vocabulary workshop level d units 1-5

irate

(adj) angry

Pliant

(adj) bending readily; easily influenced

trite

(adj) commonplace; overused, stale

Fated

(adj) determined in advance by destiny or fortune

eminent

(adj) famous, outstanding, distinguished; projecting

Auspicious

(adj) favorable, fortunate

Biased

(adj) favoring one side unduly; prejudiced

Militant

(adj) given to fighting; active and aggressive in support of a cause; (n) an activist

Arduous

(adj) hard to do, requiring much effort

Inanimate

(adj) not having life; without energy or spirit

Pompous

(adj) overly self-important in speech or manner; excessively stately or ceremonious

cherubic

(adj) resembling an angel portrayed as a little child with a beautiful, round, or chubby face; sweet and innocent

Intrepid

(adj) very brave, fearless, unshakable

adherent

(n) a follower, supporter; (adj) attached, sticking to

Anarchy

(n) a lack of government and law; confusion

semblance

(n) a likeness; an outward appearance; an apparition

marauder

(n) a raider, plunderer

rift

(n) a split, break, breach

Reprieve

(n) a temporary relief or delay; (v) to grant a postponement

Precipice

(n) a very steep cliff, the brink or edge of disaster

altercation

(n) an angry argument

pauper

(n) an extremely poor person

Access

(n) approach or admittance to places, persons, things; an increase; (v) to get at, obtain

obesity

(n) excessive fatness

Larceny

(n) theft

Revile

(v) to attack with words, call bad names

terminate

(v) to bring to an end

Incinerate

(v) to burn to ashes

dissent

(v) to disagree; (n) disagrement

exorcise

(v) to drive out by magic; to dispose of something troublesome, menacing, or oppressive

Disentangle

(v) to free of tangles or complications

Rectify

(v) to make right, correct

abridge

(v) to make shorter

fabricate

(v) to make, manufacture; to make up, invent

Hoodwink

(v) to mislead by trick, deceive

Daunt

(v) to overcome with fear, intimidate; to dishearten, discourage

surmount

(v) to overcome, rise above

condone

(v) to pardon or overlook

Abscond

(v) to run off and hide

Reprimand

(v) to scold; find fault with; (n) a rebuke

usurp

(v) to seize and hold a position by force or without right

pilfer

(v) to steal in small quantities

Prattle

(v) to talk in an aimless, foolish, or simple way; to babble; (n) baby talk, babble

Brigand

a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman

alien

a citizen of another country; foreign, strange

feint

a deliberately deceptive movement; a pretense; to make a deceptive movement; to make a pretense of

Dilemma

a difficlut or perplexing situation or problem

Exodus

a large-scale departure or flight

Accomplice

a person who takes part in a crime

deadlock

a standstill resulting from the opposition of two equal forces or factions; to bring such a stand still

Catalyst

a substance that causes or hastens a chemical reaction; any ag

Breach

an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation of infraction; to create an opening

mediocre

average, ordinary, undistinguised

terse

brief and to the point

lucrative

bringing in money; profitable

Circumspect

careful, cautious

Slapdash

careless and hasty

Paramount

chief in importance, above all others

Cumbersome

clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving

illegible

difficult or impossible to read

unflinching

firm, showing no signs of fear, not drawing back

fodder

food for horses or cattle; raw material for a designated purpose

Morose

having a gloomy or sullen manner; not friendly or sociable

comely

having a pleasing appearance

Latent

hidden, present but not realized

Perennial

lasting for a long time, persistent; a plant that lives for many years

dissolute

loose in one's morals or behavior

Incorrigible

not able to be corrected; beyond control

Spurious

not genuine, not true not valid

Opaque

not letting light through; not clear or lucid; dense, stupid

erratic

not regular or consistent; different from what is ordinarily expected; undependable

Stagnant

not running or flowing; foul from standing still; inactive, sluggish, dull

Debris

scattered fragments, wreckage

Brazen

shameless, impudent; made of brass

Servitude

slavery, forced labor

Opinionated

stubborn and often unreasonalbe in holding to one's own ideas, having a closed mind

Spasmodic

sudden and violent but brief; fitful; intermittent

expulsion

the process of driving or forcing out

Admonish

to caution or advise against something; to scold mildly; to remind of a duty

subjugate

to conquer by force, bring under complete control

Annihilate

to destroy completely

Succumb

to give way to superior force, yield

Predispose

to incline to beforehand

Relinquish

to let go, give up

Muddle

to make a mess of, to get by; a hopless mess

Facilitate

to make easier; to assist

jeer

to make fun of rudely or unkindly; a rude remark of derision

compensate

to make up for; to repay for services

Rebut

to offer arguments or evidence that contradicts an assertion; to refute

proliferate

to reproduce, increase, or spread rapidly

Salvage

to save from fire or shipwreck; property thus saved

Commandeer

to seize for military or official use

sully

to soil, stain, tarnish, defile, besmirch

Diffuse

to spread or scatter freely or widely; long-winded, unfocused

adjourn

to stop proceedings temporarily; move to another place

fortify

to strengthen; build up

tantalize

to tease, torment by teasing

Efface

to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed

Unbridled

uncontrolled, lacking in restraint

Arbitrary

unreasonable; based on one's wishes or whims without regard for reason or fairness