Vocabulary G

Vocabulary GUnit Ten

Rebuff

(v.) to snub; to repel, drive away; (n.) a curt rejection, a check

High school snobs rebuff their fellow classmates with their bad and stuck up attitudes.

Reconnoiter (v.) to encourage in reconnaissance; to

make a preliminary

inspection

The troops with a clear mission reconnoitered in Iraq to gather much needed information.

Obsequious (adj.)Marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons

Sally was incredibly obsequious towards Jimmy when she figured out he had an extra ticket to see the Black Eyed Peas.

Askance

• (adj.) with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval

The askance mother watched the young boy closely, knowing that his claim to not eat any cookies could not be trusted.

Attenuate

• (v.) to make thin or slender; to weaken or lessen in force, intensity, or value

The hungry boy’s desire for a filling meal was attenuated by the alarming nutrition facts he read on the wrapper of the Big Mac he was about to eat.

Shambles • (n.) A Slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of

complete disorder and confusion, mess• The butchers’ shambles is used as a meat market for the local

townspeople.

Sporadic

• (adj.) Occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order

• Lucy’s headaches occurred at a sporadic rate which she had no control over.

CharlatanOne who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, imposter, or quack

George tried to fool his friends and be a charlatan, but they figured out who he was very easily.

DecimateTo kill or destroy a large part of

It looks as though the Spanish and Americans were both decimating each others armies in this picture.

Peremptory

(adj.) having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial, or refusal; offensively self-assured, dictatorial; determined, resolute

Dr. House’s colleagues did not appreciate his peremptory diagnosis and treatment for the patient.

penitent• adj. regretful for

one’s sins or mistakes• n. one who is sorry

for wrongdoing

• The penitent thief confessed because he felt bad about what he had done.

Obtuse

The young criminal’s obtuse lies were quickly detected by the experienced policeman.

Adj. blunt, not coming to a point, slow or dull in understanding, measuring between 90 and 180 degrees; not causing a sharp impression

Inure• Def: (v) to toughen, harden; to

render used to something by long subjection or exposure.

• The soldier became inure to harsh climates after years of fighting in the desert.

Fraught- adj, full or loaded with, accompanied by.

Santa is fraught with one huge late-night errand every year.

Foible (n) A weak point, failing, minor flaw.

When it came to self control, the alcoholic had a major foible.

Forgo

(v) to do without, abstain from, give up

When the alcoholic went to rehab, he had to finally forgo alcohol.

Cavil

v. To find fault in a petty way, carp

n. A trivial objection or criticism

Do not cavil your bad grade too much. You got what you deserved because you didn’t study.

BenignAdj. Gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect; not malignant

When the young girl was in an argument with her friends, she went to her benign mother for guidance.