English final exams study guide unit 1-8

Admonish

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

cumbersome

Clumsy, hard to handle; slow moving

muddle

to make a mess out of; muddle through; to get by; a hopeless mess

perennial

lasting for a long time, persistent; a plant that lives for a long time.

spurious

not genuine, not true, not valid

unbridled

uncontrolled, lacking in restraint

Dissolute

loose in one’s morals or behavior

erratic

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

jeer

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

Lucrative

bringing in money; profitable

Proliferate

to reproduce, increase, or spread rapidly

Sully

to soil, stain, tarnish, defile, besmirch

terse

brief and to the point.

adherent

a follower, supporter; attached, sticking to

dissent

to disagree; disagreement

Eminent

famous, outstanding, distinguished; projecting

irate

angry

pauper

an extremely poor person

semblance

a likeness; and outward appearance; an apparition

trite

commonplace; overused, stale

usurp

to seize and hold by position by force or without right

abscond

to run off and hide

anarchy

A lack of government and law; confusion

arduous

hard to do, requiring much effort

auspicious

favorable; fortunate

intrepid

very brave, fearless, unshakable

pompous

overly self important in speech and manner; excessively stately or ceremonious

reprieve

a temporary relief or delay; to grant a postponement

revile

to attack with words, call bad name

arbitrary

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

militant

given to fighting; active and aggressive in support of a cause; an activist

opaque

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

Doleful

sad; dreary

ghastly

frightful, horrible; deathly pale

hamper

to hold back

posthumous

Occuring or published after death

sardonic

grimly or scornfully mocking, bitterly sarcastic

tenacious

holding fast; holding together firmly; persistent

Advent

An arrival; a coming into place or view

assimilate

to absorb fully or make one’s own; to adopt as one’s own; to adapt fully

inundate

To flood, overflow; to overwhelm by numbers or size.

Meander

to wander about, wind about; a sharp turn or twist

obstreperous

noisy; unruly, disorderly

Pensive

thoughtful; melancholy

Shoddy

of poor quality; characterized by inferior workmanship.

surly

angry and bad tempered; rude

Tirade

A long, angry speech, usually very critical

Vagrant

An idle wanderer, tramp; wandering aimlessly

Assurance

a pledge; freedom from doubt, self confidence

assylum

An institution for the care of children, elderly people, etc; a place of safety

dross

refuse, waste products

Twindle

To lesson, diminish

Flippant

Lacking in seriousness; disrespectful, saucy

Institute

To establish, set up; an organization for the promotion of learning

preposterous

ridiculous, senseless

pugnacious

Quarrelsome, fond of fighting

rabid

furious, violently intense, unreasonably extreme; mad; infected with rabies

rejuvenate

To make young again; to make like new

remunerate

To reward, pay, reimburse

Sparse

Meager, scant; scattered

sterling

Genuine, excellent; made of silver of standard fineness

Venture

a risky or daring undertaking; to expose to danger; to dare

Warp

To twist out of shape; an abnormality