Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop Level H Unit 7

abeyance

(n.) A state of suspension or temporary inaction, or set aside.

ambivalent

(adj.) having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something.

beleaguer

(v.) to set upon from all sides; to surround with an army; to trouble, harass.

carte blanche

(n.) full freedom or authority to act at one's own discretion.

cataclysm

(n.) a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge.

debauch

(v.) to corrupt morally, seduce; to indulge in dissipation; (n.) an act or occasion of dissipation or vice

eclat

(n.) dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance (of performance or achievement)

fastidious

(adj.) overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted.

gambol

(v.) to jump or skip about playfully

imbue

(v.) to soak or stain throughly; to fill the mind

inchoate

(adj.)just beginning; not fully shaped or formed

lampoon

(n.) , a malicious satire; (v.) to satirize, ridicule

malleable

(adj.) capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced

nemesis

(n.) an agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival

opt

(v.) to make a choice or decision

philistine

(adj.) lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements; such a person

picaresque

(adj.) involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers

queasy

(adj.) nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness; troubled

refractory

(adj.) stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure

savoir-faire

(n.) the ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence