Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary: Unit 1
Mrs. AsenbauerEnglish 9H
adulterate
• verb• To corrupt, make
worse by adding something, to pollute, to sully, contaminate
• Ex. The fumes from the ancient dump truck adulterated the clean air.
ambidextrous
• adj.• Able to use both hands
equally well; versatile, facile
• Ex. As a softball coach, I often wish that more of my players were ambidextrous and could bat either left-handed or right-handed.
augment
• verb• To make larger, to
increase, to supplement
• Ex. Many personal trainers promise that regular exercise workouts will augment your strength while working your muscles.
bereft
• adj.• Deprived of, bereaved,
made unhappy through a loss
• Ex. A former cookie addict, Jenny felt bereft each time she walked past the cookie store at Crossgates and realized she didn’t have the willpower to enter the store and not buy a treat.
deploy
• verb• To position or
arrange, to organize, to form up
• Ex. Todd’s mother sobbed when he told her that his company had been told to prepare for deployment to Iraq.
dour
• adj• Stern, unyielding,
harsh, bleak, gloomy, forbidding
• Ex. My daughter is terrified of skeletons; I can only assume that this fright is due to the dour images they portray.
fortitude
• noun• Courage in facing
difficulties; resolve
• Ex. Individuals who are confronted with surviving a horrible illness must show great fortitude, often for an extended amount of time.
gape
• verb• To stare with open
mouth, to gawk, ogle
• Ex. When Veronica stepped on the scale and saw that she had lost seven pounds that week, she gaped in amazement.
gibe
• verb - to utter taunting words
• noun – an expression of scorn or ridicule
• Ex. Students sometimes make the mistake of assuming that teachers do not hear them making gibes about our colleagues.
guise
• noun• An external
appearance, a mask, cover, pretense’
• Ex. The bank robber attempted to use a mask as a guise for protection.
insidious
• adj.• Intended to deceive,
trick or entrap; sly, cunning, treacherous
• Ex. Teenagers are known to create insidious excuses for missing their curfews.
intimation
• noun• A hint; an indirect
suggestion, a clue, an inkling
• Ex. When asked who he planned on asking to the prom, Adam would give no intimation of who it would be.
opulent
• adj.• wealthy, rick,
lavish, ample
• Ex. There are several opulent homes within our school district.
pliable
• adj.• Easily bent,
flexible, supple, adaptable
• Ex. Many toddlers are extremely pliable as their muscles grow.
reiterate
• verb• To say again;
repeat, restate
• Ex. As a Yankee fan, it thrilled me to reiterate that they were the world champions for several years.
stolid
• adj.• Not easily moved
mentally or emotionally, dull, unresponsive, impassive
Ex. Some teachers seem quite stolid when faced with even the most humorous circumstances.
tentative
• adj.• Uncertain, hesitant,
provisional
• Ex. Kelli offered a tentative answer when Bob asked her to the prom because she wasn’t sure if she had other plans for that evening.
unkempt
• adj.• Sloppy, untidy,
disheveled, disordered
• Ex. It is often questionable why many students intentionally arrive to school with unkempt appearances.
verbatim
• adj. – word for word, exact
• adv. – exactly as written, precisely
• Ex. When quoting a source in the newspaper, it is imperative that the comment appears verbatim.
warily
• adv.• Cautiously, with
great care, carefully, prudently, gingerly
• Ex. Terrified of dogs, Kate warily approached the puppy in case it jumped on her.