Vocabulary Workshop Level H Units 12-15

Front 1

apposite

Back 1

(adjective)
aproprate; suitable; apt

Front 2

augur

Back 2

(noun)
a prophet or seer
(verb)
to predict, foreshadow

Front 3

bilk

Back 3

(verb)
to defraud, cheat, or swindle; to evade payment of; to frustrate, thwart

Front 4

charisma

Back 4

(noun)
the special personal magnetism that makes an individual exceptionally appealing to other people; a divinely bestowed gift or power

Front 5

debilitate

Back 5

(verb)
to make weak or feeble

Front 6

execrable

Back 6

(adjective)
utterly detestable, hateful, or abhorrent; extremely inferior

Front 7

impinge

Back 7

(verb)
to strike aginst or collide with violently; to encroach or obtrude upon, to make an impression upon

Front 8

labyrinth

Back 8

(noun)
a bewildering maze; any confusing or complicated situation

Front 9

narcissim

Back 9

(noun)
excessive self-love; absorption in oneself

Front 10

penultimate

Back 10

(adjective)
next to the last

Front 11

pastiche

Back 11

(noun)
a dramatic, musical, or literary work made up of bits and pieces from other sources; a hodgepodge

Front 12

precarious

Back 12

(adjective)
very uncertain or unsure; dangerous or risky

Front 13

rapport

Back 13

(noun)
a close and harmonious relationship

Front 14

utilitarian

Back 14

(adjective)
stressing practicality over other considerations; relating to the belief that what is good or desirable is determined purely by its usefulness

Front 15

vacuous

Back 15

(adjective)
devoid of matter, substance, or meaning; lacking ideas or intelligence; purposeless

Front 16

vagary

Back 16

(noun)
an unpredictable, erratic, or seemingly purposeless action, occurrence, or notion

Front 17

viable

Back 17

(adjective)
capable of living or developing under normal circumstances

Front 18

xenophobia

Back 18

(noun)
undue or unreasonable fear, hatred, or contempt of foreigners or strangers of what is foreign or strange

Front 19

zany

Back 19

(adjective)
clownish or funny in a crazy, bizarre, or ludicrous way
(noun)
one who plays the clown

Front 20

zealot

Back 20

(noun)
a fanatical partisan; an ardent follower

Front 21

accolade

Back 21

(noun)
praise or approval; a ceremonial embrace or greeting

Front 22

acerbity

Back 22

(noun)
sourness or bitterness of taste; harshness or severity of manner or expression

Front 23

attrition

Back 23

(noun)
the process of wearing down by friction or gradual impairment

Front 24

bromide

Back 24

(noun)
a trite or commonplace remark; a tiresome or boring person; a sedative

Front 25

chauvinist

Back 25

(adjective)
extravagantly patriotic; blindly devoted to a cause
(noun)
such a person

Front 26

chronic

Back 26

(adjective)
continuing over a long period of time or recurring often

Front 27

expound

Back 27

(verb)
to explain in detail

Front 28

factionalism

Back 28

(noun)
party strife and intrigue

Front 29

immaculate

Back 29

(adjective)
spotless; without blemish or fault

Front 30

imprecation

Back 30

(noun)
a curse; the act of cursing

Front 31

ineluctable

Back 31

(adjective)
not able to be avoided, changed, or overcome

Front 32

mercurial

Back 32

(adjective)
charcterized by rapid and unpredictable changes of mood; fickle or inconstant

Front 33

palliate

Back 33

(verb)
to make less serious or severe by glossing over; to relieve without actually curing, mitigate

Front 34

protocol

Back 34

(noun)
customs and regulations dealing with official behavior and etiquette, as in a court or among diplomats; a type of international agreement; a memorandum, official account, or record

Front 35

resplendent

Back 35

(adjective)
shining or gleaming brilliantly; splendid or magnificent

Front 36

stigmatize

Back 36

(verb)
to brand or mark as in some way discreditable, disgraceful, or ignominious

Front 37

sub rosa

Back 37

(adverb)
in secret; confidentially; privately
(adjective)
secretive

Front 38

vainglory

Back 38

(noun)
excessive pride in and boastfulness about one's own accomplishments or qualities; a vain show or display

Front 39

vestige

Back 39

(noun)
a trace or visible evidence of something that once existed but now is lost or vanished

Front 40

volition

Back 40

(noun)
the power to choose, will, or decide; the act of choosing, willing, or deciding

Front 41

accoutrements

Back 41

(noun, plural)
accessory items of clothing or equipment; a soldier's outfit, usually not including arms or clothing; trappings

Front 42

apogee

Back 42

(noun)
the point in the orbit of a heavenly body or artificial satellite farthest from the earth; the farthest or highest point

Front 43

apropos

Back 43

(adjective)
appropriate, opportune
(adverb)
relevantly; incidentally, by the way; speaking of

Front 44

bicker

Back 44

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

Front 45

coalesce

Back 45

(verb)
to blend together or fuse so as to form one body or substance

Front 46

contretemps

Back 46

(noun)
an inopportune or embarrassing occurrence; a mishap

Front 47

convolution

Back 47

(noun)
a rolling up, coiling, or twisting together; a sinuous folding or design

Front 48

cull

Back 48

(verb)
to pick out or select; to gather or collect

Front 49

disparate

Back 49

(adjective)
completely distinct or different; entirely dissimilar

Front 50

dogmatic

Back 50

(adjective)
certain of the truth of one's own ideas; inclined to state opinions as if they were indisputable

Front 51

licentious

Back 51

(adjective)
morally or sexually unrestrained; having no regard for accepted rules, customs, or laws

Front 52

mete

Back 52

(verb)
to distribute or apportion by or as if by measure; to allot

Front 53

noxious

Back 53

(adjective)
harmful to physical health or morals

Front 54

polemic

Back 54

(noun)
an aggressive attack on or refutation of a specific opinion or doctrine

Front 55

populous

Back 55

(adjective)
full of people; filled to capacity; densely populated; having a large population

Front 56

probity

Back 56

(noun)
complete and confirmed honesty; total integrity

Front 57

repartee

Back 57

(noun)
a swift, witty reply; conversation full of such remarks; skill in making such replies or conversation

Front 58

supervene

Back 58

(verb)
to take place or occur as something additional or expected to follow immediately after

Front 59

truncate

Back 59

(verb)
to shorten by or as if by cutting off, lop

Front 60

unimpeachable

Back 60

(adjective)
beyond doubt or reproach; unquestionable

Front 61

adumbrate

Back 61

v. to outline or sketch broadly; to foreshadow or prefigure; to disclose partially
Syn. indicate

Front 62

apotheosis

Back 62

n. the elevation of a person to a divine rank or status; the glorification of a person as an ideal; a glorified ideal
Syn. deification

Front 63

ascetic

Back 63

adj. practicing strict self-denial for the sake of personal or spiritual discipline; n. one who leads a life of self-discipline, especially to express religious devotion
Syn. adj. austere, spartan; n. celibate
Ant. wanton, dissolute; n. hedonist

Front 64

bauble

Back 64

n. a small, showy ornament of little value or use
Syn. trifle, gewgaw, knickknack, bagatelle
Ant. gem, precious jewel, treasure

Front 65

beguile

Back 65

v. to mislead or deceive; to cheat; to diver; to cause to vanish unnoticed
Syn. delude, dupe, lure, while away

Front 66

burgeon

Back 66

v. to put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; to develop rapidly or suddenly
Syn. sprout, blossom, bloom, flourish
Ant. atrophy, wither, shrivel, diminish

Front 67

complement

Back 67

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

Front 68

contumacious

Back 68

adj. obstinately or willfully disobedient; openly rebellious
Syn. impudent, unruly, defiant, refractory
Ant. docile, meek, deferential, cooperative

Front 69

curmudgeon

Back 69

n. an irascible, churlish person
Syn. grouch, crank, sorehead, churl

Front 70

didactic

Back 70

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

Front 71

disingenuous

Back 71

adj. lacking in sincerity or candor
Syn. artful, sly, two-faced, insincere
Ant. candid, frank, artless, sincere

Front 72

exculpate

Back 72

v. to clear of guilt or blame
Syn. absolve, exonerate, acquit
Ant. convict, condemn

Front 73

faux pas

Back 73

n. a slip in manners or conduct; a social blunder
Syn. indiscretion, gaffe
Ant. coup, tour de force

Front 74

fulminate

Back 74

v. to denounce or condemn vehemently; to explode, detonate
Syn. rail, inveigh
Ant. praise, applaud, commend, extol

Front 75

fustian

Back 75

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

Front 76

hauteur

Back 76

n. haughtiness of bearing or attitude
Syn. conceit, superciliousness, snobbish
Ant. modesty, humility, diffidence, mousiness

Front 77

inhibit

Back 77

v. to restrain or hold back; to hinder or arrest; to prohibit
Syn. repress, check, suppress
Ant. foster, promote, expedite, facilitate

Front 78

jeremiad

Back 78

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

Front 79

opportunist

Back 79

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

Front 80

unconscionable

Back 80

adj. not guided or restrained by conscience, prudence, or reason; unscrupulous; immoderate
Syn. unjustifiable, indefensible, unforgivable
Ant. justifiable, reasonable, honorable