Vocabulary Unit 6

anomalous – adj abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual Can you imagine anything as anomalous as a successful drama coach who has never acted on the stage?

bizarre – adj extremely strange, unusual, atypical Wearing bizarre masks at Halloween is a tradition that goes back many centuries.

brusque – adj abrupt, blunt, with no formalities What hurt my feelings was not so much his refusal to give me a job as the brusque way in which he told me that he had nothing for me.

heinous – adj very wicked, offensive, hateful A town so peaceful, quiet, and law-abiding was bound to be horrified by so heinous a crime.

immutable – adj not subject to change, constant The one fact about nature that seems completely immutable is that everything is subject to change.

surreptitious – adj stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation The surreptitious way in which they planned the undertaking shows that they were aware of its illegal character.

vicarious – adj performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another Although most of us lead a quiet, humdrum sort of life, we can all get a vicarious thrill from the achievements of Olympic athletes.

aspersion – noun a damaging or derogatory statement; the act of slandering or defaming By casting aspersions on the ability and character of others, you reveal the misgivings you have about yourself.

demagogue – noun a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power A favorite strategy of a demagogue is to appoint a convenient scapegoat upon whom a misguided populace can vent its anger.

ennui – noun weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest, boredom With the innumerable activities open to a young person like you, I can’t understand why you should suffer from ennui.

fetter – noun a chain or shackle placed on the feet; anything that confines or restrains (v.) – to chain or shackle The old phrase “chain gang” refers to a group of prisoners forced to work, each one joined to the next by linked fetters.

insurgent – noun one who rebels or rises against authority (adj insurgent – noun one who rebels or rises against authority (adj.) – rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority George Washington and his contemporaries were insurgents against Britain. The army was confident that they could crush the insurgent forces.

megalomania – noun a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, talent, etc. Sudden fame and admiration can make people feel unworthy – or it can bring on feelings of megalomania.

sinecure – noun a position requiring little or no work; an easy job The office of Vice President of the United States was once considered little more than a sinecure. Anyone who refers to my job as a sinecure should spend just one day in my place!

cajole – verb to coax, persuade through flattery or artifice; to deceive with soothing thoughts or false promises With a smile, a joke, and a second helping of pie, she would cajole him into doing what she wanted.

castigate – verb to punish severely; to criticize severely After he castigated the unruly children, they settled down to study quietly.

contrive – verb to plan with ingenuity; to bring about through a plan She can contrive wonderful excuses; but when she tries to offer them, her uneasiness gives her away.

disabuse – verb to free from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking He thinks that all women adore him, but my sister will probably disabuse him of that idea.

transgress – verb to go beyond a limit or boundary; to sin, violate a law The coach put his faith in his team, hoping they would not transgress the bounds of their training and violate protocol.

transmute – verb to change from one nature, substance, or form to another The alchemists of the Middle Ages, who were both mystics and primitive chemists, hoped to transmute base metals into gold.