1 abridged adj. shortened or lessened. Reader’s Digest publishes abridged versions of long books.
2 advocate (AD-vo-CATE) vt. to plead or argue for. He advocates school reform. (AD-vo-ket) n. one who pleads for a cause, esp. a lawyer. He is an advocate for school reform.
3 alacrity n. cheerful promptness. Waiters who work with alacrity receive better tips.
4 anarchy n. absence or disregard of government. The rebellion led to anarchy.
5 apprise vt. to inform. The general’s aides apprised him of developments on the battlefield.
6 assess vt. to determine the amount of (esp. of a tax); to judge. Experts assessed the damage.
7 augment vt. to make bigger. She babysat the neighbors’ children to augment her allowance.
8 bestial (BESS- or BEAST-chul) adj. of or like a beast. When human beings are denied freedom and dignity, we should not be surprised if their behavior becomes bestial.
9 capricious (ca-PRISH-us or ca-PREE-shus) adj. governed by caprice: impulsive, unpredictable. My capricious friend has a new career plan each week.
10 charlatan (SHAR-luh-ten) n. quack, phony, pretender. The fortune teller is a mere charlatan.
11 citadel n. fortress. Invading armies could not penetrate the citadel.
12 commiserate vi. to feel or express sympathy. She commiserated with me on my bad test grade.
13 conciliate vt. to appease; to gain favor by friendly acts. The President will not conciliate terrorists.
14 contaminate vt. to corrupt. Chemicals contaminated the water supply.
15 credulous adj. gullible. Credulous Aunt Polly believes the lies of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.
16 degeneration n. worsening; deterioration. Drugs caused his moral and physical degeneration. 17 deportment n. bearing, manner (not to be confused with deportation, “banishment from a country”). Our kumu hula instructed us on the proper deportment as we enter and exit the stage.
18 devious adj. sneakily indirect. Burglars used a devious scheme to distract the palace guards.
19 discordant adj. 1. harsh-sounding. The untuned instruments sounded discordant notes.2. disagreeing. The club’s stubborn president closed his ears to discordant opinions.
20 disparage vt. to speak of slightingly. Out of jealousy he disparages my school.
21 duration n. continuance in time; the time something lasts. He served for the duration of the war.
22 elicit vt. to draw forth (not to be confused with illicit, illegal). Sharp questions elicited the truth.
23 encore (ON-CORE) n. additional performance in response to demand. The singer gave an encore.
24 entice vt. to lure, attract, tempt. Ads entice consumers with misleading promises.
25 estrange vt. to cause hostility between people who were close. Misunderstandings estranged him from his wife.
26 exertion n. effort, strain, use. Jogging requires little exertion.
27 extrapolate (ek-STRAP-uh-late) vt. to infer from known data. I extrapolated a forecast from past results.
28 feint n. a feigned blow used to mislead. The athlete made a feint to his left and cut to the right. vt. to make a feint. He feinted to the left.
29 formidable (FOR-mid-able or for-MID-able) adj. causing fear, discouragement, or awe. Mount Everest presents a formidable challenge for any mountain climber.
30 giddy adj. 1. dizzy. Heights make me giddy. 2. lightheartedly silly. Puppy love made her giddy.
32 impromptu adv. unplanned. I spoke impromptu. adj. unplanned. I gave an impromptu talk.
33 inception n. beginning, origin. Our community fair has grown since its inception ten years ago.
34 incidental adj. accidental; as a minor consequence. Taxi fare is an incidental expense.
35 indigenous adj. occurring naturally in an area. Sea turtles are indigenous to Hawaii.
36 innovation n. 1. the introduction of something new. The Dean encourages innovation by teachers. 2. a novelty. The first cordless phone seemed a startling innovation.
37 inured adj. accustomed to something undesirable. The laborer was inured to aches and pains.
38 invulnerable adj. impossible to harm. Achilles was invulnerable in battle except in his heel.
39 lithe adj. easily or gracefully flexible. The ballet dancer was as lithe as a vine.
40 materialize vi. to come into physical existence. Without leadership, the plan never materialized.
41 mundane adj. dull, ordinary. The supposed ghost was actually something mundane: a stray cat.
42 nullify vt. to counteract the value or force of. A penalty on the offense nullified the touchdown.
43 ostentatious adj. showy. Ostentatious display of his trophies offended visitors to his home.
44 parsimony n. thrift, stinginess. Out of parsimony, he makes us share one outdated computer.
45 peremptory (per-REMP-tuh-ree) adj. in an arrogantly commanding manner; admitting no dissent. Without even listening he gave a peremptory refusal.
46 philistine (often capitalized) n. a materialist who disdains culture and ideas. The new owner is a philistine who tore down a historic building to build a shopping mall.
47 potent adj. powerful. The potent pesticide solved the termite problem.
48 precipitous adj. steep. The Nu’uanu Pali is a precipitous cliff.
49 preposterous adj. absurd. The idea of naming a kindergartner Principal is preposterous.
50 prolong vt. to lengthen. Tell me now instead of prolonging the agony.
51 recalcitrant adj. stubbornly disobedient. The recalcitrant prisoners defied the guards’ orders.
52 recuperate vt. to regain health. It takes months to recuperate from knee surgery.
53 renegade n. deserter, rebel. The political renegade ran for office against former colleagues.
54 reserve n. 1. something stored for future use. I keep a reserve of tissue on hand.2. restraint, caution. His reserve makes me think he is hiding something. vt. 1. to hold back, set aside. I reserved a table.
55 robust adj. vigorously healthy; hearty. After a summer of daily exercise, he looked robust.
56 savory adj. tasty. Spices make food savory.
57 slavish adj. slavelike: basely subservient or imitative. They are slavish followers of fashion trends.
58 squalor n. filth and misery. Social workers were shocked by the squalor in the ghetto.
59 stringent adj. strict with regard to rule or standard. The school has stringent admission standards.
60 subsidize vt. to support financially. The government subsidizes industries it wishes to promote.
61 surpass vt. to exceed; to become greater than. The brilliant student surpassed all expectations.
62 tenacious adj. 1. persistent. A tenacious worker never quits. 2. clinging. Burs are tenacious.
63 unctuous adj. falsely flattering or earnest. His unctuous compliments made me suspicious.
64 venal adj. open to bribery; mercenary. Venal politicians promise favors for their supporters.
65 vivacity n. liveliness. The vivacity of her personality makes her a pleasant hostess.
Study Guide: Elective Vocabulary List 4
1 abridged adj. shortened or lessened. Reader’s Digest publishes abridged versions of long books.
2 advocate (AD-vo-CATE) vt. to plead or argue for. He advocates school reform. (AD-vo-ket) n. one who pleads for a cause, esp. a lawyer. He is an advocate for school reform.
3 alacrity n. cheerful promptness. Waiters who work with alacrity receive better tips.
4 anarchy n. absence or disregard of government. The rebellion led to anarchy.
5 apprise vt. to inform. The general’s aides apprised him of developments on the battlefield.
6 assess vt. to determine the amount of (esp. of a tax); to judge. Experts assessed the damage.
7 augment vt. to make bigger. She babysat the neighbors’ children to augment her allowance.
8 bestial (BESS- or BEAST-chul) adj. of or like a beast. When human beings are denied freedom and dignity, we should not be surprised if their behavior becomes bestial.
9 capricious (ca-PRISH-us or ca-PREE-shus) adj. governed by caprice: impulsive, unpredictable. My capricious friend has a new career plan each week.
10 charlatan (SHAR-luh-ten) n. quack, phony, pretender. The fortune teller is a mere charlatan.
11 citadel n. fortress. Invading armies could not penetrate the citadel.
12 commiserate vi. to feel or express sympathy. She commiserated with me on my bad test grade.
13 conciliate vt. to appease; to gain favor by friendly acts. The President will not conciliate terrorists.
14 contaminate vt. to corrupt. Chemicals contaminated the water supply.
15 credulous adj. gullible. Credulous Aunt Polly believes the lies of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.
16 degeneration n. worsening; deterioration. Drugs caused his moral and physical degeneration.
17 deportment n. bearing, manner (not to be confused with deportation, “banishment from a country”). Our kumu hula instructed us on the proper deportment as we enter and exit the stage.
18 devious adj. sneakily indirect. Burglars used a devious scheme to distract the palace guards.
19 discordant adj. 1. harsh-sounding. The untuned instruments sounded discordant notes. 2. disagreeing. The club’s stubborn president closed his ears to discordant opinions.
20 disparage vt. to speak of slightingly. Out of jealousy he disparages my school.
21 duration n. continuance in time; the time something lasts. He served for the duration of the war.
22 elicit vt. to draw forth (not to be confused with illicit, illegal). Sharp questions elicited the truth.
23 encore (ON-CORE) n. additional performance in response to demand. The singer gave an encore.
24 entice vt. to lure, attract, tempt. Ads entice consumers with misleading promises.
25 estrange vt. to cause hostility between people who were close. Misunderstandings estranged him from his wife.
26 exertion n. effort, strain, use. Jogging requires little exertion.
27 extrapolate (ek-STRAP-uh-late) vt. to infer from known data. I extrapolated a forecast from past results.
28 feint n. a feigned blow used to mislead. The athlete made a feint to his left and cut to the right. vt. to make a feint. He feinted to the left.
29 formidable (FOR-mid-able or for-MID-able) adj. causing fear, discouragement, or awe. Mount Everest presents a formidable challenge for any mountain climber.
30 giddy adj. 1. dizzy. Heights make me giddy. 2. lightheartedly silly. Puppy love made her giddy.
31 heinous (HAY-ness) adj. shockingly evil. Terrorists committed heinous crimes.
32 impromptu adv. unplanned. I spoke impromptu. adj. unplanned. I gave an impromptu talk.
33 inception n. beginning, origin. Our community fair has grown since its inception ten years ago.
34 incidental adj. accidental; as a minor consequence. Taxi fare is an incidental expense.
35 indigenous adj. occurring naturally in an area. Sea turtles are indigenous to Hawaii.
36 innovation n. 1. the introduction of something new. The Dean encourages innovation by teachers. 2. a novelty. The first cordless phone seemed a startling innovation.
37 inured adj. accustomed to something undesirable. The laborer was inured to aches and pains.
38 invulnerable adj. impossible to harm. Achilles was invulnerable in battle except in his heel.
39 lithe adj. easily or gracefully flexible. The ballet dancer was as lithe as a vine.
40 materialize vi. to come into physical existence. Without leadership, the plan never materialized.
41 mundane adj. dull, ordinary. The supposed ghost was actually something mundane: a stray cat.
42 nullify vt. to counteract the value or force of. A penalty on the offense nullified the touchdown.
43 ostentatious adj. showy. Ostentatious display of his trophies offended visitors to his home.
44 parsimony n. thrift, stinginess. Out of parsimony, he makes us share one outdated computer.
45 peremptory (per-REMP-tuh-ree) adj. in an arrogantly commanding manner; admitting no dissent. Without even listening he gave a peremptory refusal.
46 philistine (often capitalized) n. a materialist who disdains culture and ideas. The new owner is a philistine who tore down a historic building to build a shopping mall.
47 potent adj. powerful. The potent pesticide solved the termite problem.
48 precipitous adj. steep. The Nu’uanu Pali is a precipitous cliff.
49 preposterous adj. absurd. The idea of naming a kindergartner Principal is preposterous.
50 prolong vt. to lengthen. Tell me now instead of prolonging the agony.
51 recalcitrant adj. stubbornly disobedient. The recalcitrant prisoners defied the guards’ orders.
52 recuperate vt. to regain health. It takes months to recuperate from knee surgery.
53 renegade n. deserter, rebel. The political renegade ran for office against former colleagues.
54 reserve n. 1. something stored for future use. I keep a reserve of tissue on hand. 2. restraint, caution. His reserve makes me think he is hiding something. vt. 1. to hold back, set aside. I reserved a table.
55 robust adj. vigorously healthy; hearty. After a summer of daily exercise, he looked robust.
56 savory adj. tasty. Spices make food savory.
57 slavish adj. slavelike: basely subservient or imitative. They are slavish followers of fashion trends.
58 squalor n. filth and misery. Social workers were shocked by the squalor in the ghetto.
59 stringent adj. strict with regard to rule or standard. The school has stringent admission standards.
60 subsidize vt. to support financially. The government subsidizes industries it wishes to promote.
61 surpass vt. to exceed; to become greater than. The brilliant student surpassed all expectations.
62 tenacious adj. 1. persistent. A tenacious worker never quits. 2. clinging. Burs are tenacious.
63 unctuous adj. falsely flattering or earnest. His unctuous compliments made me suspicious.
64 venal adj. open to bribery; mercenary. Venal politicians promise favors for their supporters.
65 vivacity n. liveliness. The vivacity of her personality makes her a pleasant hostess.