Vocabulary Unit 4 Affable adj courteous and pleasant

Vocabulary Unit 4

Affable (adj): courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to The new girl is so affable that by the end of her first day at school, she already had a group of friends. Affability (n)

Aggrandize (v): to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make to appear greater. It often annoyed us when Melvin, who was just the custodian, tried to aggrandize his importance by claiming to know company secrets. During the Victorian Era in Great Britain, England aggrandized its empire by conquering smaller, less fortunate countries under the guise of bringing progress. Self-aggrandizement (n): to make oneself seem greater in power or wealth

Amorphous (adj): shapeless, without definite form Our plans for next year are still amorphous, since we have no idea where we will be. The amoeba's amorphous body is always changing shape.

Aura (n): that which surrounds; a quality or feeling that comes from a place Most churches have an aura of quiet and sanctity about them. That affable young lady has a very welcoming aura.

Contraband (n): illegal traffic, smuggled goods (adj): illegal or prohibited Cell phones are contraband during the midterm. Drug smugglers carry contraband marijuana over the border from Mexico to the US.

Erudite (adj): scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic; showing a lot of knowledge A good teacher should be erudite without seeming to show off all she knows. Erudition (n): learning, knowledge

Gossamer (adj): thin, light, insubstantial (n): a very thin, light cloth * The bride was beautiful in her gossamer veil and pure white dress. * Spider's webs are often described as made of gossamer and silk.

Infer (v): to find out by reasoning; to arrive at conclusion on the basis of thought; to hint, suggest, imply We can infer from the text that Oliver Twist was indeed an orphan. I can infer nothing about her from her behavior. Inference (n)

Inscrutable (adj): not easily understood; impossible to see through physically He is so inscrutable that I can infer nothing from him. Inscrutability (n)

Insular (adj): narrow or isolated in outlook or experience There is really no excuse in our globally-connected Internet world for such insular and isolated behavior. A college campus can be an insular environment for a student without transportation. Insularity (n)

Irrevocable (adj): incapable of being changed or called back Court decisions are not always irrevocable; it is possible to appeal a ruling and have it changed. The rumors he spread have done irrevocable damage to our friendship, and I will never trust him again.

Propensity (n): natural inclination toward; proclivity He shows a natural propensity toward science and mathematics. Often used with “showed” or “have”.

Querulous (adj): peevish, complaining, fretful I know you have a cold, but you have to stop this querulous, petulant whining right this instant! As she got older, my grandmother was often querulous and unhappy.

Remonstrate (v): to argue or plead with someone against something; protest against, object to No matter how often we remonstrate against it, my daughter is determined to get a tattoo this week. Remonstration (n)

Repudiate (v): to disown, reject, or deny the validity of During WWII, American citizens of Japanese descent were made to sign a document repudiating the authority of the Emperor of Japan. When it became clear that the reporter had the story all wrong, he had to repudiate his comments and make a public apology. Repudiation (n)

Resilient (adj): able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly Children are usually resilient and quick to heal after an injury. The invention of resilient plastics and other reusable materials has revolutionized household cooking and food storage. Resiliency (n)

Reverberate (v): to re-echo, resound; to have a strong effect that continues to be felt for a long time The sound of bass from the man's car reverberated throughout the neighborhood and drove everyone insane. Reverberation (n) Guitar players will often use “reverb, ” which causes the sound of the guitar to waver and echo.

Scurrilous (adj): coarsely abusive, vulgar, or low (especially in language); foul-mouthed Take your scurrilous lies and get out of here. She spread the most scurrilous rumors I've ever heard; I'm shocked that she even knows that language!

Sedulous (adj): persistent, showing industry and determination Only the most sedulous students will graduate with high honors.

Sleazy (adj): thin or flimsy in texture; shoddy or inferior in character; ethically low, mean, disreputable Stay away from the west side of town; it's full of sleazy bars and neighborhoods where good people don't go.