Vocabulary Workshop - Level H - Unit 7

Abeyance

(n.) A state of being temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside

Ambivalent

(adj.) Having opposite & conflicting feelings about someone or something

Beleaguer

(v.) To set upon from all sides; surround with an army; to trouble, harass

Carte Blanche

(n.) Full authority to act at one's own discretion

Cataclysm

(n.) A sudden violent upheaval; a surging flood

Debauch

(v.) To corrupt morally, to seduce; (n.) an act of dissipation

Éclat

(n.) Dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance

Fastidious

(adj.) Overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted

Gambol

(v.) To jump or skip about playfully

Imbue

(v.) To soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind

Inchoate

(adj.) Just beginning; not fully shaped or formed

Lampoon

(n.) A malicious satire; (v.) to satirize or ridicule

Malleable

(adj.) Capable of being formed into different shape; able to be altered or adapted

Nemesis

(n.) An agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; an unbeatable rival

Opt

(v.) To make a choice or decision

Philistine

(adj.) Lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values; (n.) such a person

Picaresque

(adj.) Involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers

Queasy

(adj.) Nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea; troubled

Refractory

(adj.) Stubborn; difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure

Savoir-Faire

(n.) The ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social capability