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1 acquiescence (ACK-we-ESS-ence) n. passive acceptance (used with in or to). He was reluctant to join us, but after long persuasion we gained his acquiescence in the plan.
2 affliction n. distress, or a cause of distress. Hunger and illness are common afflictions of the poor.
3 amass vt. to gather. He amassed a large collection. vi. to assemble. A large crowd amassed.
4 apathetic adj. indifferent, uninterested. The public was apathetic toward museum’s insect exhibit.
5 arbitrary adj. random, irrational, unrestrained. The boss’s arbitrary decisions hurt morale.
6 avarice n. greed. Some economists theorize that avarice is a natural human quality.
7 befuddle adj. to confuse. The VCR instructions left me utterly befuddled.
8 bounty n. 1. generosity. In Eden, Adam and Eve survived on nature’s bounty alone. 2. something given generously. 3. a reward, esp. as given by a government.
9 cacophonous (kuh-COFF-in-us) adj. harsh-sounding. A big-city traffic jam is cacophonous.
10 chasten (CHASE-en) vt. to discipline, humble or subdue. A bad defeat chastened my pride.
11 coffer n. a chest for storing money; a treasury. The state’s coffers are nearly empty.
12 comprehensive adj. thorough, inclusive. The comprehensive curriculum covers all subjects.
13 confrontation n. face-to-face conflict or opposition. I’m dreading a confrontation with my boss.
14 contour n. outline, shape, curves. The sports car has sleek contours. vt. to shape.
15 demote vt. to lower in rank. The coach demotes underachieving starters to the second team.
16 desolate (DESS- or DEZ-o-let) adj. deserted, lifeless. The ghost town is desolate. 2. lonely. The loss of his wife left him desolate. (DESS- or DEZ-o-LATE) vt. to make empty or miserable.
17 dilapidated adj. fallen into decay or partial ruin. The dilapidated barn is a fire hazard.
18 disinterestedadj. unbiased; without selfish motive (not to be confused with uninterested, bored). To settle the dispute, we asked a disinterested third party.
19 dour (pron. dower or doer) adj. gloomily harsh. The teacher’s dour manner terrified children.
20 efface vt. to make indistinct or unnoticeable. He modestly effaced his own achievements.
21 embark vi. to board a vehicle; to start. After graduation she embarked on a new stage in her life.
22 enhance vt. to make greater or better. Steroids unfairly enhanced the sprinter’s performance.
23 equitable (EK-wit-a-ble) adj. fair. The distribution of gifts was equitable to all.
24 exasperate vt. to annoy. Our continued blunders exasperated our coach.
25 expeditious adj. prompt and efficient. Emergencies require expeditious decision-making.
26 falter vi. to stumble or hesitate in walking or speaking. The arthritic man faltered in his steps.
27 flicker vi. to burn unsteadily. The candle flickered before dying. n. a sudden, brief movement.
28 furrow n. groove or wrinkle. The plow dug furrows in the soil. vt. to create furrows.
29 habitat n. the place something inhabits. Haleakala crater is the habitat of the silversword plant.
30 homogeneous adj. all of one kind. Isolated countries tend to have culturally homogeneous populations.
31 impede vt. to hinder; to block the progress of. Dense jungle impeded the explorer’s path.
32 impious adj. disrespectful, as toward God or parents. He feels it is impious to eat without saying grace.
33 incriminate vt. to prove guilty. New evidence incriminated the suspect.
34 inertia n. 1. tendency not to move or change. The inertia of the city council frustrated the young innovator. 2. in physics, the tendency to remain at rest unless acted on by an outside force.
35 instigator n. one who arouses trouble. The instigator should be punished as well as the rioters.
36 irate adj. very angry. His parents were irate when he came home two hours after curfew.
37 lassitude n. fatigue, listlessness. Poor diet and sleeping habits caused his lassitude in school.
38 luster n. glow, sheen, radiance. She polished the trophy to restore the luster.
39 mendacious adj. dishonest, false. His mendacious story fooled his father.
40 minutiae (mi-NEW-she-ee) n (plural). minor details. The boss left the minutiae to assistants.
41 omnipotent adj. all-powerful. God is omnipotent.
42 parasite n. someone or something that lives off another. Her so-called partner is just a parasite.
43 pauper n. a poor person. The pauper depended on charity to survive.
44 perspicacious adj. perceptive. The perspicacious woman knew what was troubling her son.
45 pervasive adj. spread throughout. The One Team spirit is pervasive at our school.
46 platitude n. a cliché. The coach spoke in platitudes like “There’s no i in team.”
47 preconceived adj. assumed without experience. Working as an intern in Congress disproved my preconceived ideas about politicians.
48 pretentious adj. putting on superior airs. “Plethora” is just a pretentious way of saying “many.”
49 prosaic adj. dull, unimaginative. Spies’ work is more prosaic than it seems in James Bond films.
50 ratify vt. to approve formally. The Anti-Federalists did not want to ratify the Constitution.
51 recourse n. someone or something to turn to for help. He had no recourse but to call the police.
52 rejuvenate vt. to make youthful again. Vacation rejuvenates weary workers.
53 requite vt. to pay back. She requited his attention with scorn, not love.
54 reverie n. daydream. When the teacher called on me, I was lost in reverie.
55 salient (SAIL-yent) adj. notable, significant. The speech made three salient points.
56 serene adj. peaceful, calm. It was a serene day, with mild breezes and gentle sunshine.
57 solicitous adj. expressing attentive care and protectiveness. Many people asked me solicitous questions when I came to school with a cast on my leg.
58 static adj. lacking movement, change or progress. Amid the moving forms under the microscope, one body remained static. n. static electricity.
59 subvert vt. to undermine, overthrow. The dictator subverted the resistance by bribing its leaders.
60 taciturn adj. uncommunicative, reserved. The taciturn hosts made me feel unwelcome.
61 terse adj. concise. On returning to the NBA, Michael Jordan made a terse statement: “I’m back.”
62 trinket n. a small object of little value. She threw out the Happy Meal and kept the plastic trinket.
63 urbane adj. suave; polished in manner. The host of the embassy dinner was an urbane man.
64 vilify vt. to speak ill of. The media vilified the athlete as a traitor for signing with another team.
65 wince vi. to draw back in pain; to flinch. I winced when the dentist’s drill struck a nerve.
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