Vocabulary Workshop Level F Unit 1 - 7

Nominal

(adj.) Existing in name only, not real; too small to be considered or taken seriously

Noncommittal

(adj.) Not decisive or definite; unwilling to take a clear position or to say yes or no

Seditious

(adj.) Resistant to lawful authority; having the purpose of overthrowing an established government

Adventitious

(adj.) Resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause or character; accidental, not essential; (medicine) acquired, not congenital

Inadvertent

(adj.) Resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental

Circuitous

(adj.) Roundabout, not direct

Fractious

(adj.) Tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable

Tenuous

(adj.) Thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance or significance; lacking a sound basis, poorly supported

brusque

(adj.) abrupt, blunt, with no formalities

surreptitious

(adj.) acting or doing something stealthily

intrinsic

(adj.) belonging to someone or something by its very nature, essential, inherent; originating in a bodily organ or part

Salutary

(adj.) beneficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome

Vitriolic

(adj.) bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting (like a strong acid)

Scathing

(adj.) bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm

lurid

(adj.) causing shock, horror, or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow in color; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restraint

anomalous

(adj.) deviating from what is normal; abnormal

Vapid

(adj.) dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force

unctuous

(adj.) excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable

bizarre

(adj.) extremely strange, unusual

Straitlaced

(adj.) extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish, puritanical

Equitable

(adj.) fair, just, embodying principles of justice

Sepulchral

(adj.) funereal, typical of the tomb; extremely gloomy or dismal

Transient

(adj.) lasting only a short time, fleeting; (n.) one who stays only a short time

occult

(adj.) mysterious, magical, supernatural; secret, hidden from view; not detectable by ordinary means; (v.) to hide, conceal; eclipse; (n.) matters involving the supernatural

Unwieldy

(adj.) not easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity

immutable

(adj.) not subject to change, constant

petulant

(adj.) peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset

vicarious

(adj.) performed, suffered, or experienced by one person in place of another

provincial

(adj.) pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; of a simple, plain design that originated in the countryside; (n.) a person with a narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area; a soldier from a province or colony

bombastic

(adj.) pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas

Axiomatic

(adj.) self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle

stringent

(adj.) strict, severe; rigorously or urgently binding or compelling; sharp or bitter to the taste

stalwart

(adj.) strong and sturdy; brave; resolute (n.) brave person, mainstay

Soporific

(adj.) tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy; (n.) something that induces sleep

hackneyed

(adj.) used so often as to lack freshness or originality

heinous

(adj.) very wicked, offensive, hateful

jaded

(adj.) wearied, worn-out, dulled (in the sense of being satiated by excessive indulgence)

callow

(adj.) without experience; immature, not fully developed; lacking sophistication and poise; without feathers

meritorious

(adj.) worthy, deserving recognition and praise

ex officio

(adj., adv.) by virtue of holding a certain office

Proclivity

(n.) A natural or habitual inclination or tendency (especially of human character or behavior)

Ferment

(n.) A state of great excitement, agitation, or turbulence; (v.) to be in or work into such a state; to produce alcohol by chemical action

Sangfroid

(n.) Composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances

Acculturation

(n.) The modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another; the resultant blend

fetter

(n.) a chain, shackle, or something that confines or restrains; (v.) to chain or shackle; to render helpless or impotent

coalition

(n.) a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose

aspersion

(n.) a damaging or derogatory statement

megalomania

(n.) a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, far in excess of reality

hiatus

(n.) a gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing)

Amnesty

(n.) a general pardon for an offense against a government; in general, any act of forgiveness or absolution

innuendo

(n.) a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense)

demagogue

(n.) a leader who tries to get support by making false claims and promises

millennium

(n.) a period of one thousand years; a period of great joy

sinecure

(n.) a position requiring little or no work; an easy job

Precept

(n.) a rule of conduct or action

prerogative

(n.) a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence

epitome

(n.) a summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality

Caveat

(n.) a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior

decadence

(n.) decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence

interloper

(n.) one who moves in where he or she is not wanted or has no right to be, an intruder

insurgent

(n.) one who rebels or rises against authority; (adj.) refusing to accept authority, rising in revolt

aplomb

(n.) poise, assurance, great self-confidence, perpendicularity

drivel

(n.) saliva or mucus flowing from the mouth or nose; foolish, aimless talk or thinking; nonsense; (v.) to let saliva flow from the mouth; to utter nonsense or childish twaddle; to waste or fritter away foolishly

Autonomy

(n.) self-government, political control

umbrage

(n.) shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion

approbation

(n.) the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval

ennui

(n.) weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest

lassitude

(n.) weariness of body or mind, lack of energy

Ascribe

(v.) To assign or refer to (as a cause or source), attribute

Enjoin

(v.) To direct or order; to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way; to prohibit; to urge someone

Abominate

(v.) To have an intense dislike or hatred for

Expedite

(v.) To make easy, cause to progress faster, speed up

Commiserate

(v.) To sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress

Wheedle

(v.) To use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end

Blazon

(v.) to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely

expostulate

(v.) to attempt to dissuade someone from some course or decision by earnest reasoning

transmute

(v.) to change from one nature, substance, or form to another

contrive

(v.) to create or bring about by deliberate use of skill

elicit

(v.) to draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person)

precipitate

(v.) to fall as moisture; to cause or bring about suddenly; to hurl down from a great height; to give distinct form to; (adj.) characterized by excessive haste; (n.) moisture; the product of an action or process

disabuse

(v.) to free from deception, error, or misconception

Extricate

(v.) to free from entanglements or difficulties; to remove with effort

transgress

(v.) to go beyond a limit; to sin, violate a law

ameliorate

(v.) to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming

simulate

(v.) to make a pretense of, imitate; to show the outer signs of

inveigh

(v.) to make a violent attack in words, express strong disapproval

Expiate

(v.) to make amends, make up for; to avert

assuage

(v.) to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench

ingratiate

(v.) to make oneself agreeable and thus gain favor or acceptance by others (sometimes used in a critical or derogatory sense)

Flout

(v.) to mock, treat with contempt

cajole

(v.) to persuade through flattery or artifice

intercede

(v.) to plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement

castigate

(v.) to punish or criticize severely

transcend

(v.) to rise above or beyond, exceed

pillage

(v.) to rob of goods by open force (as in war), plunder; (n.) the act of looting; booty

permeate

(v.) to spread through, penetrate, soak through

Peculate

(v.) to steal something that has been given into one's trust; to take improperly for one's own use

Filch

(v.) to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts

surmise

(v.) to think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to conjecture or guess; (n.) likely idea that lacks definite proof

exhort

(v.) to urge strongly, advise earnestly

infringe

(v.) to violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds

Scourge

(v.) to whip, punish severely; (n.) a cause of affliction or suffering; a source of severe punishment or criticism

infraction

a breaking of a law or obligation, violation

resilient

adj; able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly

scurrilous

adj; coarsely abusive, vulgar, or low (especially in language), foul-mouthed

affable

adj; courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to

irrevocable

adj; incapable of being changed or called back

inscrutable

adj; incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically

querulous

adj; peevish, complaining, fretful

sedulous

adj; persistent, showing industry and determination

insular

adj; relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience

erudite

adj; scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic

amorphous

adj; shapeless, without definite form, of no particular type or character; without organization, unity or cohesion

sleazy

adj; thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethically low, mean, or disreputable

gossamer

adj; thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; (n) a very thin, light cloth

crass

coarse, unfeeling; stupid, crude, vulgar

grandiose

grand in an impressive or stately way; marked by pompous affectation or grandeur, absurdly exaggerated

redoubtable

inspiring fear or awe; illustrious, eminent; formidable, fearsome

propensity

n; a natural inclination or predilection towards

contraband

n; illegal traffic, smuggled goods; (adj.) illegal, prohibited

aura

n; that which surrounds (as an atmosphere); a distinctive air or personal quality

vulnerable

open to attack; capable of being wounded

cadaverous

pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse; wasted; haggard

beneficent

performing acts of kindness or charity; doing good; humanitarian

austere

severe or stern in manner; w.o adornment or luxury, simple, plain; forbidding

restitution

the act of restoring someone/thing to the rightful owner/former state; making good on a loss; compensation

desecrate

to commit sacrilege upon, treat irreverently; to contaminate, pollute, profane

disconcert

to confuse; to disturb the composure of, upset

reprove

to find fault with, scold, rebuke, chide

debase

to lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade, cheapen

mitigate

to make milder or softer, to moderate in force or intensity, lessen

concoct

to prepare by combining ingredients, to devise, fabricate, invent

prate

to talk a great deal in a foolish or aimless fashion, prattle

inconsequential

trifling, unimportant, trivial, negligible

remonstrate

v; to argue with someone against something, protest against

repudiate

v; to disown, reject, or deny the validity of

infer

v; to find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the basis of thought, suggest, imply

aggrandize

v; to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater

reverberate

v; to re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected quickly

punctilous

very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety