Vocabulary Workshop
Unit 5: #’s 1-20
www.vocabularyworkshop.com
acute
• (adj.) with a sharp point; keen
and alert; sharp and severe;
rising quickly to a high point and
lasting for a short time
• Synonyms: clever, penetrating
One who is an acute observer of
human nature may notice subtle
changes in people’s behavior.
bluster
• (v.) to talk or act in a noisy and
threatening way; to blow in
stormy gusts; (n.) speech that
is loud and threatening
• Synonyms: (v.) spout, rant,
brag, swagger (n.) bravado
When we saw harsh winds
bluster around our tent, we
decided to change our plans for
the weekend.
bungle
• (v.) to act or work clumsily
and awkwardly; to ruin
something through
clumsiness.
• Synonyms: blunder, botch,
mess up
If we bungle this project, we
may never get another
chance to prove ourselves as
a worthy team.
commentary
• (n.) a series of notes
clarifying or explaining
something; an expression
of opinion.
• Synonym: explanation,
remarks, narration,
description, account,
review, analysis
Our spiritual leader gave us
a helpful commentary on
the true meaning of the
Ten Commandments.
duration
• (n.) the length of time
that something
continues or lasts
Even though the story
was hard to follow, my
friends decided to stay
for the duration of the
opera.
eerie
• (adj.) causing fear
because of strangeness;
weird; mysterious
• Synonyms: frightening,
spooky, creepy
It is a lot of fun to tell eerie
ghost stories around a
campfire.
facet
• (n.) one aspect or side of a
subject or problem; one of
the cut surfaces of a gem
• Synonyms: angle,
characteristic, factor,
element, cut
One important facet of
problem solving is to
recognize when a solution
makes no sense.
fidelity
• (n.) the state of being
faithful; accuracy in details;
exactness
• Synonyms: loyalty,
faithfulness
The fidelity of scratchy old
records can’t match the
clarity of CDs or DVDs.
fray
• (n.) a brawl; a noisy quarrel (v.)
to wear away by rubbing; make
ragged or worn; to strain; irritate
• Synonyms: (n.) scuffle
(v.) unravel
After the two loudest students
began arguing, the whole class
jumped into the fray.
headstrong
• (adj.) willful; stubborn
• Synonyms: obstinate,
mulish, unruly
Even the most patient
caregiver may feel
challenged when faced
with a headstrong child.
inhabitant
• (n.) one living permanently in a
given place
• Synonyms: resident, native,
occupant, tenant
Although she enjoys traveling to
exotic places, she’s is a lifelong
inhabitant of this small town.
numb
• (adj.) having lost the power
of feeling or movement;
• (v.) to dull the feelings of;
to cause to lose feeling
• Synonyms: (adj.) unfeeling,
insensible, dazed
(v.) deaden
This injection will numb the
area so that the doctor can
stitch the cut painlessly.
pacify
• (v.) to make peaceful or
calm; to soothe
• Synonyms: mollify, placate
The factory owners hope to
pacify the angry protestors
with promises of higher
wages and shorter working
hours.
ravenous
• (adj.) greedy; very hungry;
eager for satisfaction
• Synonyms: starved, famished,
voracious, wolfish
Exercising vigorously for
several hours gives me a
ravenous appetite.
refute
• (v.) to prove incorrect
• Synonyms: disprove, rebut
After analyzing the
situation, I now know a
foolproof way to refute the
original claim.
remorse
• (n.) deep and regretful for
one’s past misdeeds; pangs
of conscience
• Synonyms: guilt
When the driver realized
what a terrible accident he
had caused, he was
overcome with remorse.
setback
• (n.) something that interferes
with progress; a disappointment,
unexpected loss or defeat; a
steplike recession in a wall
• Synonyms: failure, reversal
A broken toe can be a major
setback for a skater who hopes
to qualify for the Olympics.
smug
• (adj.) overly selfsatisfied, self-righteous
• Synonyms: conceited,
complacent
Just because he got the
lead in the school play
doesn’t justify his
irritating air of smug
superiority
synopsis
• (n.) a brief statement
giving a general view of
some subject, book,
etc.; summary
• Synonyms: outline,
digest, abstract
The teacher’s guide
gives a synopsis of the
plot of each story in the
collection.
tarry
• (v.) to delay leaving; to
linger, wait; to remain
or stay for a while
• Synonyms: dawdle,
dally
He will be tempted to
tarry longer if he thinks
that this might be their
last visit together.