Unit 8

exacerbate

(v.) to make worse or more severe

saturnine

(adj.) heavy; dull; sullen; gloomy; morose

allege

(v.) to assert without proof or confirmation

arrant

(adj.) downright; thorough; unmitigated; notorious

badinage

(n.) light, playful banter or raillery

conciliate

(v) make peace, to win or gain the approval of someone

countermand

(v) cancel (an order) by issuing a contrary order; revoke

echelon

(n.) a level of command or authority or rank; a steplike formation of troops, planes

fatuous

(adj.) silly; inanely foolish

irrefutable

(adj.) not able to be proven wrong

juggernaut

(n.) relentless, destructive, irresistible force

slough

(v.) to shed or throw off

saturate

(v.) to soak, to completely fill

recant

(v.) to take back a formal statement or belief previously made known

raze

(v.) to demolish

portend

(v.) foretell; presage

paucity

(n.) smallness of number; fewness; scarcity

macabre

(adj.) weird, ghastly

litany

(a) a series of fixed invocations and responses, used as prayer (b) any dreary or repetitive recital or account

lackadaisical

(adj.) lacking spirit or liveliness