Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop Level H U. 1-6

Front 1

acumen

Back 1

keenness of insight
quickness or accuracy of judgment
perspicacity; shrewdness; acuity

Front 2

adjudicate

Back 2

to act as a judge in a matter; arbitrate; referee; meditate

Front 3

anachronism

Back 3

a chronological misplacing of events, objects, customs, or persons in regard to each other; chronological error

Front 4

apocryphal

Back 4

of doubtful or questionable authenticity; fictitious, mythical, spurious, bogus

Front 5

disparity

Back 5

a difference or inequality in age, rank, degree, amount, or quality; a dissimilarity, unlikeness, discrepancy, incongruity

Front 6

dissimulate

Back 6

to hide or disguise one's true thoughts, feelings, or intentions; dissemble, pretend, misprepresent

Front 7

empirical

Back 7

derived from, dependent upon, or guided by practical experience, observation, or experiment, rather than by theory; so verifiable; observed, pragmatic

Front 8

flamboyant

Back 8

highly elaborate or ornate; vividly colored; strikingly brilliant or bold; showy, ostentatious; florid

Front 9

fulsome

Back 9

offensively insincere or excessive; disgusting, sickening; inordinate, repulsive

Front 10

immolate

Back 10

to kill as a sacrifice, expecially by fire; slay, kill

Front 11

imperceptible

Back 11

extremely slight; incapable of being perceived by the senses or the mind; minimal undetectable

Front 12

lackey

Back 12

a uniformed male servant; a servile follower; footman, toady, flunky, hanger-on

Front 13

liaison

Back 13

the contact of means of communication between groups; any close relationship; intermediary, channel

Front 14

monolithic

Back 14

characterized by massiveness, solidness, and total uniformity; undifferentiated, massive, dense

Front 15

mot juste

Back 15

the most suitable or exact word or expression; right word

Front 16

nihilism

Back 16

a total rejection of existing laws, institutions, and moral values, extreme radicalism

Front 17

patrician

Back 17

a member of the ruling class; belonging to or befitting of such a person; aristocrat, peer, noble; highborn

Front 18

propitiate

Back 18

to make someone or something favorably inclined toward oneself; to satisfy; placate, mollify

Front 19

sic

Back 19

thus so, intentionally written so

Front 20

sublimate

Back 20

to redirect the energy of a biological or instinctual impulse into a higher or more acceptable channel; rechannel, elevate

Front 21

apostate

Back 21

one who forsakes his or her religion, party, or cause; renegade, defector, turncoat

Front 22

bravado

Back 22

a display of false or assumed courage; swagger, bluster, braggadocio

Front 23

consensus

Back 23

a collective or general agreement of opinion, feeling, or thinking

Front 24

constrict

Back 24

to make smaller or narrower, draw together, squeeze; to stop or cause to falter; contract, curb, restrain

Front 25

dichotomy

Back 25

a division into two contradictory or mutually exclusive parts; a branching or forking in an ancestral line; schism, division, bifurcation

Front 26

effusive

Back 26

highly demonstrative; unrestrained; gushy, lavish

Front 27

euphoria

Back 27

a feeling of great happiness or well-being, often with no objective basis; elation, bliss, ecstasy, rapture

Front 28

gothic

Back 28

characterized by or emphasizing a gloomy setting and grotesque or violent events; such a literary or artistic style; a type of medieval architecture; sinister, eerie

Front 29

impasse

Back 29

a dead end; a position from which there is no escape; a problem to which there is no solution; deadlock, standoff, stalemate

Front 30

lugubrious

Back 30

sad, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree; doleful, melancholy, dismal, dolorous

Front 31

metamorphosis

Back 31

a complete transformation, as if by magic; change, makeover

Front 32

mystique

Back 32

an aura or attitude of mystery or veneration surrounding something or someone; charisma

Front 33

non sequitur

Back 33

an inference or conclusion that does not follow logically from the facts or premises; illogical reference, unsound conclusion

Front 34

parlous

Back 34

full of danger or risk, perilous; hazardous, risky, dangerous

Front 35

punctilio

Back 35

a minute detail of conduct or procedure; an instant of time; fine point, nicety

Front 36

quagmire

Back 36

soft, soggy mud or slush; a difficult or entrapping situation; fen, marsh, bog, morass

Front 37

quixotic

Back 37

extravagantly or romantically idealistic; visionary without regard to practical considerations; fanciful, impractical, utopian

Front 38

raconteur

Back 38

a person who tells stories and anecdotes with great skill; storyteller, anecdotist

Front 39

sine qua non

Back 39

an essential or indispensable element or condition

Front 40

vendetta

Back 40

a prolonged feud, often between two families, characterized by retaliatory acts of revenge; blood feud, rivalry

Front 41

apposite

Back 41

appropriate; suitable; apt; relevant, pertinent, material, germane

Front 42

augur

Back 42

a prophet or seer; to predict, foreshadow; oracle; bode

Front 43

bilk

Back 43

to defraud, cheat, or swindle; to evade payment of; to frustrate, thwart, dupe, cozen

Front 44

charisma

Back 44

to special personal magnetism that makes an individual exceptionally appealing to other people; appeal, charm, mystique

Front 45

debilitate

Back 45

to make weak or feeble; enervate, sap, exhaust, enfeeble

Front 46

execrable

Back 46

utterly detestable, hateful, or abhorrent; extremely inferior; odious, abominable, reprehensible

Front 47

impinge

Back 47

to strike against or collide with violently; to encroach or obtrude upon; horn in, affect

Front 48

labyrinth

Back 48

a bewildering maze; any confusing or complicated situation; tangle, mystery, enigma

Front 49

narcissism

Back 49

excessive self-love; absorption in oneself; egotism, conceit, vanity, amour propre

Front 50

niggardly

Back 50

stingy; meanly small or insufficient; tightfisted, penny-pinching, mean

Front 51

pastiche

Back 51

a dramatic, musical, or literary work made up of bits and pieces from other sources; a hodgepodge; medley, patchwork, melange, potpourri

Front 52

precarious

Back 52

very uncertain or unsure; dangerous or risky; perilous, dubious, ticklish

Front 53

rapport

Back 53

a close or harmonious relationship; bond, tie, affinity, understanding

Front 54

utilitarian

Back 54

stressing practicality over other considerations; relating to the belief that what is good or desirable is determined purely by its usefulness; practical, functional, pragmatic

Front 55

vacuous

Back 55

devoid of matter, substance, or meaning; lacking ideas or intelligence; purposeless; inane, insipid, fatuous, void, empty

Front 56

vagary

Back 56

an inpredictable, erratic, or seemingly purposeless action, occurrence, or notion; caprice, whim, quirk

Front 57

viable

Back 57

capable of living or developing under normal circumstances

Front 58

xenophobia

Back 58

undue or unreasonable fear, hatred, or contempt of foreigners or strangers; provinciality, parochialism, chauvinism

Front 59

zany

Back 59

clownish or funny in a crazy, bizarre, or ludicrous way; one who plays the clown; comical, daffy; buffoon

Front 60

zealot

Back 60

a fanatical partisan; an ardent follower; fanatic, extremist

Front 61

accolade

Back 61

praise or approval; a ceremonial embrace or greeting

Front 62

acerbity

Back 62

sourness or bitterness of taste; harshness or severity of manner or expression; acidity, astringency, mordancy, asperity

Front 63

attrition

Back 63

the process of wearing down by friction or gradual impairment; abrasion, erosion, exhaustion, reduction

Front 64

bromide

Back 64

a trite or commonplace remark; a tiresome or boring person; a sedative; cliche, platitude

Front 65

chauvinist

Back 65

extravagantly patriotic; blindly devoted to a cause; such a person; superpatriot, flag-waver, jingoist

Front 66

chronic

Back 66

continuing over a long period of time or recurring often; recurrent, persistent, inveterate, habitual

Front 67

expound

Back 67

to explain in detail; elucidate, explicate, delineate

Front 68

factionalism

Back 68

party strife and intrigue; infighting, dissension

Front 69

immaculate

Back 69

spotless; without blemish or fault; unsoiled, impeccable

Front 70

imprecation

Back 70

a curse; the act of cursing; execration, malediction

Front 71

ineluctable

Back 71

not able to be avoided, changed, or overcome; unavoidable, inescapable, inevitable

Front 72

mercurial

Back 72

characterized by rapid and unpredictable changes of mood; fickle or inconstant; erratic, flighty, capricious, volatile

Front 73

palliate

Back 73

to make less serious or severe by glossing over; to relieve without actually curing, mitigate; alleviate, extenuate

Front 74

protocol

Back 74

customs and regulations dealing with official behavior and etiquette; a type of international agreement; code of conduct; minutes

Front 75

resplendent

Back 75

shining or gleaming brilliantly; splendid or magnificent; radiant, dazzling, glorious

Front 76

stigmatize

Back 76

to brand or mark as in some way discreditable, disgraceful, or ignominious; sully, taint, disgrace

Front 77

sub rosa

Back 77

in secret; confidentially; privately; covertly, stealthily, furtively

Front 78

vainglory

Back 78

excessive pride in and boastfulness about one's own accomplishments or qualities; vanity, conceit, swagger, pretentiousness

Front 79

vestige

Back 79

a trace or visible evidence of something that once existed but now is lost or vanished; artifact, relic, remains

Front 80

volition

Back 80

the power to choose, will, or decide; the act of choosing, willing, or deciding; free will, choice

Front 81

accoutrements

Back 81

accessory items of clothing or equipment; gear, equipage, apurtenances

Front 82

apogee

Back 82

the point in the orbit of a heavenly body or artificial satellite farthest from the earth; the farthest or highest point; zenith, apex, summit, pinnacle

Front 83

apropos

Back 83

appropriate, opportune; relevantly; incidentally, by the way; speaking of; pertinent, germane, apposite, relevant

Front 84

bicker

Back 84

to engage in a petty or peevish dispute; to move or run rapidly, rush; to flicker, quiver

Front 85

coalesce

Back 85

to blend together or fuse so as to form one body or substance

Front 86

contretemps

Back 86

an inopportune or embarrassing occurrence; a mishap; blunder, mischance, faux pas, gaffe

Front 87

convolution

Back 87

a rolling up, coiling, or twisting together; a sinuous folding or design; twist, turn, complication

Front 88

cull

Back 88

to pick out or select; to gather or collect; glean, choose, pluck

Front 89

disparate

Back 89

completely distinct or different; entirely dissimilar

Front 90

dogmatic

Back 90

certain of the truth of one's own ideas; inclined to state opinions as if they were indisputable facts; opinionated, doctrinaire, authoritarian

Front 91

licentious

Back 91

morally or sexually unrestrained; having no reguard for accepted rules, customs, or laws; wanton, dissolute, lascivious

Front 92

mete

Back 92

to distribute or apportion by or as if by measure; to allot; assign, parcel out

Front 93

noxious

Back 93

harmful to physical health or morals; pernicious, noisome, deleterious, toxic

Front 94

polemic

Back 94

an aggressive attack on or refutation of a specific opinion or doctrine; diatribe, controversy

Front 95

populous

Back 95

full of people; filled to capacity; crowded, teeming, swarming

Front 96

probity

Back 96

complete and confirmed honesty; total integrity; uprightness, rectitude

Front 97

repartee

Back 97

a swift, witty reply; skill in making such replies or conversation; retort, comeback, banter, verbal sparring

Front 98

supervene

Back 98

to take place or occur as something additional or unexpected; to follow immediately after; ensue, succeed

Front 99

truncate

Back 99

to shorten by or as if by cutting off; lop; trim, abbreviate, curtail

Front 100

unimpeachable

Back 100

beyond doubt or reproach; unquestionable; irreproachable, irrefutable, unassailable

Front 101

adumbrate

Back 101

to outline or sketch broadly; to foreshadow or prefigure; indicate

Front 102

apotheosis

Back 102

the elevation of a person to a divine rank or status; a glorified ideal; deification

Front 103

ascetic

Back 103

practicing strict self-denial for the sake of personal or spiritual discipline; one who leads a life of self-discipline; austere, spartan; celibate

Front 104

bauble

Back 104

a small, showy ornament of little value or use; trifle, gewgaw, knickknack, bagatelle

Front 105

beguile

Back 105

to mislead or deceive; to cheat; to divert; to cause to vanish unnoticed; delude, dupe; lure, while away

Front 106

burgeon

Back 106

to put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; to develop rapidly or suddently; sprout, blossom, bloom, flourish

Front 107

complement

Back 107

something that completes a whole; the quantity or number needed to make up a whole; the full number or allowance; to complete; balance; round out

Front 108

contumacious

Back 108

obstinately or willfully disobedient; openly rebellious; impudent, unruly, defiant, refractory

Front 109

curmudgeon

Back 109

an irascible, churlish person; grouch, crank, sorehead, churl

Front 110

didactic

Back 110

intended to instruct, especially morally; inclined to moralize too much; educational, instructional, moralistic

Front 111

disingenuous

Back 111

lacking in sincerity or candor; artful, sly, two-faced, insincere

Front 112

exculpate

Back 112

to clear of guilt or blame; absolve, exonerate, acquit

Front 113

faux pas

Back 113

a slip in manners or conduct; a social blunder

Front 114

fulminate

Back 114

to denounce or condemn vehemently; to explode; rail, inveigh

Front 115

fustian

Back 115

inflated or pretentious language in speech or writing; a cloth made of cotton and flax; rant, claptrap, bombast, grandiloquence

Front 116

hauteur

Back 116

haughtiness of bearing or attitude

Front 117

inhibit

Back 117

to restrain or hold back; to hinder or arrest; to prohibit; repress, check, suppress

Front 118

jeremiad

Back 118

an elaborate or prolonged lamentation; any tale of woe; paean, song of praise

Front 119

opportunist

Back 119

one who makes a practice of taking advantage of circumstances to further his or her own self-interest, regardless of principles or ultimate consequences; self-seeker, exploiter

Front 120

unconscionable

Back 120

not guided or restrained by conscience, prudence, or reason; unscrupulous; immoderate; unjustifiable, indefensible, unforgivable