Vocabulary Workshop Level G (All Units)

abject

(adj.) degraded; base, contemptible; cringing, servile; complete and unrelieved

abrogate

(v.) to repeal, cancel, declare null and void

abstruse

(adj.) extremely difficult to understand

acclamation

(n.) a shout of welcome; an overwhelming verbal vote of approval

accost

to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way

acquisitive

able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property

acuity

sharpness (particularly of the mind or senses)

aesthetic

(adj.) pertaining to beauty; sensitive or responsive to beauty

affront

(n.) an open or intentional insult; a slight; (v.) to insult to one's face; to face in defiance , confront

agnostic

(n.)one who believes that nothnig can be known about god; a skeptic

allay

(v.) to calm or pacify, set to rest; to lessen or relieve

allege

(v.) to assert without proof or confirmation

ambient

(adj.) completely surrounding, encompassing

amenity

(n.) that which is pleasant or agreeable

animadversion

a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval

aperture

(n.) an opening, gap, hole; orifice

arrant

(adj.) out-and-out, shameless, blatant

arrogate

to claim or take without right

articulate

to pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; to connect by a joint or joints; (adj) expressed clearly and forcefully; able to employ language clearly and forcefully; jointed

askance

(adj.) with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval

asperity

(n.) roughness, severity; bitterness or tartness

atrophy

the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; (v.) to waste away

attenuate

(v.) to make thin or slender; to weaken or lessen in force, intensity, or value

avid

desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager

badinage

(n.) light and playful conversation

banal

hackneyed, trite, commonplace

bastion

a fortified place, stronghold

Beatific

(adj.) blissful; rendering or making blessed

Behemoth

(n.) a creature of enormous size, power, or appearance

belabor

to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

benign

(adj.) gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect; not malignant

bestial

(adj.) beastlike; beastly, brutal; subhuman in intelligence and sensibility

Blandishment

(n.) anything designed to flatter or coax; sweet talk, apple-polishing

brackish

having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink

bucolic

(adj.) characteristic of the countryside. rural; relating to shepherds and cowherds, pastoral

burnish

(v.) to make smooth or glossy by rubbing, polish; (n.) gloss, brightness, luster

cabal

(n.) a small group working in secret

Cacophonous

(adj.) harsh-sounding, raucous, discordant, dissonant

calumniate

(v.) to slander; to accuse falsely and maliciously

canard

(n.) a false rumor, fabricated story

captious

(adj.) excessively ready to find fault; given to petty criticism; intended to trap, confuse, or show up

carping

tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way

cavil

(v.) to find fault in a petty way, carp; (n.) a trivial objection or criticism

cavort

to romp or prance around exuberantly; to make merry

celerity

swiftness, rapidity of motion or action

charlatan

(n.) one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, impostor, or quack

chary

(adj.) extremely cautious, hesitant or slow; reserved

Chicanery

(n.) trickery, deceptive practices or tactices, double-dealing

cognizant

(adj.) aware, knowledgeable, informed; having jurisdiction

coherent

holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful

collusion

(n.) secret agreement or cooperation

complicity

(n.) involvement in wrongdoing; the state of being an accomplice

concilliate

(v.) to overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease, pacify; to reconcile, make consistent

concord

a state of agreement, harmony, unanimity; a treaty, pact, covenant

congeal

to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid

Consign

(v.) to give over to another's care, charge, or control; to entrust, deliver; to set apart for a special use

consummate

complete or perfect in the highest degree; (v.) to bring to a state of completion or perfection

contrite

(adj.) regretful for some misdeed or sin; plagued by a sense of guilt

convivial

(adj.) festive, sociable, having fun together, genial

coterie

(n.) a circle of aquaitances; a close-knit, often exclusive, group of people with a common interest

countermand

(v.) to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first

counterpart

(n.) a person or thing closely resembling or corresponding to another; a complement

Coup

(n.) a highly successful stroke, masterstroke, tour de force, act, plan, or stratagem; a sudden takeover of power or leadership

credence

belief, mental acceptance

cynosure

(n.) the center of attraction, attention, or interest; something that serves to guide or direct

decimate

(v.) to kill or destroy a large part of

decorous

(adj.) well behaved, dignified, socially proper

decry

to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate

defunct

(adj.) no longer in existence or functioning, dead

deign

(v.) to think it appropriate or suitable to one's dignity to do something

delectable

(adj.) delightful, highly enjoyable,; deliciously flavored, savory; (n.) an appealing or appetizing food

delineate

to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially

demur

(v.) to object or take exception to; (n.) an objection

depraved

marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principles

deprecate

(v.) to express mild disapproval; to belittle

derelict

(n.) someone or something that is abandoned or neglected; (adj.) left abandoned; neglectful of duty

desiccated

(adj.) thoroughly dried out; arid and uninteresting

detritus

(n.) loose bits and pieces of material resulting from disintegration or wearing away; fragments that result from any destruction

devious

straying or wandering form a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way

diatribe

(n.) a bitter and prolonged verbal attack

dilettante

(n.) a dabbler in the arts; one who engages in an activity in an ameteurish, trifling way; (adj.) superficial

disarray

disorder, confusion; (v.) to throw into disorder

discomfit

(v.) to frustrate, thrawt, or defeat; to confuse, perplex, or embarrass

dissemble

to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression

dissidence

(n.) a difference of opinion; discontent

distraught

very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict

ebullient

(adj.) overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement; boiling, bubbling

echelon

(n.) one of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a steplike formation or arrangement

eclectic

(adj.) drawn from different sources; (n.) one whose beliefs are drawn from various sources

efficacy

(n.) the power to produce a desired result

effigy

(n.) a crude image of a despised person

effrontery

(n.) shameless boldness, impudence

embellish

(v.) to decorate, adorn, touch up; to improve by adding details

emulate

to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model

encomium

a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute

enervate

to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring

engender

(v.) to bring into existence, give rise to, produce; to come into existence

ephemeral

(adj.) lasting only a short time, short-lived

epicurean

(adj.) devoted to the pursuit of pleasure; fond of good food;comfort and ease; (n.) a person with discriminating taste

equity

(n.) the state or quality of being just or fair