Vocabulary Units 1-8

 

WORDLY WISE UNIT 1

Word

Definition 1

Definition 2/ Related Word

avid

having a strong desire for, to the point of greed

eager, enthusiastic

brusque

abrupt in manner or speech

gruff

concise

short and to the point

 

demean

to cause a lowering of self esteem

demeaning – degrading

emulate

to try to equal

to copy

evoke

to call forth, to produce

to bring to mind, often by suggestion

evocative – creating something again especially through imagination

excruciating

very painful

 

inaugurate

to install in office with a formal ceremony

to begin officially or mark the opening of

inauguration – the act of installing in office

pervade

to spread throughout

pervasive – spreading throughout

proprietor

an owner of a store or business

 

pseudonym

a fictitious name used by an author

pen name

rebuff

Verb:

  1. to reject bluntly
  2. to drive back

Noun:

  1. a blunt rejection
  2. an abrupt setback in progress

resilient

Adjective

  1. capable of recovering quickly from misfortune
  2. returning quickly to an original shape or condition

resilience:

  1. the ability to recover
  2. the ability to spring back

turbulent

Adjective

  1. chaotic
  2. unruly

turbulence:

  1. great disturbance or agitation
  2. rapid change in wind speed and direction in the atmosphere

 

 

 

Wordly Wise Unit 2

Word

Definition 1

Definition 2/ Related Word

abrasion

noun:

  1. wearing away or rubbing away from friction
  2. a scraped or worn area

abrasive:

  1. causing wear by rubbing
  2. harsh or rough in manner – irritating

 

clad

clothed

covered

 

corroborate

to provide evidence to make more certain – to confirm

 

 

 

cursory

done in a hurry with little attention to detail

 

 

dehydrate

to remove the water from

to become dry – to lose water from

dehydration – the state of being dehydrated

 

derive

to receive or take from a source

to obtain through reasoning

 

electrify

to wire or equip with electrical power

 

to thrill or shock

endeavor

to attempt earnestly

a serious, earnest effort towards a goal

 

gingerly

cautious, very careful

 

with extreme care or concern

grimace

to make a face expressing feelings of pain, disgust or contempt

a facial expression that seems to express pain, contempt, or disgust

 

gruesome

causing shock or horror

 

 

inventory

noun:

  1. a list of possessions or goods on hand
  2. the stock of goods on hand

 

verb:

1. to make a complete list of

simulate

verb:

  1. to take on the qualities of another – to imitate
  2. to pretend

simulated – made to look genuine while being artificial

simulation – an imitation of a possible situation

 

succumb

to give up or give in to, to yield

to cease to exist, to die

 

surmise

to suppose something without sufficient evidence

a guess

 

 

 

 

 

Wordly Wise Unit 3

Word

Definition 1

Definition 2/Related Word

anonymous

of an unknown source or unrevealed name

 

 

anthology

a collection of various writings, such as songs, stories, or poems

 

 

conjecture

a conclusion based on guesswork or insufficient evidence

to form an opinion, while lacking sufficient evidence

 

disposition

a person’s usual mood – temperament

 

 

encompass

to enclose or enciricle

to include

 

extricate

to free from a difficult or tangled situation

 

 

generation

one step in line of descent of a familiy

all the people born and living at the same time

the average span of time between the birth of parents and their children

 

guile

cunning or deceit in dealing with others – trickery

 

 

imperative

urgent – pressing

have the power or authority to command

 

instill

to introduce gradually in order to establish securely

 

modify

to make less extreme or severe

to make changes in

in grammar – to limit or restrict in meaning

pivot

noun:

  1. a small bar or rod on which something else turns
  2. a person or thing on which others depend

 

verb:

1. to turn on as if on a pivot

pivotal – vitally important – significant

prevalent

commonly occurring

widely accepted or practiced

 

recur

verb:

  1. to come up again or to happen again
  2. to come to mind
  3.  

recurrence – the act of recurring

spontaneous

adjective:

  1. voluntary and unplanned
  2. occurring or produced without human labor

spontaneity – the quality or condition of occurring in an unplanned way

 

 

 

 

 

Wordly Wise Unit 4

Word

Definition 1

Definition 2 / Related Word

abhor

to shrink from in disgust – to detest

abhorrent – disgusting, causing loathing

 

affable

pleasant – approachable – gracious

affability – friendliness of manner

 

amiss

in a wrong or imperfect way

out of order – wrong

 

despondent

depressed from loss of hope or confidence – utterly discouraged

 

 

entreat

to ask earnestly – to beg

entreaty – a plea or earnest request

haunt

to stay in one’s mind continually

to visit frequently

to appear in the form of a ghost

impel

to drive or to propel

to urge to drive by force or moral pressure

 

interminable

endless – seeming to be without end

 

 

irascible

quick-tempered – irratible

 

 

profound

intense – deeply felt

having understanding or knowledge that goes beyond the surface – beyond the obvious

 

recluse

a person who lives apart from society and often alone

reclusive – withdrawn from society

 

reverberate

to be repeated as in a series of echoes or vibration

 

 

sage

adjective:

  1. having wisdom and good judgment

 

 

noun:

  1. a person known for wisdom and good judgment
  2. an aromatic grayish-green plant used in cooking

 

tirade

a long angry speech

 

 

tremulous

marked by trembling or shaking

timid - fearful

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worldy Wise Unit 5

Word

Definition 1

Definition 2 / Related Word

audacious

adjective:

  1. willing to take risks – daring
  2. showing disrespect or a lack of courtesy

 

audacity – willingness to take risks by showing excessive boldness

confiscate

to seize, by force if necessary – to take possession of

 

 

conscientious

thorough – careful

 

honest – principled

depict

to give a picture of

 

to describe

embark

to go on board a ship or airplane at the start of a voyage

 

to start out – begin

inkling

a slight suspicion – a vague idea

 

 

lackadaisical

showing little spirit or enthusiasm

 

 

mutiny

deliberate refusal to obey orders given by those in command, especially sailors

 

to rebel openly against a commander

pilfer

to steal repeatedly small amounts or things that are of little value

 

 

profusion

a plentiful supply – a great or generous amount

profuse – given or occurring in generous amounts – abundant

prudent

very careful – showing judgment and wisdom

prudence – the avoidance of risks – carefulness in what one says or does

rankle

to cause continuing anger or irritation

 

 

rebuke

to criticize strongly – to reprimand

 

a sharp criticism

serene

calm and untroubled – peaceful

serenity – a calm and untroubled state

 

slovenly

untidy, carelessly done

 

 

 

 

 

Wordly Wise Unit 6

Word

Definition 1

Definition 2 / Related Word

anarchy

total absence of government

 

 

apprehend

to seize – to arrest

to grasp the meaning of – to understand

 

arraign

to bring before a court to face charges

 

 

assimilate

to absorb into a population

to take in a part and absorb into a whole

 

bizarre

strikingly out of the ordinary, peculiar

 

 

calamity

an event that causes great suffering and hard – disaster

 

calamitous – disastrous

conspire

noun:

  1. to plan together secretly to do something wrong or illegal
  2. to join or act together

 

conspiracy – a joining with others to plan or carry out unlawful acts

dissension

a difference of opinion – disagreement

 

 

elapse

to pass or slip by

 

 

imminent

about to happen – likely to occur in the very near future

 

 

interrogate

to ask questions of, especially in a thorough or formal manner

 

interrogation – the act of questioning

lionize

to treat as a celebrity

 

 

meticulous

extremely careful – attentive to small details

 

 

shackle

noun:

  1. a ring or ban put around the arm or leg to prevent free movement
  2. to prevent freedom of action

 

 

swelter

to suffer from or to be overcome by great heat

sweltering – very hot and humid- uncomfortable because of extremely hot weather

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wordly Wise Unit 7

Word

Definition 1

Definition 2 / Related Word

claustrophobia

an abnormal fear of narrow, enclosed spaces

 

 

colleague

an associate or coworker of similar status

 

 

condescend

verb:

  1. to lower oneself to a position one considers inferior
  2. to behave in an offensively superior manner

 

condescending – showing an offensively superior manner

contingent

adjective:

  1. conditional – depending on something else
  2. likely but not certain to happen – possible

noun:

  1. a group that is part of a larger one

 

 

daunt

to discourage or intimidate

daunting – so difficult or dangerous as to discourage or intimidate

deluge

noun:

  1. a downpour of rain – a flood
  2. a flood of anything

 

verb:

1. to flood or overwhelm

dispel

to clear away – to remove or get rid of, as if by scattering

 

 

dub

to give a title, nickname, or description to

 

 

fanfare

a sounding of trumpets or other brass instruments

 

any showy display

fledgling

noun:

  1. a young bird just learning to fly
  2. a young and inexperienced person
  3.  

adjective:

1. new and untested

inane

empty – shallow – silly

inanity – foolishness – a silly or pointless act

 

mettle

courage to bear up under difficult circumstances

 

 

negligible

small and unimportant – not worth noticing

 

 

protract

to draw out or lengthen

 

 

replica

a copy or reproduction, especially on a smaller scale than the original one

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wordly Wise Unit 8

Word

Definition 1

Definition 2 / Related Word

adept

highly skilled – expert

 

 

audible

capable of being heard

 

 

azure

the blue color of a cloudless sky

 

 

banter

to exchange playful, teasing remarks

 

light, playful conversation

capacious

able to hold a large amount

 

 

copious

large in quantity – abundant

 

 

crucial

extremely important – vital in resolving something

 

 

decelerate

to slow down or to cause to slow down

 

 

deploy

to arrange troops or equipment in position for battle

 

to put into use

facilitate

to make easier

 

 

fastidious

paying close attention to detail

 

difficult to please

fitful

not steady – irregular

 

 

grapple

verb:

  1. to struggle with in close combat – to wrestle
  2. to come to grips with
  3.  

an iron shaft with a claw for grasping and holding things

pang

a sudden sharp feeling of pain or distress

 

 

precede

to go or come before in time, rank, or position

 

 

 

 

 

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