Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop Level G - Unit 13

abstruse

extremely difficult to understand
(syn:) esoteric, arcane, recondite, occult

affront

an open or intentional insult; a slight; to insult to one's face; to face in defiance, confront
(syn:) offense, offend

canard

a false rumor, fabricated story
(syn:) hoax

captious

excessively ready to find fault; given to petty criticism; intended to trap, confuse, or show up
(syn:) fault-finding, nit-picking, carping

cognizant

aware, knowledgeable, informed; having jurisdiction
(syn:) conscious, acquainted

contrite

regretful for some misdeed or sin; plagued by a sense of guilt; thoroughly penitent
(syn:) remorseful, rueful

cynosure

the center of attraction, attention, or interest; something that serves to guide or direct
(syn:) focus

decorous

well behaved, dignified, socially proper
(syn:) seemly, becoming, tasteful

deign

to think it appropriate or suitable to one's dignity to do something; to condescend
(syn:) deem, stoop

desiccated

thoroughly dried out; divested of spirit or vitality; arid and uninteresting
(syn:) dehydrated, shriveled, parched

efficacy

the power to produce a desired result
(syn:) effectiveness, potency, reliability

engender

to bring into existence, give rise to, produce; to come into existence, assume form
(syn:) beget, generate, cause, form

ethereal

light, airy, delicate; highly refined; suggesting what is heavenly (rather than earthbound)
(syn:) heavenly, celestial, gossamer

facade

the front or face of a building; a surface appearance (as opposed to what may lie behind)
(syn:) exterior, surface, mask, pretense

ghoulish

revolting in an unnatural or morbid way; suggestive of someone who robs graves or otherwise preys on the dead
(syn:) fiendish, barbarous, monstrous

incongruous

not in keeping, unsuitable, incompatible
(syn:) discordant, jarring

machination

a crafty, scheming, or underhanded action designed to accomplish some (usually evil) end
(syn:) plot, scheme, maneuver

mesmerize

to hypnotize, entrance; to fascinate, enthrall, bewitch

opprobrium

disgrace arising from shameful conduct; contempt, reproach
(syn:) infamy, dishonor, odium, shame

putative

generally regarded as such; reputed; hypothesized, inferred
(syn:) supposed, presumed