The variety of sights and smells will _________ your senses. Perhaps your vampires _________ their victims; you could choose lenses with a swirling pattern.

fabricate

(transitive verb) to make by art or skill and labor; construct; to make by assembling parts or sections; to devise or invent (a legend, lie, etc.); to fake; forge (a document, signature, etc.) Ex: The finest craftspeople _________d this clock. The journalist got fired when his editor learned of his plan to _________ a story about the president. Many parents _________ stories about mythical creatures to help their children sleep at night. Never _________ your resume because doing so is grounds for being fired for deception. When John tried to _________ an alibi, he was quickly arrested and charged with interfering with an investigation.

embellished

(verb) (past tense) (participle- adj.) to beautify by or as if by ornamentation; ornament; adorn; decorate; furnish; to enhance or express (a statement or narrative) with fictitious additions; exaggerate Ex: To the north-east of the new palace lies the beautiful palace park, ___________ with statuary and artificial sheets of water, and extending nearly all the way to Cannstatt, a distance of over two miles. This ducal residence, enlarged and ___________ by its subsequent occupants, became eventually the famous palace of the Netherlands which witnessed the abdication of Charles V. The church of San Catervo contains the early Christian sarcophagus of that saint, which is ___________ with curious reliefs. "What then is truth? A movable host of metaphors, metonymies, and; anthropomorphisms: in short, a sum of human relations which have been poetically and rhetorically intensified, transferred, and ___________, and which, after long usage, seem to a people to be fixed, canonical, and binding." - Friedrich Nietzsche

masticate

(verb) to chew; crunch; gnash; to reduce to a pulp by crushing or kneading, as rubber Ex: Because Daniel did not _________ his food well, he almost choked on a piece of chicken. If we do not find my grandmother's artificial teeth, she will not be able to _________ her sandwich. I _________ my food slowly so I can enjoy every bite.

meliorate

(verb) to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve; advance; amend; upgrade Ex: As a counselor, it was his job to try and _________ the relationship between the two family members. Engineers worked through the night to _________ the machine prototype before the launch. Zoo keepers hoped that an increase in funds would allow them to _________ the monkey's living environment.

discern

(verb) to perceive by the sight or some other sense or by the intellect; see, recognize, or apprehend; to distinguish mentally; recognize as distinct or different; discriminate Ex: In order to find a cure for the disease, the medical researchers must first _______ the actual cause of the condition. If I could _______ the pattern in which the winning lottery numbers are selected, I could become a millionaire. Because Jackson found it hard to _______ whether or not his daughter was telling him the truth about her grades, he decided to call her teacher. Beverly found it difficult to _______ the subject of the painting because the artwork lacked traditional shapes and symmetry. By looking at the graphs, students should be able to _______ the relationship between price and demand.

enunciate

(verb) to utter or pronounce (words, sentences, etc.), especially in an articulate or a particular manner; to state or declare definitely, as a theory; to announce or proclaim; express Ex: The speech coach reminded the students to _________ their words so people could comprehend what they were saying. As the teacher gave instructions, she was careful to _________ each step of the process so her young students would not be confused. At my favorite hotel, the staff always knows what I want before I _________ my desires. Since a tour guide is required to speak to crowds of people, the ability to _________ properly is a requirement for the position. As Jake could not _________ his thoughts after his stroke, he had to write everything on a notepad.