Vocabulary Workshop Level D Units 1-12

admonish

(v.) to caution or advise against something; to scold mildly; to remind of a duty

breach

(n.) an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation or infraction; (v.) to create an opening, break through

brigand

(n.) a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman

circumspect

(adj.) careful, cautious

commandeer

(v.) to seize for military or official use

cumbersome

(adj.) clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving

deadlock

(n.) a standstill resulting from the opposition of two equal forces or factions; (v.) to bring to such a standstill

debris

(n.) scattered fragments, wreckage

diffuse

(v.) to spread or scatter freely or widely; (adj.) wordy, long-winded, or unfocused; scattered or widely spread

dilemma

(n.) a difficult or perplexing situation or problem

efface

(v.) to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed

muddle

(v.) to make a mess of; muddle through: to get by; (n.) a hopeless mess

opinionated

(adj.) stubborn and often unreasonable in holding to one's own ideas, having a closed mind.

perennial

(adj.) lasting for a long time, persistent; (n.) a plant that lives for many years

predispose

(v.) to incline to beforehand

relinquish

(v.) to let go, give up

salvage

(v.) to save from fire or shipwreck; (n.) property thus saved

spasmodic

(adj.) sudden and violent but brief; fitful, intermittent

spurious

(adj.) not genuine, not true, not valid

unbridled

(adj.) uncontrolled, lacking in restraint

adjourn

(v.) to stop proceedings temporarily; move to another place

alien

(n.) a citizen of another country; (adj.) foreign, strange

comely

(adj.) having a pleasing appearance

compensate

(v.) to make up for; to repay for services

dissolute

(adj.) loose in one's morals or behavior

erratic

(adj.) not regular or consistent; different from what is ordinarily expected; undependable

expulsion

(n.) the process of driving or forcing out

feint

(n.) a deliberately deceptive movement; a pretense; (v.) to make a deceptive movement; to make a pretense of

fodder

(n.) food for horses or cattle; raw material for a designated purpose

fortify

(v.) to strengthen, build up

illegible

(adj.) difficult or impossible to read

jeer

(v.) to make fun of rudely or unkindly; (n.) a rude remark of derision

lucrative

(adj.) bringing in money; profitable

mediocre

(adj.) average, ordinary, undistinguished

proliferate

(v.) to reproduce, increase, or spread rapidly

subjugate

(v.) to conquer by force, bring under complete control

sully

(v.) to soil, stain, tarnish, defile, besmirch

tantalize

(v.) to tease, torment by teasing

terse

(adj.) brief and to the point

unflinching

(adj.) firm, showing no signs of fear, not drawing back

abridge

(v.) to make shorter

adherent

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

altercation

(n.) an angry argument

cherubic

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

condone

(v.) to pardon or overlook

dissent

(v.) to disagree; (n.) disagreement

eminent

(adj.) famous, outstanding, distinguished; projecting

exorcise

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

fabricate

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

irate

(adj.) angry

marauder

(n.) a raider, plunderer

obesity

(n.) excessive fatness

pauper

(n.) an extremely poor person

pilfer

(v.) to steal in small quantities

rift

(n.) a split, break, breach

semblance

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

surmount

(v.) to overcome, rise above

terminate

(v.) to bring to an end

trite

(adj.) commonplace; overused, stale

usurp

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

abscond

(v.) to run off and hide

access

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

anarchy

(n.) a lack of government and law; confusion

arduous

(adj.) hard to do, requiring much effort

auspicious

(adj.) favorable, fortunate

biased

(adj.) favoring one side unduly; prejudiced

daunt

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

disentangle

(v.) to free from tangles or complications

fated

(adj.) determined in advance by destiny or fortune

hoodwink

(v.) to mislead by a trick, deceive

inanimate

(adj.) not having life; without energy or spirit

incinerate

(v.) to burn to ashes

intrepid

(adj.) very brave, fearless, unshakable

larceny

(n.) theft

pliant

(adj.) bending readily; easily influenced

pompous

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

precipice

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

rectify

(v.) to make right, correct

reprieve

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

revile

(v.) to attack with words, call bad names

accomplice

(n.) a person who takes part in a crime

annihilate

(v.) to destroy completely

arbitrary

(adj.) unreasonable; based on one's wishes or whims without regard for reason or fairness

brazen

(adj.) shameless, impudent; made of brass

catalyst

(n.) a substance that causes or hastens a chemical reaction; any agent that causes change

exodus

(n.) a large-scale departure or flight

facilitate

(v.) to make easier; to assist

incorrigible

(adj.) not able to be corrected; beyond control

latent

(adj.) hidden, present but not realized

militant

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

morose

(adj.) having a gloomy or sullen manner; not friendly or sociable

opaque

(adj.) not letting light through; not clear or lucid; dense, stupid

paramount

(adj.) chief in importance, above all others

prattle

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

rebut

(v.) to offer arguments or evidence that contradicts an assertion; to refute

reprimand

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

servitude

(n.) slavery, forced labor

slapdash

(adj.) careless and hasty

stagnant

(adj.) not running or flowing; foul from standing still; inactive, sluggish, dull

succumb

(v.) to give way to superior force, yield