Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop Units 5-8

Front 1

acuity

Back 1

(n) sharpness, particularly of the mind or senses

Front 2

delineate

Back 2

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

Front 3

depraved

Back 3

(adj) marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principles

Front 4

enervate

Back 4

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

Front 5

esoteric

Back 5

(adj) intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret

Front 6

fecund

Back 6

(adj) fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive

Front 7

fiat

Back 7

(n) an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of will or consciousness

Front 8

figment

Back 8

(n) a fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion

Front 9

garner

Back 9

(v) to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use

Front 10

hallow

Back 10

(v) to set apart as holy or sacred, sanctify, consecrate; to honor greatly, revere

Front 11

idiosyncrasy

Back 11

(n) a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify

Front 12

ignominy

Back 12

(n) shame and disgrace

Front 13

mundane

Back 13

(adj) earthly, worldly, relating to practical and material affairs; concerned with what is ordinary

Front 14

nuance

Back 14

(n) a subtle or slight variant (as in color, meaning, quality), delicate graduation or shade of difference

Front 15

overweening

Back 15

(adj) conceited, presumptuous; excessive, immoderate

Front 16

penchant

Back 16

(n) a strong attraction or inclination

Front 17

reputed

Back 17

(adj) according to reputation or general belief; having widespread acceptance and good reputation; (part.) alleged

Front 18

sophistry

Back 18

(n) reasoning that seems plausible but is actually unsound; a fallacy

Front 19

sumptuous

Back 19

(adj) costly, rich, magnificent

Front 20

ubiquitous

Back 20

(adj) present or existing everywhere

Front 21

abject

Back 21

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

Front 22

agnostic

Back 22

(n) one who believes that nothing can be known about God; a skeptic; (adj) without faith, skeptic

Front 23

complicity

Back 23

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

Front 24

derelict

Back 24

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

Front 25

diatribe

Back 25

(n) a bitter and prolonged verbal attack

Front 26

effigy

Back 26

(n) a crude image of a despise person

Front 27

equity

Back 27

(n) the state or quality of being just, fair, or impartial; fair and equal treatment; something that is fair; the money value of a property above and beyond any mortgage or other claim

Front 28

inane

Back 28

(adj) silly, empty of meaning or value

Front 29

indictment

Back 29

(n) the act of accusing; a formal accusation

Front 30

indubitable

Back 30

(adj) certain, not to be doubted or denied

Front 31

intermittent

Back 31

(adj) stopping and beginning again, sporadic

Front 32

moot

Back 32

(adj) open to discussion and debate, unresolved; (v) to bring up for discussion; (n) a hypothetical law case argued by students

Front 33

motif

Back 33

(n) a principle idea, feature, theme, or element; a repeated or dominant figure in a design

Front 34

neophyte

Back 34

(n) a new convert, beginner, novice

Front 35

perspicacity

Back 35

(n) keenness is observing and understanding

Front 36

plenary

Back 36

(adj) complete in all aspects or essentials; absolute; attended by all qualified members

Front 37

surveillance

Back 37

(n) a watch kept over a person; careful, close, and disciplined observation

Front 38

sylvan

Back 38

(adj) pertaining to or characteristic of forests; living or located in a forest; wooded, woody

Front 39

testy

Back 39

(adj) easily irritated; characterized by impatience and exasperation

Front 40

travesty

Back 40

(n) a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation; a disguise, especially in the clothing of the opposite sex; (v) to ridicule by imitating in a broad or burlesque fashion

Front 41

allay

Back 41

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

Front 42

bestial

Back 42

(adj) beast like; beastly, brutal; subhuman in intelligence and sensibility

Front 43

convivial

Back 43

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

Front 44

coterie

Back 44

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

Front 45

counterpart

Back 45

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

Front 46

demur

Back 46

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

Front 47

effrontery

Back 47

(n) shameless boldness, impudence

Front 48

embellish

Back 48

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

Front 49

ephemeral

Back 49

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

Front 50

felicitous

Back 50

(adj) appropriate, apt, well chosen; marked by well-being or good fortune, happy

Front 51

furtive

Back 51

(adj) done slyly or stealthily, sneaky, secret, shifty; stolen

Front 52

garish

Back 52

(adj) glaring; tasteless lay showy or overdecorated in a vulgar or offensive way

Front 53

illusory

Back 53

(adj) misleading, deceptive; lacking in or not based on reality

Front 54

indigent

Back 54

(adj) needy, impoverished

Front 55

inordinate

Back 55

(adj) far too great, exceeding reasonable limits, excessive

Front 56

jettison

Back 56

(v) to cast overboard, get rid of as unnecessary or burdensome

Front 57

misanthrope

Back 57

(n) a person who hates or despises people

Front 58

pertinacious

Back 58

(adj) very persistent; holding firmly to a course of action or a set of beliefs; hard to get rid of, refusing to be put off or denied

Front 59

picayune

Back 59

(adj) of little value or importance, paltry, measly; concerned with trifling matters, small-minded

Front 60

raiment

Back 60

(n) clothing, garments

Front 61

allege

Back 61

(v) to assert without proof or confirmation

Front 62

arrant

Back 62

(adj) thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant

Front 63

badinage

Back 63

(n) light and playful conversation

Front 64

conciliate

Back 64

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

Front 65

countermand

Back 65

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

Front 66

echelon

Back 66

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

Front 67

exacerbate

Back 67

(v) to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful

Front 68

fatuous

Back 68

(adj) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way

Front 69

irrefutable

Back 69

(adj) impossible to disprove; beyond argument

Front 70

juggernaut

Back 70

(n) a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path

Front 71

Lackadaisical

Back 71

(adj) lacking spirit or interest; halfhearted

Front 72

litany

Back 72

(n) a prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternating with responses from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list

Front 73

macabre

Back 73

(adj) grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject

Front 74

paucity

Back 74

(n) an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth

Front 75

portend

Back 75

(v) to indicate beforehand that something is about to happen; to give advance warning of

Front 76

raze

Back 76

(V) to tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out

Front 77

recant

Back 77

(V) to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract

Front 78

saturate

Back 78

(v) to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity; to satisfy fully

Front 79

saturnine

Back 79

(adj) of a gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood

Front 80

slough

Back 80

(V) to cast off, discard; to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud; (n) a mire; a state of depression