Vocabulary Workshop Level G Units 1 - 8
macabre
adj. grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject
irrefutable
adj. impossible to disprove; beyond argument
lackadaisical
adj. lacking spirit or interest, halfhearted
saturnine
adj. of a gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood
fatuous
adj. stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way
arrant
adj. thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant
felicitous
adjective, Appropriate, apt, well chose; marked by well-being or good fortune, happy
bestial
adjective, Beastlike, beastly, brutual; subhuman in intelligence and sensibility
furtive
adjective, Done slyly or stealthily, sneaky, secret, shifty; stolen
inordinate
adjective, Far too great exceeding reasonable limits; excessive
garish
adjective, Glaring; tastelessly showy or overdecorated in a vulgar or offensive way
ephemeral
adjective, Lasting only a short time, short-lived
illusory
adjective, Misleading, deceptive; lacking in or not based on reality
indigent
adjective, Needy, impoverished
picayune
adjective, Of little value or importance, paltry, measly; concerned with trifling matters, small-minded
pertinacious
adjective, Very persistent; holding firmly to a course of action or a set of beliefs; hard to get rid of, refusing to be put off or denied
reputed
adjective, according to reputation or general belief; having widespread acceptance and good reputation; (part.) alleged
mordant
adjective, biting or caustic in thought, manner, or style; sharply or bitterly harsh
indubitable
adjective, certain, not to be doubted or denied
consummate
adjective, complete or perfect in the highest degree; verb, to bring to a state of completion or perfection
overweening
adjective, conceited, presumptuous; excessive, immoderate
pecuniary
adjective, consisting of or measured in money; of or related to money
pusillanimous
adjective, contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited
sumptuous
adjective, costly, rich, magnificent
abject
adjective, degraded; base, contemptible; cringing, servile; complete and unrelieved
testy
adjective, easily irritated; characterized by impatience and exasperation
convivial
adjective, festive, sociable, having fun together, genial
frenetic
adjective, frenzied, highly agitated
fecund
adjective, fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive
jocular
adjective, humorous, jesting, jolly, joking
recumbent
adjective, in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting
esoteric
adjective, intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret
depraved
adjective, marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principles
incumbent
adjective, obligatory, required; noun, one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of
moot
adjective, open to discussion and debate, unresolved; verb, to bring up for discussion; noun, a hypothetical law case argued by students
sylvan
adjective, pertaining to or characteristic or forest; living or located in a forest; wooded, woody
ubiquitous
adjective, present or existing everywhere
ludicrous
adjective, ridiculous, laughable, absurd
inane
adjective, silly, empty of meaning or value
intermittent
adjective, stopping and beginning again, sporadic
juggernaut
n. a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path
litany
n. a prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternating with response from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list
paucity
n. an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth
badinage
n. light and playful conversation
echelon
n. one of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a steplike formation or arrangement
coterie
noun, A circle of acquaintances; a close-knit, often exclusive, group of people with a common interest
counterpart
noun, A person or thing closely resembling or corresponding to another; and complement
misanthrope
noun, A person who hates or depises people
raiment
noun, Clothing, garment
effrontery
noun, Shameless boldness, impudence
diatribe
noun, a bitter and prolonged verbal attack
effigy
noun, a crude image of a despised person
figment
noun, a fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion
bastion
noun, a fortified place, stronghold
travesty
noun, a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation; a disguise, especially the clothing of the opposite sex; verb, to ridicule by imitating in a broad or burlesque fashion
neophyte
noun, a new convert, beginner, novice
idiosyncrasy
noun, a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify
nettle
noun, a prickly or stinging plant; verb, to arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex or irritate severely
motif
noun, a principal idea, feature, theme, or element; a repeated or dominant figure in a design
stratagem
noun, a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end
concord
noun, a state of agreement, harmony, unanimity; a treaty, pact, covenant
penchant
noun, a strong attraction or inclination
nuance
noun, a subtle or slight variation, as in color, meaning, quality; delicate gradation or shade or difference
grouse
noun, a type of game bird; a complaint; verb, to complain, grumble
surveillance
noun, a watch kept over a person; careful, close, and disciplined observation
indictment
noun, an act of accusing; a formal accusation
fiat
noun, an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of will or consciousness
plenary
noun, complete in all aspects or essentials; absolute; attended by all qualified members
disarray
noun, disorder, confusion ; verb, to throw into disorder
flotsam
noun, floating debris; homeless, impoverished people
complicity
noun, involvement in wrongdoing; the state of being an accomplice
perspicacity
noun, keenness in observing and understanding
agnostic
noun, one who subscribes to the view that the truth value of certain claims — especially claims about the existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims — is unknown or unknowable; a skeptic; adjective, without faith, skeptical
sophistry
noun, reasoning that seems plausible but is actually unsound; a fallacy
ignominy
noun, shame and disgrace
acuity
noun, sharpness, particularly of mind or senses
derelict
noun, someone or something that is abandoned or neglected; adjective, left abandoned; neglectful of duty
equity
noun, the state or quality of being just, fair, or impartial; fair and equal treatment; something that is fair; the money value of a property value of a property above and beyond any other mortgage or other claim
exigency
noun, urgency, pressure; urgent demand, pressuring need; an emergency
mundane
noun,earthly, worldly, relating to practical and material affairs; concerned with what is ordinary
atrophy
the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; verb, to waste away
allege
v. to assert without proof or confirmation
countermand
v. to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first
slough
v. to cast off, discard; to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud
portend
v. to indicate beforehand that something is about to happen; to give advance warning of
exacerbate
v. to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful
conciliate
v. to overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease, pacify; to reconcile, make consistent
saturate
v. to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity; to satisfy fully
raze
v. to tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out
recant
v. to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract
allay
verb, To calm or pacify, set to rest; lessen of relieve
jettison
verb, To cast overboard, get rid of as unnecessary or burdensome
embellish
verb, To decorate, adorn, touch up; to improve by adding details
garner
verb, to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use
glean
verb, to gather bit by bit; to gather small quantities of grain left in a field by the reapers
incarcerate
verb, to imprison, confine, jail
demur
verb, to object or take exception to; an objection
delineate
verb, to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially
hallow
verb, to set apart as holy or scared, sanctify, consecrate; to honor greatly, revere
enervate
verb, to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring