Vocabulary Level G, Unit 4
Word
Atrophy
(noun or verb)
Synonym
The wasting away of a body
organ or tissue; degeneration,
deterioration; wither
A fortified place, stronghold;
citadel, rampart, bulwark, parapet
A state of agreement, harmony,
unanimity; a treaty, pact
Antonym
Growth, development;
mature, develop
Consummate
(verb or adj)
Disarray
(noun or verb)
Exigency
(noun, often pl.)
Flotsam
(noun)
Masterful; clinch, conclude
Launch, initiate, begin, kick
off
Organization, order, tidiness
Frenetic
(adj)
Glean
(verb)
Frenzied, highly agitated, frantic
To gather bit by bit; to collect,
cull, pick up
Gather and glean both start with G.
Grouse
(noun or verb)
Incarcerate
(verb)
Incumbent
(adj or noun)
Gripe, kvetch, bellyache
Grouse and gripe both start with GR.
Bastion
(noun)
Concord
(noun)
Jocular
(adj)
Ludicrous
(adj)
Mordant
(adj)
Nettle
(noun or verb)
Pecuniary
(adj)
Pusillanimous
(adj)
Recumbent
(adj)
Stratagem
(noun)
Disorder, confusion; dishevel,
mess up
Urgency, pressure; an emergency,
a requirement, crisis
Floating wreckage; homeless,
impoverished people
Disagreement, strife, discord
The famous French prison is called the
Bastille.
If your parents bought you a brand new
Accord for your birthday, you would
probably feel in concord with their
decision.
Check mate is the consummate move in
chess.
Disorganization; disorder; dishevel
Exigency means emergency and urgency.
Calm, controlled, relaxed,
leisurely
To imprison, confine, jail, intern,
immure
Mandatory, necessary; one who
holds a specific office at the time
spoken of
Waggish, facetious, droll, witty,
jolly, jesting
Ridiculous, laughable, absurd,
risible, preposterous
Biting or caustic in thought,
manner, or style; sharply or
bitterly harsh; acrimonious,
acidulous, sardonic, scathing
A prickly or stinging plant; to vex
or irritate; peeve, annoy, incense,
gall, irk
Monetary, financial
Liberate, release, free
Cowardly, craven, lily-livered
Stouthearted, courageous,
daring
Upright, energetic, dynamic
In a reclining position; prone,
prostrate, lying down
Scheme, ruse, trick, ploy,
subterfuge
Clue
If your muscles have atrophied, you
probably won’t win a trophy.
Optional, unnecessary
Flotsam kind of sounds like Float, Sam.
Think of a homeless guy named Sam who
is floating on wreckage, end-of-Jaws style.
Frenetic = frenzied + frantic
Someone who steals a car would be
incarcerated.
If something is incumbent, the law cannot
be bent. You have to do it.
Humorless, solemn, grave,
earnest, grim
Heartrending, poignant,
pathetic
Bland, mild, gentle, soothing
Someone who is jocular often jokes
around.
If something is ludicrous, it’s laughable.
Please, delight, soothe,
pacify
“Nettle” sounds like “needle.”
People who speak in a mordant fashion are
often morbid.
Pecuniary starts and ends like penny.
http://quizlet.com/63999181/vocab-g4-synonyms-flash-cards/
http://quizlet.com/64000064/vocab-g4-antonyms-flash-cards/
People who are pusillanimous are
petrified.
We are often recumbent when we rest in
reclining chairs.
Stratagem is the singular of strategy.
Word Bank: atrophy, bastion, concord, consummate, disarray, exigency, flotsam, frenetic, glean, grouse, incarcerate,
incumbent, jocular, ludicrous, mordant, nettle, pecuniary, pusillanimous, recumbent, stratagem
1. I get my best ideas while lying down: the _________________ position seems to stimulate my brain.
2. It was pleasant to see the usually quiet and restrained Mr. Baxter in such a(n) _________________ and expansive
mood.
3. The _________________ that we observed here and there in the harbor bore mute testimony to the destructive
power of the storm.
4. Since I had only one year of high-school French, my attempts to speak that language on my trip to Paris were
pretty _________________.
5. The high ground east of the river formed a natural _________________, which we decided to defend with all the
forces at our disposal.
6. I regret that Nancy was _________________ by my unfavorable review of her short story, but I had to express
my opinion honestly.
7. Almost every case of muscle or tissue _________________ is the result of disease, prolonged disuse, or changes
in cell nutrition.
8. The _________________ of my present financial situation demand that I curtail all unnecessary expenses for at
least a month.
9. It is _________________ on all of us to do whatever we can to help our community overcome the crisis.
10. Even critics of our penal system admit that so long as hardened criminals are _________________, they can’t
commit further crimes.
11. Despite all their highfalutin malarkey about helping the poor, I suspect that their interest in the project is purely
_________________.
12. The purpose of our _________________ was to draw in the safety so that Tom could get behind him to receive a
long pass.
13. The defeated army fled in such _________________ that before long it had become little more than a uniformed
mob.
14. As soon as he struck the opening chords of the selection, we realized that we were listening to a(n)
_________________ master of the piano.
15. Though next to nothing is known about Homer, historians have been able to _________________ a few odd facts
about him from studying his works.
16. Shakespeare’s Timon of Athens is a disillusioned misanthrope who spends his time hurling _________________
barbs at the rest of mankind.
17. Peace is not just the absence of war but a positive state of _________________ among the nations of the world.
18. I have yet to meet an adult who did not _________________ about the taxes he or she had to pay.
19. Most people regarded the government’s attempt to avert a war by buying off the aggressor as not only shameful
but _________________.
20. People who are used to the unhurried atmosphere of a country town often find it hard to cope with the
_________________ pace of big-city life.