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.