Vocabulary List – Week 5

  1. tar·dy /ˈtärdē/Adjective:
    Delaying or delayed beyond the right or expected time; late.
    Slow in action or response; sluggish.
    I was tardy getting to my class. 
  2. Reprehensible adjective
    describes deplorable, highly unacceptable action, deserving severe rebuke
    His behavior was reprehensible. 
  3. plaudit  (plôdt)
    n.  Enthusiastic expression of praise or approval:
    Aaron deserves some plaudits for his good behavior.
  4. nuzzle/ˈnəzəl/
    Verb: Rub or push against gently with the nose and mouth: “he nuzzled her hair”; “the foal nuzzled at its mother”.
    Lean or snuggle against.
    The baby nuzzled against his mother’s neck.
  5. harbinger Noun: A person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another.
    A forerunner of something.
    The storm clouds are a harbinger of a horrible storm.
  6. e·nig·ma/iˈnigmə/
    Noun: A person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.
    A riddle or paradox.
    Synonyms:
    riddle – puzzle – conundrum – mystery
    I look at the expression on my father’s face and it is a total enigma.
  7. cred·i·ble/ˈkredəbəl/
    Adjective: Able to be believed; convincing.
    Capable of persuading people that something will happen or be successful: “a credible threat”.
    I was shocked to hear my brother make up a credible story about why he needed another cookie.
  8. blas·phe·my   [blas-fuh-mee] Show IPA
    impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.
    an act of cursing or reviling God.
    irreverent behavior toward anything held sacred, priceless
    I find it to be utter blasphemy to throw away perfectly good food.
  9. ab·ro·gate/ˈabrəˌgāt/
    Verb:Repeal or do away with (a law, right, or formal agreement). Synonyms:
    cancel – abolish – annul – rescind – repeal – revoke
    I’ve abrogated your punishment since you’ve been a good boy.
  10. tan·gi·ble/ˈtanjəbəl/
    Adjective:Perceptible by touch.
    Noun:A thing that is perceptible by touch.
    Synonyms:
    palpable – concrete – touchable – real – tactile
    I believe that studying can have a tangible effect on your test results. 
  11. re·plete/riˈplēt/
    Adjective: Filled or well-supplied with something.
    Very full of or sated by food.
    The table was replete with pies, cakes, turkeys, roasts, and other foods for the season.
  12. plain·tiff/ˈplāntif/
    Noun:A person who brings a case against another in a court of law.
    Synonyms:
    prosecutor – complainant – claimant – suitor – accuser
    I acted as a plaintiff in a lawsuit.
  13. nul·li·fy/ˈnələˌfī/
    Verb: Make legally null and void; invalidate.
    Make of no use or value; cancel out.
    Synonyms:
    annul – cancel – rescind – invalidate – quash – revoke
    I have nullified the agreement that I had with my teacher.
  14. lab·y·rinth/ˈlab(ə)ˌrinTH/
    Noun: A complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one’s way; a maze.
    An intricate and confusing arrangement.
    I tried to navigate the labyrinth that was my child’s messy closet.
  15. ha·rangue/həˈraNG/
    Noun:A lengthy and aggressive speech.
    Verb:Lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner.
    I was harangued by my mother to clean up my closet.
  16. en·hance/enˈhans/
    Verb:Intensify, increase, or further improve the quality, value, or extent of.
    Synonyms:
    increase – heighten – augment – raise – magnify – up
    I need to enhance my wizard’s spell casting capabilities.
  17. cow·er/ˈkouər/
    Verb:Crouch down in fear.
    Synonyms:
    crouch – cringe – squat
    The kitten cowered in the corner because he was afraid of the dog.
  18. a·base verb /əˈbās/
    To reduce or lower, as in rank, office, reputation, or estimation; humble; degrade; humiliate.
    The teacher abased the student by putting him in front of the class to show what happens when you don’t study.
  19. billowing present participle of bil·low (Verb)
    Verb: (of fabric) Fill with air and swell outward: “her dress billowed out around her”.
    (of smoke, cloud, or steam) Move or flow outward with an undulating motion.
    The dress was billowing in the wind.
  20. flabbergast (Verb)
    to overcome with surprise and bewilderment; astound.
    My mother was flabbergasted when she learned that I put the clean clothes in the dirty clothes pile.