Vocabulary Level F Unit 11

ABSTEMIOUS  (adj.) moderate, sparing (as in eating and drinking); characterized by abstinence and self-discipline  Syn: temperate, sober, moderate  Ant: indulgent, immoderate, intemperate ABSTAIN……. ABSTEM…….

SOUNDS LIKE ABSTAIN……. To restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something. ABSTEMIOUS

CENSURABLE  (adj.) deserving of blame or correction  Syn: blameworthy, discreditable, reprehensible  Ant: commendable, laudable, meritorious CULPABLE

Worthy of Censure. Censure is the expression of formal disapproval. CENSURABLE

CONTINGENT  (adj.) likely but not certain to happen, possible; dependent on uncertain events or conditions; happening by chance  (n.) a representative group forming part of a larger body  Syn: conditional, dependent, a detachment  Ant: independent of, unconnected with, certain

Good grades are contingent upon hard work! Study your vocab words. Your success on Friday’s quiz is contingent upon it! CONTINGENT

CORROBORATE  (v.) to confirm, make more certain, bolster, substantiate, verify  Ant: refute, contradict, undermine, discredit

Sounds like “cops and robbers” A police officer can be called upon in court to corroborate the testimony of a witness. CORROBORATE

DENIZEN  (n.) an inhabitant, resident; one who frequents a place  Syn: resident, dweller, habitue  Ant: alien, outsider, stranger, foreigner

Sounds like “den” During football season, Roger’s friends were denizens of his den. DENIZEN

DISCURSIVE  (adj.) passing aimlessly from one place or subject to another, rambling, roving, nomadic  Syn: digressive, diffuse, wandering, episodic  Ant: short and to the point, succinct Cursive Handwriting

DISCURSIVE To people who didn’t learn it, cursive handwriting can seem to wander aimlessly all over the paper in a discursive manner. Sounds like “cursive” To people who didn’t learn it, cursive handwriting can seem to wander aimlessly all over the paper in a discursive manner.

DISSEMINATE  (v.) to scatter or spread widely  Syn: disperse, publicize, broadcast, circulate  Ant: bring together, concentrate, muster, conceal, hide

Think “Distribute” In Mean Girls, Regina disseminated copies of the burn book all over the school. DISSEMINATE

DOWDY  (adj.) poorly dressed, shabby; lacking smartness and good taste  Syn: frumpy, tacky, frowsy, drab  Ant: chic, stylish, elegant, fashionable

Sounds like Chris O’Dowd! Even when he dresses up, Chris O’Dowd can appear Dowdy! DOWDY

FLORID  (adj.) highly colored, reddish; excessively ornate, showy  Syn: flushed, ruddy, flowery, frilly, flamboyant  Ant: pale, ashen, pallid, sallow, austere, stark

Sounds like “Florida” Florida’s flowers are especially florid this time of year. FLORID

FOIST  (v.) to impose by fraud; to pass off as worthy or genuine; to bring about by stealth, dishonesty, or coercion  Syn: pass off, palm off, fob off

Sounds like “forced”! To “foist” something upon someone is to force him or her to use or do it! FOIST

GAUCHE  (adj.) awkward, lacking in social graces, tactless, clumsy  Syn: inept, uncouth, maladroit  Ant: adroit, tactful, diplomatic, politic

Sounds like “ghost”! The gauche ghost was more clumsy than scary! GAUCHE

HERESY  (n.) an opinion different from accepted belief; the denial of an idea that is generally held sacred  Syn: unorthodox belief, heterodoxy  Ant: orthodoxy

Looks like “here say”! One man’s opinion about how we got here is another’s idea of heresy! HERESY

INCULCATE  (v.) to impress on the mind by repetition, teach persistently and earnestly  Syn: instill, implant, infuse, ingrain, imbue  Ant: efface, extirpate, root out REPEAT

Teach (someone) an attitude, idea, or habit by such instruction: “They will try to inculcate you with a respect for culture.” INCULCATE

PALPABLE  (adj.) capable of being touched or felt; easily seen, heard, or recognized  Syn: tangible, plain, obvious, manifest  Ant: intangible, insubstantial, incorporeal

Like “Pulp” “The pulp was palpable.” PALPABLE

PERCEPTIVE  (adj.) having sympathetic insight or understanding, capable of keen appreciation  Syn: insightful, discerning, observant  Ant: dense, thick, obtuse, dim-witted What is wrong with this girl? My, aren’t your PERCEPTIVE!

Like “perception” Don’t you think he has very good perception? PERCEPTIVE

PERNICIOUS  (adj.) extremely harmful; deadly, fatal  Syn: injurious, deleterious, baleful, noxious  Ant: harmless, innocuous, salutary, salubrious

DANGEROUS! Don’t you think he could be very pernicious? PERNICIOUS

SALIENT  (adj.) leaping, jumping, or springing forth; prominent, standing out, conspicuous  (n.) a projection or bulge, a land form that projects upward or outward  Syn: striking, notable, protrusive, obvious  Ant: inconspicuous, recessive

EASILY SEEN! Waldo was quite salient in this puzzle. SALIENT

SATIATE  (v.) to satisfy completely; to fill to excess  (adj.) full, satisfied  Syn: gratify, cloy, surfeit, gorge  Ant: starve, deprive entirely of

Think: “Satisfied” and “ate” On Saturday we ate so much more than we needed to be satisfied. SATIATE

SEAR  (v.) to make or become dry and withered; to char or scorch the surface of; to harden or make unfeeling; to parch, dessicate, singe

Think: “Sears” and “seared” It looks like Sears got seared! SEAR

SPECIOUS  (adj.) deceptive, apparently good or valid but lacking real merit  Syn: deceptively plausible, sophistic, casuistic  Ant: valid, sound, solid, genuine

Think: “Species” She appeared to be good… …but she wasn’t! SPECIOUS