Vocab level 1-7 level F

austere

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

beneficent

performing acts of kindness or charity; doing good; humanitarian

cadaverous

pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse; wasted; haggard

concoct

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

crass

coarse, unfeeling; stupid, crude, vulgar

debase

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

desecrate

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

disconcert

to confuse; to disturb the composure of, upset

grandiose

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

inconsequential

trifling, unimportant, trivial, negligible

infraction

a breaking of a law or obligation, violation

mitigate

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

pillage

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

prate

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

punctilous

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

redoubtable

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

reprove

to find fault with, scold, rebuke, chide

restitution

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

stalwart

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

vulnerable

open to attack; capable of being wounded

anomalous

(adj.) deviating from what is normal; abnormal

aspersion

(n.) a damaging or derogatory statement

bizarre

(adj.) extremely strange, unusual

brusque

(adj.) abrupt, blunt, with no formalities

cajole

(v.) to persuade through flattery or artifice

castigate

(v.) to punish or criticize severely

contrive

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

demagogue

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

disabuse

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

ennui

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

fetter

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

heinous

(adj.) very wicked, offensive, hateful

immutable

(adj.) not subject to change, constant

insurgent

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

megalomania

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

sinecure

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

surreptitious

(adj.) acting or doing something stealthily

transgress

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

transmute

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

vicarious

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

Amnesty

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

Autonomy

(n.) self-government, political control

Axiomatic

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

Blazon

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

Caveat

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

Equitable

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

Extricate

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

Filch

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

Flout

(v.) to mock, treat with contempt

Fractious

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

Precept

(n.) a rule of conduct or action

Salutary

(adj.) beneficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome

Scathing

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

Scourge

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

Sepulchral

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

Soporific

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

Straitlaced

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

Transient

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

Unwieldy

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

Vapid

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

affable

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

aggrandize

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

amorphous

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

aura

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

contraband

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

erudite

adj; scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic

gossamer

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

infer

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

inscrutable

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

insular

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

irrevocable

adj; incapable of being changed or called back

propensity

n; a natural inclination or predilection towards

querulous

adj; peevish, complaining, fretful

remonstrate

v; to argue with someone against something, protest against

repudiate

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

resilient

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

reverberate

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

scurrilous

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

sedulous

adj; persistent, showing industry and determination

sleazy

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

Abominate

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

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

Adventitious

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

Ascribe

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

Circuitous

(adj.) Roundabout, not direct

Commiserate

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

Enjoin

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

Expedite

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

Expiate

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

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

Inadvertent

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

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

Peculate

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

Proclivity

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

Sangfroid

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

Seditious

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

Tenuous

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

Vitriolic

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

Wheedle

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