10th Grade English Level D Unit 2 Vocabulary 10th Grade English Level D
adjourn (v.) to stop proceedings; move to another place Ex: Due to the impending snowstorm the PTSA president decided to adjourn the meeting early.
alien (n.) a citizen of another country (adj.) foreign, strange Ex: The words on the PSAT were alien to me. (adj.) Ex: Laws regarding illegal aliens residing in America is a heated debate in today’s politics.
comely (adj.) having a pleasing appearance Ex: The director picked a comely actress to play the part of the princess.
compensate (v.) to make up for; to repay for services Ex: All of the power company workers were compensated for their overtime work during the storm.
dissolute (adj.) loose in one’s morals or behavior Ex: Many of the reality television shows depict people leading dissolute lives.
erratic (adj.) not regular or consistent; different from what is ordinarily expected; undependable Ex: His parents scheduled conferences because they are concerned about his erratic performance at school.
expulsion (n.) the process of driving or forcing out Ex: Bringing a weapon to school will result in an expulsion.
feint (n.) deliberately deceptive movement; a pretense (v.) to make a deceptive movement; to make a pretense of Ex: The fencer practiced using a feint to put his opponent off balance.
fodder (n.) food for horses and cattle; raw material for a designated purpose Ex: The farmer gathered fodder to store for the animals in the winter.
fortify (v.) to strengthen, build up Ex: Many cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals.
illegible (adj.) difficult or impossible to read Ex: The note from my doctor was illegible due to his poor handwriting.
jeer (v.) to make fun of rudely or unkindly (n.) a rude remark of derision Ex: The shortstop was jeered by fans for making an error that resulted in a run for the other team.
lucrative (adj.) bringing in money; profitable Ex: He felt his idea for a new software product could result in a lucrative business.
mediocre (adj.) average, ordinary, undistinguished Ex: The chef was upset to receive a mediocre review from the local restaurant critic.
proliferate (v.) to reproduce, increase, or spread rapidly Ex: The weeds tend to proliferate during wet, warm weather.
subjugate (v.) to conquer by force, bring under complete control Ex: The security police used tear gas to subjugate the mob that was storming the embassy.
sully (v.) to soil, stain, tarnish, defile, besmirch Ex: Lance Armstrong’s reputation has been sullied by accusations of steroid use.
tantalize (v.) to tease, torment by teasing Ex: The other boys began to tantalize him with chocolate bars because he wasn’t allowed to have any.
terse (adj.) brief and to the point Ex: I could tell my brother was in a bad mood by his terse responses.
unflinching (adj.) firm, showing no signs of fear, not drawing back Ex: The knight stood unflinching while the villains threatened him with torture.