Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary: Unit 1 Mrs. Asenbauer English 9H

adulterate verb To corrupt, make worse by adding something, to pollute, to sully, contaminate Ex. The fumes from the ancient dump truck adulterated the clean air.

ambidextrous adj. Able to use both hands equally well; versatile, facile Ex. As a softball coach, I often wish that more of my players were ambidextrous and could bat either left- handed or right-handed.

augment verb To make larger, to increase, to supplement Ex. Many personal trainers promise that regular exercise workouts will augment your strength while working your muscles.

bereft adj. Deprived of, bereaved, made unhappy through a loss Ex. A former cookie addict, Jenny felt bereft each time she walked past the cookie store at Crossgates and realized she didn’t have the willpower to enter the store and not buy a treat.

deploy verb To position or arrange, to organize, to form up Ex. Todd’s mother sobbed when he told her that his company had been told to prepare for deployment to Iraq.

dour adj Stern, unyielding, harsh, bleak, gloomy, forbidding Ex. My daughter is terrified of skeletons; I can only assume that this fright is due to the dour images they portray.

fortitude noun Courage in facing difficulties; resolve Ex. Individuals who are confronted with surviving a horrible illness must show great fortitude, often for an extended amount of time.

gape verb To stare with open mouth, to gawk, ogle Ex. When Veronica stepped on the scale and saw that she had lost seven pounds that week, she gaped in amazement.

gibe verb - to utter taunting words noun – an expression of scorn or ridicule Ex. Students sometimes make the mistake of assuming that teachers do not hear them making gibes about our colleagues.

guise noun An external appearance, a mask, cover, pretense’ Ex. The bank robber attempted to use a mask as a guise for protection.

insidious adj. Intended to deceive, trick or entrap; sly, cunning, treacherous Ex. Teenagers are known to create insidious excuses for missing their curfews.

intimation noun A hint; an indirect suggestion, a clue, an inkling Ex. When asked who he planned on asking to the prom, Adam would give no intimation of who it would be.

opulent adj. wealthy, rick, lavish, ample Ex. There are several opulent homes within our school district.

pliable adj. Easily bent, flexible, supple, adaptable Ex. Many toddlers are extremely pliable as their muscles grow.

reiterate verb To say again; repeat, restate Ex. As a Yankee fan, it thrilled me to reiterate that they were the world champions for several years.

stolid adj. Not easily moved mentally or emotionally, dull, unresponsive, impassive Ex. Some teachers seem quite stolid when faced with even the most humorous circumstances.

tentative adj. Uncertain, hesitant, provisional Ex. Kelli offered a tentative answer when Bob asked her to the prom because she wasn’t sure if she had other plans for that evening.

unkempt adj. Sloppy, untidy, disheveled, disordered Ex. It is often questionable why many students intentionally arrive to school with unkempt appearances.

verbatim adj. – word for word, exact adv. – exactly as written, precisely Ex. When quoting a source in the newspaper, it is imperative that the comment appears verbatim.

warily adv. Cautiously, with great care, carefully, prudently, gingerly Ex. Terrified of dogs, Kate warily approached the puppy in case it jumped on her.