1st Block 10th GAW Fall 2023

words, definitions, sentences

acerbic

adjective

uh - **sur** - buhk

sharply or bitingly critical, sarcastic, or ironic in temper, mood, or tone.

\
After John heard Sam's **acerbic** *comments,* he ended the friendship immediately.

acuity

noun

əˈkyo͞oədē

sharpness or keenness of thought, vision, or hearing

\
Nothing is more important to the development of **acuity** in visual thought than drawing.

aesthete

noun

ˈesˌTHēt

a person who has or affects to have a special appreciation of art and beauty

\
And this is the condition of the decadent, of the **aesthete**, of the free-lover.

amorphous

adjective

əˈmôrfəs

without a clearly defined shape or form

\
They were **amorphous** blobs of darkness that shifted between three shapes.

assuage

verb

əˈswāj

make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense

\
Those last few drops of water did little to **assuage** his thirst.

atrophy

verb

atrəfē

(of body tissue or an organ) waste away, especially as a result of the degeneration of cells, or become vestigial during evolution

\
There's no telling how much further my language skills will **atrophy.**

avarice

noun

avərəs

extreme greed for wealth or material gain

\
He was rich beyond the dreams of **avarice**.

avow

Verb

Uh-vau

Assert or confess openly

\
She had something to **avow**.

broach

Verb

Browch

Raise for discussion

\
He **broached** the subject carefully.

charlatan

Noun

shaar-luh-tn

A person falsely claiming to have special knowledge or skill

\
They were such **charlatans**; they knew nothing.

churlish

Adjective

Chur-luhsh

Rude in a mean spirited way

\
The way he said it was so **churlish**.

contentious

Adjective

Kuhn-ten-shushs

Likely to cause an argument

\
This debate is going to be very **contentious**.

copious

Adjective

Kaw-pee-uhs

Abundant in supply or quantity

\
When she got home, she had a **copious** amount of homework to do.

corpulence

noun

cor·pu·len·cy

the state of being fat; obesity

\
Her **corpulence** is the butt of every joke.

coterie

noun

co·te·rie

a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people.

\
His films are admired by a small **coterie** of critics.

curmudgeon

noun

cur·mudg·eon

a bad-tempered person, especially an old one

\
These aren’t just the mutterings of an old **curmudgeon**.

demagogue

noun

dem·a·gogue

a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

\
Again, his adversaries used to call him a dangerous **demagogue**.

diffidence

noun

dif·fi·dence

modesty or shyness resulting from a lack of self-confidence

\
I say this with some **diffidence**.

divination

noun

div·i·na·tion

the practice of seeking knowledge of the future or the unknown by supernatural means

\
The Celts practiced the art of **divination**.

duplicity

noun

doo-plis-i-ty

contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action

\
Even though she told her mom she wasn't upset about it, her **duplicity** was obvious from the tears on her cheeks

elucidate

verb

ee-loo-si-date

to give a clarifying explanation

\
I will **elucidate** further to demonstrate the significance of the situation

equivocate

verb

equiv-oh-cate

to subject to two or more interpretations and use to mislead or confuse

\
I wish he wouldn't **equivocate** about this issue and instead give me a straight answer.

erudition

noun

eh-roo-dish-uhn

extensive knowledge acquired chiefly from books

\
She was known for her **erudition** from all those books she read.

ethereal

adjective

eth-ee-ree-al

of or relating to the regions beyond the earth

\
Its beauty was **ethereal**, like something I had never seen before,

flippant

adjective

flip-ant

lacking proper respect or seriousness

\
She was **flippant** in the eyes of her co-workers because she was always making jokes when work needed to be done.

foible

noun

foi·​ble

a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior

\
We could tolerate my uncle's **foibles** because we loved him dearly.

furtive

adjective

fur·​tive

taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth

\
She glanced **furtively** around the room.

garish

adjective

gar·ish

excessively ornate or elaborate, as buildings or writings

\
On social media, the foundation became famous for exposing the **garish** wealth of these elites.

guile

noun

gahyl

insidious cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception; duplicity

\
Stewart, generally a marvelous actor, plays Diana as a mannered doe—the performance is packed with calculation and **guile**.

hiatus

noun

hahy-ey-tuhs

a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

\
San Antonio ranked 15th in pace before the **hiatus**, compiling a 27-36 record during that time.

hoary

adjective

hawr-ee

gray or white with age

\
She loved her old dog with a **hoary** muzzle.

incorrigible

adjective

in-korr-i-juh-buhl

(of a person or their tendencies) not able to be corrected, improved, or reformed

\
He has an **incorrigible** habit of whistling at meal times.

indecorous

adjective

in-dek-uh-ruhs

not in keeping with good taste and propriety; improper

\
She could not ignore his **indecorous** behavior though she loved him very much.

inveigh

verb

I-n-v-e

speak or write about (something) with great hostility

\
He liked to **inveigh** against all forms of academic training

inveterate

adjective

in-vet-uh-ruht

having a particular habit, activity, or interest that is long-established and unlikely to change

\
He was a congenital reformer, an **inveterate** crusader.

irascible

adjective

i-ras-uh-buhl

having or showing a tendency to be easily angered

\
But she wasn't laughing at Leo; she was amused with her own **irascible** mood.

juncture

noun

juhngk-chr

a particular point or stage in an activity or a series of events

\
The investigation was at a critical juncture.

laconic

adjective

luh-kaa-nuhk

using very few words

\
The poet was **laconic** with his speech.

maudlin

adjective

maad-luhn

self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness

\
During the non-serving period the scene inside was more **maudlin**.

meander

verb/noun

mee-an-dr

(of a river or road) follow a winding course

\
The river **meandered** between the hills

multifarious

adjective

muhl-tuh-feh-ree-uhs

many and of various types

\
Spain is a composite of **multifarious** traditions and people.

obsequious

adjective

aab-see-kwee-uhs

obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree

\
The waiters came hurrying forward with **obsequious** smiles on their faces

paragon

noun

**par-***uh-*g*uh*n

a model or pattern of excellence or of a particular excellence

\
Then he thought bitterly upon that **paragon** of perfection who had caused his banishment.

pariah

noun

p*uh-***rhay**-*uh*

any person or animal that is generally despised or avoided; an outcast

\
The human order hostile, he quickly loses his self-respect and becomes the **pariah** class.

paucity

noun

**paw**-si-tee

smallness of quantity; scarcity; insufficiency of number

\
Poor health care, a **paucity** of jobs, and a sense of instability is now taking its toll.

poignant

adjective

**poin**-y*uh*nt

keenly distressing to the feelings

\
You included a **poignant** anecdote about your son interrupting your reading on a rainy day.

progeny

noun

**proj**-*uh*-nee

a descendant or offspring, as a child, plant, or animal

\
The **progeny** were pushed with a full supply of nutritious food, and systematically brought to early maturity.

protean

adjective

**proh**-tee-*uh*n

readily assuming different forms or characters; extremely variable

\
Amoebas are **protean**, as they are very changeable in shape and form.

protract

Verb

Proh trakt

To prolong or extend

\
We continued to **protract** our statement since it made us sound like we knew a lot more than we really did.

recalcitrant

adjective

Ri-cal-se-tret

an obstinately uncooperative attitude

\
The spoiled, **recalcitrant** teen fled from authorities when caught vandalizing a corner store.

reprobate

noun

Re-pro-bait

an unprincipled or depraved person

\
The **reprobates** and drunks were often held in the county jail when caught,

ruminate

Verb

Ru-me-nat

To engage in contemplation

\
The man sat in his living room, **ruminating** over the his business venture.

savant

noun

Se-Vont

A very learned or talented person, especially one distinguished in a particular field of science or the arts

\
He was often hailed as a **savant** and genius by those around him for the major innovations in science and biology he led.

surly

adjective

sur-lee

churlishly rude or bad-tempered

\
On a previous visit I found him to be somewhat **surly**, but last night he was downright rude!

taciturn

adjective

tas-i-turn

inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation

He was without question a reactionary, morose and **taciturn**, and spent nearly all his time shut up in his palace.

tenuous

adjective

ten-yoo-uhs

lacking a sound basis, as reasoning; unsubstantiated; weak

\
He felt his grip on reality was becoming increasingly **tenuous**.

turpitude

noun

tur-pi-tood

vile, shameful, or base character; depravity

\
Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offense involving moral **turpitude**?

virulent

adjective

vir-yuh-luhnt

actively poisonous; intensely noxious:

\
The worst feature was a **virulent** outbreak of cholera in Gujarat, especially in the native states.

vociferous

adjective

voh-sif-er-uhs

crying out noisily; clamorous

\
I think we have a **vociferous** minority against a silent majority.

intrinsic

adjective

/inˈtrinzik/

belonging naturally; essential

\
Access to the arts is intrinsic to a high quality of life.