Level F Vocabulary Unit #8

acrimonious (adj.) stinging, bitter in temper or tone acid  biting, stinging crime  hostile Their relationship was so hostile and acrimonious, no wonder it ended in a horrible divorce!

bovine (adj.) resembling a cow or ox; sluggish, unresponsive dull stolid Some people may look unresponsive and bovine even though they are absorbing every word of the lesson.

consternation (n.) dismay, confusion shock confusion bewilderment The look of amazement on his face showed his consternation at seeing his bill.

corpulent (adj.) fat; having a large, bulky body core is plump/portly overweight The corpulent walrus cannot move quickly on land, but it can move sleekly though the water.

disavow (v.) to deny responsibility for or connection with disown disclaim After hearing a protest over the use of the name “Washington Redskins,” the fan disavowed his favorite NFL team and threw away his jersey. No matter how much the lawyer questioned him, he continued to disavow his connection with the robberies around town.

dispassionate (adj.) impartial; calm, free from emotion disinterested detached My best friend and I are complete opposites; she is dispassionate, but I wear my emotions on my sleeve.

dissension (n.) disagreement, sharp difference of opinion disagreement discord difference Some coaches think dissension among athletes is healthy while others think there is no “I” within a team.

dissipate (v.) to cause to disappear; to scatter, dispel; to spend foolishly, squander; to be extravagant in pursuit of pleasure disperse diffuse The girl went on so many shopping sprees and vacations that her inheritance soon dissipated, and she was left with nothing.

expurgate (v.) to remove objectionable passages or words from a written text; to cleanse, purify purge censor Many teachers like to censure books like Of Mice and Men and expurgate the profane words.

gauntlet (n.) an armored or protective glove; a challenge; two lines of men armed with weapons with which to beat a person forced to run between them; an ordeal glove of armor provocation for a challenge The girl threw down the greaves and gauntlet and challenged her competitor to a winner- takes-all match.

hypothetical (adj.) based on an assumption or guess; used as a provisional or tentative idea to guide or direct investigation hypothesis assumed When I was little I loved asking my mom hypothetical questions like, “What if Big Foot was really live and lived next door?”

ignoble (adj.) mean, low, base not noble dishonorable I knew Sally was not behind the ignoble prank because she is too admirable and kind. He was dishonorably discharged from the Army for his ignoble acts towards his superior officer.

impugn (v.) to call into question; to attack as false dispute The candidates running for office liked to impugn each others’ views and plans instead of focusing on their own campaign.

intemperate (adj.) immoderate, lacking in self-control; inclement immoderate inordinate The people on reality shows like “Jersey Shore” have such intemperate behavior, I just can’t help but watch how excessive they are.

odium (n.) hatred, contempt; disgrace or infamy resulting from hateful conduct opprobrium disgrace dislike very much Some families feel odium towards our enemies in war after they have lost a loved one in the service.

perfidy (n.) faithlessness, treachery; betrayal, disloyalty, treason disloyalty duplicity Brawls and hurt feelings are often the outcome of perfidy.

relegate (v.) to place in a lower position; to assign, refer, turn over; to banish refer demote If a player ever skipped practice or failed a class, my old basketball coach would relegate the student to cleanup duty after the games.

squeamish (adj.) inclined to nausea; easily shocked or upset; excessively fastidious or refined queasy My husband was so squeamish when he participated in the blood drive during high school that he almost passed out.

subservient (adj.) subordinate in capacity or role; submissively obedient; serving to promote some end secondary servile submissive The subservient Cinderella always did what her stepmother ordered her to do.

susceptible (adj.) open to; easily influenced; lacking in resistance easily sucked in (to an idea) vulnerable impressionable My little sister was so gullible when she was younger, that she was susceptible to all of my tricks and lies. When you are susceptible to flattery, many people may take advantage of you.