English Vocabulary Unit 9

Abate

(V.) To make less in amount, degree, etc.; to subside, become less; to nullify; to deduct , omit
{diminish, decrease, subside, let up}

Adulation

(N.) Praise or flattery that is excessive
{adoration, idolization, hero-worship}

Anathema

(N.) An object of intense dislike; a curse or strong denunciation (often used adjectivally without the article)
{malediction, imprecation, abomination}

Astute

(Adj.) Shrewd, crafty, showing practical wisdom
{shrewd, acute, sagacious, judicious, wily}

Avarice

(N.) Greedy desire, particularly for wealth
{cupidity, rapacity, acquisitiveness}

Culpable

(Adj.) Deserving blame, worthy of condemnation
{guilty, delinquent, peccant, blameworthy}

Dilatory

(Adj.) Tending to delay or procrastinate, not prompt; intended to delay or postpone
{stalling, slow, tardy, laggard}

Egregious

(Adj.) Conspicuous, standing out from the mass (used particularly in an unfavorable sense)
{glaring, flagrant, blatant}

Equivocate

(V.) To speak or act in a way that allows for more that one interpretation; to be deliberately vague or ambiguous
{to talk out of both sides of one's mouth, palter, hedge}

Evanescent

(Adj.) Vanishing, soon passing away; light and airy
{ephemeral, transient, transitory}

Irresolute

(Adj.) Unable to make up one's mind, hesitating
{indecisive, vacillating, wavering}

Nebulous

(Adj.) Cloudlike, resembling a cloud; cloudy in color, not transparent; vague, confused, indistinct
{hazy, fuzzy, cloudy, vague, murky, opaque, indeterminate}

Novice

(N.) One which is just a beginner at some activity requiring skill and experience (also used adjectivally)
{neophyte, tyro, trainee, apprentice}

Penury

(N.) Extreme poverty; barrenness, insufficiency
{destitution, want, indigence}

Pretentious

(Adj.) Done for show, striving to make a big impression; claiming merit or position unjustifiably; making demands on one's skill or abilities, ambitious
{inflated, ostentatious, affected}

Recapitulate

(V.) To review a series of facts; to sum up
{review, summarize, sum up, go over}

Resuscitate

(V.) To revive, bring back to consciousness or existence
{revitalize, reanimate, restore, reactivate}

Slovenly

(Adj.) Untidy, dirty, careless
{unkempt, slatternly, slipshod, lax}

Supposition

(N.) Something that is assumed or taken for granted without conclusive evidence
{assumption, presumption, hypothesis}

Torpid

(Adj.) Inactive, sluggish, dull
{sluggish, lethargic, otiose, languid}