Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop – Level D
Unit A
1. admonish (v.) to caution or advise against something; to scold mildly; to remind of a duty
2. breach (n.) an opening, gap, rupture, rift; a violation; (v.) to create an opening, to break through
3. brigand (n.) a bandit, robber, outlaw, highwayman
4. circumspect (adj.) careful, cautious
5. commandeer (v.) to seize for military or official use
6. cumbersome (adj.) clumsy, hard to handle; slow-moving
7. deadlock (n.) a standstill resulting from the opposition of two equal forces or factions; (v.) to bring to such a standstill
8. debris (n.) scattered fragments, wreckage
9. diffuse (v.) to spread or scatter freely or widely; (adj.) wordy, long-winded, or unfocused; scattered or spread
10. dilemma (n.) a difficult or perplexing situation or problem
11. efface (v.) to wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed
12. muddle (v.) to make a mess of; to get by; (n.) a hopeless mess
13. opinionated (adj.) stubborn and often unreasonable in holding to one’s own ideas; having a closed mind
14. perennial (adj.) lasting for a long time, persistent; (n.) a plant that lives for many years
15. predispose (v.) to incline to beforehand
Unit B
1. relinquish (v.) to let go, give up
2. salvage (v.) to save from fire or shipwreck; (n.) property recovered from a fire or shipwreck
3. spasmodic (adj.) sudden and violent but brief; fitful; intermittent
4. spurious (adj.) not genuine, not true, not valid
5. unbridled (adj.) lacking in restraint
6. adjourn (v.) to stop proceedings temporarily; move to another place
7. alien (n.) a citizen of another country; (adj.) foreign, strange
8. comely (adj.) having a pleasing appearance
9. compensate (v.) to make up for; to repay for services
10. dissolute (adj.) loose in one’s morals or behavior
11. erratic (adj.) not regular or consistent; different from what is ordinarily expected; undependable\
12. expulsion (n.) the process of driving or forcing out
13. feint (n.) a deliberately deceptive movement; a pretense; (v.) to make a deceptive movement
14. fodder (n.) food for horses or cattle; raw material for a designated purpose
15. fortify (v.) to strengthen, build up
Unit C
1. illegible (adj.) difficult or impossible to read
2. jeer (v.) to make fun of rudely or unkindly; (n) a rude remark or derision
3. lucrative (adj.) bringing in money; profitable
4. mediocre (adj.) average, ordinary, undistinguished
5. proliferate (v.) to reproduce, increase, or spread rapidly
6. subjugate (v.) to conquer by force, bring under complete control
7. sully (v.) to soil, stain, tarnish, defile, besmirch
8. tantalize (v.) to tease, torment by teasing
9. terse (adj.) brief and to the point
10. unflinching (adj.) firm, showing no signs of fear, not drawing back
11. abridge (v.) to make shorter
12. adherent (n.) a follower, supporter; (adj.) attached, sticking to
13. altercation (n.) an angry argument
14. cherubic (adj.) resembling an angel portrayed as a little child with a beautiful, round, or chubby face; sweet
and innocent
15. condone (v.) to pardon or overlook
Unit D
1. dissent (v.) to disagree; (n.) disagreement
2. eminent (adj.) famous, outstanding, distinguished, projecting
3. exorcise (v.) to drive out by magic; to dispose of something troublesome, menacing, or oppressive
4. fabricate (v.) to make, manufacture; to make up, invent
5. gluttony (n.) engaging in extreme eating or drinking; greedy overindulgence
6. irate (adj.) angry
7. marauder (n.) a raider, plunderer
8. pauper (n.) an extremely poor person
9. pilfer (v.) to steal in small quantities
10. rift (n.) a split, break, breach
11. semblance (n.) a likeness; an outward appearance; an apparition
12. surmount (v.) to overcome, rise above
13. terminate (v.) to bring to an end
14. trite (adj.) commonplace; overused, stale
15. usurp (v.) to seize and hold a position by force or without right
Unit E
1. abscond (v.) to run off and hide
2. access (n.) the approach or admittance to places, persons, things; an increase; (v.) to get at, obtain
3. anarchy (n.) a lack of government and law; confusion
4. arduous (adj.) hard to do, requiring much effort
5. auspicious (adj.) favorable; fortunate
6. daunt (v.) to overcome with fear, intimidate; to dishearten, discourage
7. disentangle (v.) to free from tangles or complications
8. fated (adj.) determined in advance by destiny or fortune
9. hoodwink (v.) to mislead by a trick, swindle
10. inanimate (adj.) not having life; without energy or spirit
11. incinerate (v.) to burn to ashes
12. intrepid (adj.) very brave, fearless, unshakable
13. larceny (n.) theft
14. pliant (adj.) bending readily; easily influenced
15. pompous (adj.) overly self-important in speech and manner; excessively stately or ceremonious
Unit F
1. precipice (n.) a very steep cliff; the brink or edge or disaster
2. prototype (n.) an original model on which later versions are patterned
3. rectify (v.) to make right, correct
4. reprieve (n.) a temporary relief or delay; (v.) to grant a postponement
5. revile (v.) to attack with words, call bad names
6. accomplice (n.) a person who takes part in a crime
7. annihilate (v.) to destroy completely
8. arbitrary (adj.) unreasonable; based on one’s wishes or whims without regard for reason or fairness
9. brazen (adj.) shameless, impudent; made of brass
10. catalyst (n.) a substance that causes or hastens a chemical reaction; any agent that causes change
11. exodus (n.) a large-scale departure or flight
12. facilitate (v.) to make easier; to assist
13. incorrigible (adj.) not able to be corrected; beyond control
14. latent (adj.) hidden, present but not realized
15. militant (adj.) given to fighting; active and aggressive in support of a cause; (n.) an activist
Unit G
1. morose (adj.) having a gloomy or sullen manner; not friendly or sociable
2. opaque (adj.) not letting light through; not clear or lucid; dense, stupid
3. paramount (adj.) chief in importance, above all others
4. prattle (v.) to talk in an aimless, foolish, or simple way; to babble; (n.) baby talk, babble
5. rebut (v.) to offer arguments or evidence that contradict an assertion; to refute
6. reprimand (v.) to scold; find fault with; (n.) a rebuke
7. servitude (n.) slavery, forced labor
8. slapdash (adj.) careless and hasty
9. stagnant (adj.) not running or flowing; foul from standing still; inactive
10. succumb (v.) to give way to superior force, yield
11. atone (v.) to make up for
12. bondage (n.) slavery; any state of being bound or held down
13. credible (adj.) believable
14. defray (v.) to pay for
15. diligent (adj.) hardworking, industrious, not lazy
Unit H
1. doleful (adj.) sad; dreary
2. ghastly (adj.) frightful, horrible; deathly pale
3. hamper (v.) to hold back
4. hew (v.) to shape or cut down with an ax; to hold to
5. impoverished (adj.) poor, in a state of poverty; depleted
6. incessant (adj.) never stopping, going on all the time
7. intricate (adj.) complicated; difficult to understand
8. lucid (adj.) easy to understand, clear; rational, sane
9. posthumous (adj.) occurring or published after death
10. prim (adj.) overly neat, proper, or formal; prudish
11. sardonic (adj.) grimly or scornfully mocking; bitterly sarcastic
12. superfluous (adj.) exceeding what is sufficient or required, excess
13. supplant (v.) to take the place of, supercede
14. taunt (v.) to jeer at, mock; (n.) an insulting or mocking remark
15. tenacious (adj.) holding fast; holding together firmly; persistent
Unit I
1. adieu (int.) “Farewell!”; (n.) a farewell
2. advent (n.) an arrival; a coming into place or view
3. apex (n.) the highest point, tip
4. assimilate (v.) to absorb fully; to adopt as one’s own; to adapt fully
5. bogus (adj.) false, counterfeit
6. exorbitant (adj.) unreasonably high; excessive
7. interim (n.) the time between; (adj.) temporary, coming between two points in time
8. inundate (v.) to flood, overflow; to overwhelm by numbers or size
9. malign (v.) to speak evil of, slander; (adj.) evil
10. meander (v.) to wander about, wind about; (n.) a sharp turn or twist
11. metropolis (n.) a large city; the chief city of an area
12. momentous (adj.) very important
13. obstreperous (adj.) noisy; unruly, disorderly
14. pensive (adj.) thoughtful; melancholy
15. perilous (adj.) dangerous
Unit J
1. shoddy (adj.) of poor quality; characterized by inferior workmanship
2. sprightly (adj.) lively, full of life; spicy, flavorful
3. surly (adj.) angry and bad-tempered; rude
4. tirade (n.) a long, angry speech, usually very critical
5. vagrant (n.) an idle wanderer, tramp; (adj.) wandering aimlessly
6. assurance (n.) a pledge; freedom from doubt, self-confidence
7. asylum (n.) an institution for the care of children, elderly people, etc.; a place of safety
8. console (v.) to comfort; (n.) the keyboard of an organ; a control panel for an electrical or mechanical device
9. dilate (v.) to make or become larger or wider; to expand upon
10. dross (n.) refuse, waste products
11. dwindle (v.) to lessen, diminish
12. flippant (adj.) lacking in seriousness; disrespectful, saucy
13. immunity (n.) resistance to disease; freedom from some change or obligation
14. institute (v.) to establish, set up; (n.) organization that promotes learning
15. liability (n.) a debt; something disadvantageous
Unit K
1. preposterous (adj.) ridiculous, senseless
2. pugnacious (adj.) quarrelsome, fond of fighting
3. rabid (adj.) furious, violently intense, unreasonably extreme; mad; infected with rabies
4. realm (n.) a kingdom; a region or field of study
5. rejuvenate (v.) to make young again; to make like new
6. remunerate (v.) to reward, pay, reimburse
7. sparse (adj.) meager, scant; scattered
8. sterling (adj.) genuine, excellent; made of silver of standard fineness
9. venture (n.) a risky or daring undertaking; (v.) to expose to danger; to dare
10. warp (v.) to twist out of shape; (n.) an abnormality
11. auxiliary (adj.) giving assistance or support; (n.) a helper, aid
12. candid (adj.) frank, sincere; impartial; unposed
13. cubicle (n.) a small room or compartment
14. drudgery (n.) work that is hard and tiresome
15. envoy (n.) a representative or messenger (as of a government)
Unit L
1. escalate (v.) to elevate; to increase in intensity
2. expedient (n.) a means to an end; (adj.) advantageous, useful
3. feign (v.) to pretend
4. flair (n.) a natural quality, talent, or skill; a distinctive style
5. grievous (adj.) causing sorrow or pain; serious
6. heterogeneous (adj.) composed of different kinds, diverse
7. horde (n.) as vast number (of people)
8. impel (v.) to force, drive forward
9. incredulous (adj.) disbelieving, skeptical
10. inscribe (v.) to write or engrave; to enter a name on a list
11. monologue (n.) a speech by one actor; a long talk by one person
12. prognosis (n.) a forecast of the probable course and outcome of a disease
13. rasping (adj.) with a harsh grating sound; (n.) a harsh sound
14. repugnant (adj.) offensive, disagreeable, distastefull
15. scuttle (v.) to sink a ship by cutting holes in it; to get rid of something in a decisive way; to run hastily, scurry; (n) a pail
Unit M
1. adept (adj.) thoroughly skilled; (n.) an expert
2. aspire (v.) to have ambitious hopes or plans, strive toward a higher goal, desire earnestly; to ascend
3. bleak (adj.) bare, dreary, dismal
4. chide (v.) to blame; scold
5. despicable (adj.) worthy of scorn, contemptible
6. diminutive (adj.) small, smaller than most others of the same type
7. emancipate (v.) to free from slavery; to release or liberate
8. erroneous (adj.) incorrect, containing mistakes
9. exploit (v.) to make use of, develop; to make improper use of for personal profit; (n.) a feat, deed
10. extemporaneous (adj.) made or delivered on the spur of the moment
11. impair (v.) to make imperfect, damage, harm
12. invincible (adj.) not able to be defeated, unbeatable
13. languid (adj.) drooping; without energy, sluggish
14. mire (n.) mud; wet, swampy ground; a tough situation; (v.) to get stuck
15. obtrusive (adj.) forward; undesirably prominent; thrust out
Unit N
1. preamble (n.) an introduction to a speech or piece of writing
2. render (v.) to cause to become; to perform; to deliver officially; to process, extract
3. rugged (adj.) rough, irregular; severe, stern; strong; stormy
4. skeptical (adj.) inclinded to doubt; slow to accept something as true
5. slipshod (adj.) untidy in dress, personal habits, etc.; careless, sloppy