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