A World of Words

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A World of Words

• Vocabulary Level G Unit 11

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abrogate

• The 21st amendment of United States Constitution
  abrogated the 18th amendment, or the Dry Law.

• Verb
• To repeal, cancel, declare null and void
• S annul, revoke
• A reaffirm, renew, ratify

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ambient

• Some soon-to-be mothers put headphones to their
  bellies to provide ambient classical music for
  their fetus.

• Adjective
• Completely surrounding, encompassing

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asperity

• The asperity of the tough cops questions
  disarmed the suspect, and he began telling the
  truth about the murder.

• Noun
• Roughness, severity bitterness, tartness
• S rigor, harshness
• A mildness, blandness, softness, lenience

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burnish

• The woman burnished her feet by walking on the
  beach until they were completely exfoliated.

• Verb
• To make smooth or glossy by rubbing, polish
• S shine, buff
• A tarnish, dull, abrade
• Noun
• Gloss, brightness, luster

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cabal

• The government cabal worked to stop the increase
  in gang activity.

• Noun
• A small group working in secret
• S clique, ring, gang, plot, conspiracy

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delectable

• Hannibal considered human flesh quite delectable.

• Adjective
• Delightful, highly enjoyable deliciously
  flavored, savory
• S delicious
• A repugnant, repulsive, distasteful
• Noun
• An appealing or appetizing food or dish

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deprecate

• My dad always deprecates my brothers music
  because when he listens, he hears simply noise.

• Verb
• To express mild disapproval to belittle
• S deplore, frown upon
• A smile on, countenance, approve

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detritus

• The detritus from the tornado was evident all
  over the town.

• Noun
• Loose bits and pieces of material resulting from
  disintegration or wearing away fragments that
  result from any destruction
• S debris, wreckage, ruins, rubble

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ebullient

• The ebullient cheerleading squad began to get on
  the crowds nerves with their Vaseline-induced
  smiles.

• Adjective
• Overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement
  boiling, bubbling
• S exhilarated, elated, exuberant
• A gloomy, morose, sullen, apathetic, blasé

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eclectic

• He has a very eclectic taste in music ranging
  from classical to hard rock to country to techno.

• Adjective
• Drawn from different sources
• A selective, synthetic, pick and choose
• A uniform, monolithic
• Noun
• One whose beliefs are drawn from various sources

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flaccid

• Because the athlete had not worked out in months,
  his muscles had grown flaccid.

• Adjective
• Limp, not firm lacking vigor or effectiveness
• S soft, flabby
• A hard, firm, solid

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impecunious

• Most impecunious college students will eat odd
  meals to prevent starvation.

• Adjective
• Having little or no money
• S penniless, impoverished, indigent
• A affluent, wealthy, prosperous, rich

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inexorable

• In the Greek tragedies, nothing could save
  characters like Oedipus Rex from their inexorable
  fates.

• Adjective
• Inflexible, beyond influence relentless,
  unyielding
• S inescapable, ineluctable, obdurate
• A avoidable, yielding, pliant

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moribund

• My husband and I knew our fish were moribund when
  they stopped eating their food.

• Adjective
• Dying, on the way out
• S obsolescent
• A flourishing, thriving

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necromancer

• The necromancer claimed to reach the spirits
  through his skill with the Ouija board.

• Noun
• One who claims to reveal or influence the future
  through magic, especially communication with the
  dead in general a magician or wizard
• S sorcerer, conjurer

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onerous

• I think all of us could agree that the research
  paper is an onerous task to complete as well as
  an onerous task to grade.

• Adjective
• Burdensome involving hardship or difficulty
• S oppressive, weighty
• A light, easy, undemanding, untaxing

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rife

• Since the beauty contestant knew singing and
  dancing would be rife in the competition, she
  chose to wow the judges with a comedy routine.

• Adjective
• Common, prevalent, widespread, happening often
  full, abounding plentiful, abundant, replete
• A devoid of, lacking

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rudiments

• Before you learn calculus, you must learn the
  rudiments of math.

• Noun (plural)
• The parts of any subject or discipline that are
  learned first the earliest stages of anything
• S fundamentals, basics

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sequester

• During the famous trial, the judge ordered the
  jury to be sequestered.

• Verb
• To set apart, separate for a special purpose to
  take possession of and hold in custody
• S seclude, segregate, isolate, closet

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winnow

• The guy winnowed through the garbage to find the
  girls phone number that he had accidentally
  thrown away.

• Verb
• To get rid of something unwanted, delete to sift
  though to obtain what is desirable to remove the
  chaff from the wheat by blowing air on it to
  blow on, fan
• S sift, strain, filter, sort