Unit 1 VocabularyLevel E

Adulterate—v.To corrupt, make

worse by the addition of something of lesser value

I was horrified when Brad adulterated his cream of crab soup with copious amounts of hot sauce.

Ambidextrous—adj.Able to use both

hands equally well; very skillful; deceitful, hypocritical

It is useful in many sports to be ambidextrous and able to handle the ball with both hands.

Augment—v.To make larger,

increase

People seek intelligent investments in order to augment the money in their portfolios.

Bereft—adj.Deprived of; made

unhappy because of loss

Because Sparky’s death left Victor bereft, he decided to find a way to bring back his dog.

Deploy—v.To position or

arrange; to utilize; to form up

In the game of Stratego, it’s very important how you deploy your game pieces.

Dour—adj.Stern, unyielding,

gloomy, ill-humored

When photography first came about, people did not smile for pictures, instead posing with dour looks upon their faces.

Fortitude—n.Courage in facing

difficulties.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many residents of New Orleans needed to display extreme fortitude in order to survive.

Gape—v. To stare with open

mouth; to open the mouth wide; to open wide

Babies often gape in amazement when they see new things.

GibeV.—To utter taunting

wordsThe opponents of the

mayor gibed him during his campaign kickoff speech.

N.—An expression of scorn

What one child might see as innocent gibes, another child might see as bullying, so it’s better not to pick on anyone at all.

Guise—n.An external appearance,

cover, mask

By going about the party in the guise of a waiter, the spy was able to keep the international arms dealer under surveillance.

Insidious—adj.Intended to deceive

or entrap; sly, treacherous

The Joker’s insidious plans are meant to cause chaos and anarchy.

Intimation—n.A hint, indirect

suggestion

Creepy music and dark lighting is a pretty good intimation that someone in a horror movie is gonna git kilt.

Opulent—adj.Wealthy, luxurious;

ample; grandiose

When rock bands suddenly have a hit record, they often quickly adapt to an opulent lifestyle.

Pliable—adj.Easily bent, flexible;

easily influenced

When building a boat, it is important to choose wood that is pliable and will bend along with the frame.

Reiterate—v.To say again, repeat

On a number of occasions in his “I Have a Dream” speech, Martin Luther King, Jr. reiterated his vision of a county without racial barriers.

Stolid—adj.Not easily moved

mentally or emotionally; dull, unresponsive

Teachers find it difficult to deal with stolid students that just stare at the teacher with blank looks.

Tentative—adj.Experimental in

nature; uncertain, hesitant

Sometime around their first birthdays, babies begin to take their first wobbly, tentative steps.

unkempt—adj.Not combed; untidy;

not properly maintained; unpolished, rude

Sometimes it takes teenage boys a while to figure out that an unkempt appearance does not appeal to the ladies.

Verbatim—adj., adv.Word for word;

exactly as written or spoken

The DVDs were appropriately named, since they make verbatim copies of video files.

When I was in college, I had to recite the first 25 lines of Canterbury Tales verbatim—and in Middle English, no less.

Warily—adv.Cautiously, with

great care

If you ever feel the impulse to approach a sleeping tiger, you should do so warily.