Grade 1o Vocab Unit 5 Acerbic-Vocation 20 WORDS

Word: Acerbic Definition: bitter, severe, acidic Part of Speech: ADJ Example Sentence: Kate doesn’t always mean to be rude, but her acerbic comments often offend others.

Word: Anomaly Definition: an irregularity or oddness Part of Speech: N Example Sentence: Greg’s emotional outburst was an anomaly; he’s usually very stoic and unemotional.

Word: Beget Definition: to create or cause Part of Speech: V Example Sentence: You should avoid lying because, often, one lie begets another, and eventually it is too difficult to keep all your lies straight.

Word: Chicanery Definition: deceitfulness; dishonesty Part of Speech: N Example Sentence: Dill of To Kill a Mockingbird often engages in chicanery when explaining his family situation. He lies to Scout and Jem about his parents on several occasions.

Word: Contrite Definition: admitting guilt; remorseful Part of Speech: ADJ Example Sentence: If you make a mistake and act contrite after, you will likely be forgiven. If you make a mistake and refuse to take blame, you will likely be treated poorly.

Word: Dictum Definition: a saying Part of Speech: N Example Sentence: “No pain, no gain” is a dictum often used by trainers and coaches.

Word: Equivocal Definition: purposefully unclear Part of Speech: ADJ Example Sentence: The teacher posed equivocal questions about the book that could be interpreted in different ways in order to provoke discussion.

Word: Gravity Definition: Seriousness Part of Speech: N Example Sentence: At first Leah didn’t understand the gravity of the situation and continued to laugh at the TV show; soon she realized her parents had just received horrible news.

Word: Indulgent Definition: lenient; gives in easily Part of Speech: ADJ Example Sentence: The father is very indulgent when it comes to his son. He gives him whatever he wants.

Word: Malaise Definition: feeling of depression or uneasiness Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: There was a general sense of malaise among the class during the very difficult quiz.

Word: Nuance Definition: a subtle difference or distinction Part of Speech: N Example Sentence: Although the triplets look similar, there are nuances to tell them apart, like the small birthmark on Clair’s face and the fact that Kimmy is a little shorter.

Word: PERMEATE Definition: to spread Part of Speech: verb Example Sentence: The smell of baking cookies permeated the kitchen.

Word: Prolific Definition: very productive Part of Speech: ADJ Example Sentence: Stephen King is a prolific author; he has produced 54 novels and 200 short stories in his lifetime. Many farms had a prolific harvest season due to the good growing weather.

Word: Redundant Definition: repetitive Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: Penny’s essay was redundant. It repeated the same ideas over and over.

Word: Slander Definition: the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation. Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The celebrity sued the talk show host for slander after she made false comments about her on the show.

Word: Subtle Definition: understated, (not obvious) Part of Speech: ADJ Example Sentence: It was difficult for some people to notice the subtle differences between her old wedding dress and the new wedding dress, but the simple alterations of bringing up the hem and softening the lace made the bride feel better. She didn’t come out and say that she liked John, but she gave enough subtle hints that everyone was sure she would say yes if he asked her out.

Word: Vapid Definition: dull, superficial, uninteresting Part of Speech: ADJ Example Sentence: Although Sally was first attracted to Doug, she realized that his vapid personality actually made her not like him very much.

Word: Tautological Definition: needless repetition Part of Speech: adjective Example Sentence: John makes tautological statements like, “The trouble with failing is that you do not pass.”

Word: Vehement Definition: intense; forceful Part of Speech: ADJ Example Sentence: At first Ken’s dad thought his son was lying, but Ken’s vehement denial that he had skipped school made him wonder if the teacher had made as error.

Word: Vocation Definition: job, occupation Part of Speech: noun Example Sentence: The career center advises people to pursue a vocation that matches their skills and interests.