English 1 - Exam Vocab

brigand

(n.) a bandit, robber, outlas, highwayman

commandeer

(v.) to seize for military or official use

usurp

(v.) to seize and hold a position by force or without right

relinquish

(v.) to let go, give up

maruader

(n.) a raider, plunderer

surmount

(v.) to overcome, to rise above

dissent

(v.) to disagree (n.) disagreement

sully

(v.) to soil, stain, tarnish, defile, besmirch

predispose (predisposition)

(v.) to incline to beforehand

altercation

(n.) an angry argument

admonish

(v.) to caution or advise against something; to scold mildly; to remind of a duty

semblance

(n.) a likeness; an outward appearance; an apparition

efface

(v.) to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed

condone

(v.) to pardon or overlook

breach

(n.) an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation or infraction

salvage

(v.) to save from fire or shipwreck (n.) property thus saved

adherent

(n.) a follower, supporter (adj.) attached, sticking to

defend

(v.) to ward off attack from; guard against assault or injury

fabricate

(v.) to make, manufacture; to make up, invent

fodder

(n.) food for horses or cattle; raw material for a designated purpose

deadlock

(n.) a standstill resulting from the opposition of two equal forces or fractions (v.) to bring to such a standstill

dilemma

(n.) a difficult and perplexing situation or problem

muddle

(v.) to make a mess of; muddle through; to get by (n.) a hopeless mess

rift

(n.) a split, break, breach

negligence

(n.) failure to take proper care in doing something

opinionated

(adj.) stubborn and often unreasonable in holding to one's own ideas, having a closed mind

cumbersome

(adj.) clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving

mediocre

(adj.) average, ordinary, undistinguished

perennial

(adj.) lasting for a long time (n.) a plant that lives for many years

obese

(adj.) very fat or overweight

pilfer

(v.) to steal in small quantities

terminate

(v.) to bring to an end

exorcise

(v.) to drive out by magic; to dispose of something troublesome, menacing, or oppressive

adjourn

(v.) to stop proceedings temporarily; move to another place

feint

(n.) a deliberately deceptive movement; a pretense (v.) to make a deceptive movement; to make a pretense of

alien

(n.) a citizen of another country (adj.) foreign, strange

pauper

(n.) an extremely poor person

pillage

(v.) to rob a (place) using violence, especially in wartime

trite

(adj.) commonplace; overused, stale

spurious

(adj.) not genuine, not true, not valid

comely

(adj.) having a pleasing appearance

unflinching

(adj.) firm, showing no signs of fear, not drawing back

eminent

(adj.) famous, outstanding, distinguished, projecting

erratic

(adj.) not regular or consistent; different from what is ordinarily expected; undependable

circumspect

(adj.) careful, cautious

dissolute

(adj.) loose in one's morals or behavior

irate

(adj.) angry

lucrative

(adj.) bringing in money; profitable

cherubic

(adj.) resembling an angel portrayed as a little child with a beautiful, round, or chubby face; sweet and innocent

terse

(adj.) brief and to the point

illegible

(adj.) difficult or impossible to read

jeer

(v.) to make fun of rudely or unkindly (n.) a rude remark of derision

affluent

(adj.) having a great deal of money; wealthy

diffuse

(v.) to spread or scatter freely or widely (adj.) wordy, long-

clarity

(n.) the quality of being coherent and intelligible; the quality of transparency or purity

tantalize

(v.) to tease; torment by teasing

subjugate

(v.) to conquer by force, bring under complete control

proliferate

(v.) to reproduce, increase, or spread rapidly

expulsion

(n.) the process of driving or forcing out

abridge

(v.) to make shorter

debris

(n.) scattered fragments, wreckage

compensate

(v.) to make up for; to repay for services

prim

(adj.) overly neat, precise, proper, or formal; prudish

arduous

(adj.) hard to do, requiring much effort

posthumous

(adj.) occurring or published after death

disentangle

(v.) to free from tangles or complications

supplant

(v.) to take the place of, supersede

atone

(v.) to make up for

anarchy

(n.) a lack of government and law; confusion

access

(n.) approach or admittance to places, persons, things; an increase (v.) to get at, obtain

fated

(adj.) determined in advance by destiny or fortune

auspicious

(adj.) favorable; fortunate

impoverished

(adj.) poor, in a state of poverty; depleted

intrepid

(adj.) very brave, fearless, unshakable

inanimate

(adj.) not having life; without energy or spirit

doleful

(adj.) sad; dreary

reprimand

(v.) to scold; find fault with (n.) a rebuke

morose

(adj.) having a gloomy or sullen manner; not friendly or sociable

pliant

(adj.) bending readily; easily influenced

stagnant

(adj.) not running or flowing; foul from standing still; inactive sluggish, dull

opaque

(adj.) not letting light through; not clear or lucid; dense, stupid

fortify

(v.) to strengthen, build up

bogus

(adj.) false, counterfeit

malign

(v.) to speak evil of, slander (n.) evil

obstreperous

(adj.) noisy, unruly, disorderly

metropolis

(n.) a large city; the chief city of an area

impel

(v.) to force, drive forward

grievous

(adj.) causing sorrow or pain; serious

horde

(n.) a vast number (as of people); a throng

drudgery

(n.) work that is hard and tiresome

cubicle

(n.) a small room or compartment

candid

(adj.) frank, sincere; impartial, unposed

escalate

(v.) to elevate; to increase in intensity