Vocab Unit 6
LEVEL G
Abject
(Adj) – Degraded; base, contemptible,
cringing, servile; complete and unrelieved.
In history class, we are
learning about the
abject lives of families
during the Great
Depression.
Agnostic
(N) – One who believes that nothing can be
known about God; a skeptic
(Adj) – Without faith, skeptical
When Susan was
explaining how the
earth was created,
her friend did not
understand because of
her agnostic beliefs.
Complicity
(N) – Involvement in wrongdoing; the state
of being an accomplice
When security watched
the tape, they noticed
a man helping the robber,
so they charged him with
complicity.
Derelict
(N) – Someone or something that is abandoned or
neglected;
(Adj) – Left abandoned; neglectful of duty
I felt so bad for the
derelict puppy I saw
wandering around the
streets, so I took him
home.
Diatribe
(N) – A bitter and prolonged verbal attack
Just because you don’t
like me, does not mean
you have to throw
diatribes at me every
time you see me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLQLZdwi3cQ
Effigy
(N) – A crude image of a despised person
Tom hated his history teacher,
so he drew an effigy of her, but
he got caught and was sent to
his home office.
Equity
(N) – The state or quality of being just, fair,
or impartial; fair and equal treatment;
something that is fair; the money value of a property
above and beyond
any mortgage or other claim.
Martin Luther King, Jr., fought
for equity for his fellow African
Americans.
Inane
(Adj) – Silly, empty of meaning or value
While standing out in the
rain, the reporter made
an inane comment
announcing that rain
was coming.
Indictment
(N) – The act of accusing; a formal
Accusation
During the test,
the teacher made an
indictment of Henry;
he was cheating
off of Sally’s paper.
Indubitable
(Adj) – Certain, not to be doubted or denied
Even though we missed school
days due to Super Storm Sandy, it
is indubitable that seniors will
still graduate on Tuesday, June 18.
Intermittent
(Adj) – Stopping and beginning again,
Sporadic
I was getting very annoyed
when I had only intermittent
reception on my TV during the
storm.
Moot
(Adj) – Open to discussion and debate,
unresolved;
(V) – To bring up for discussion;
(N) – A hypothetical law case argued by
students
Your argument is a moot
point because there is no
way she is changing her
mind.
Motif
(N) – A principal idea, feature, theme, or
element; a repeated or dominant figure in a
design
In the novel Moby-Dick the
“whiteness of the whale” is
a motif that occurs
throughout the novel.
Neophyte
(N) – A new convert, beginner, novice
When I first started my job,
many people called me a
neophyte because I did
not know anything.
Perspicacity
(N) – Keenness in observing and
understanding
To accumulate
perspicacity, you must
pay attention in school,
work hard, and ask
questions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVrJ8DxECbg 
These people don’t have perspicacity
Plenary
(Adj) – Complete in all aspects or essentials;
absolute; attended by all qualified members
The vice president had
plenary power while the
president was in the
hospital undergoing surgery.
Surveillance
(N) – A watch kept over a person, careful, close, and
disciplined observation
If you try stealing at the
mall, surveillance will catch
you, and you will be in trouble.
Sylvan
(Adj) – Pertaining to or characteristic of
forests, living or located in a forest, wooded,
woody
I’ve always hated camping
and prefer the comfort of
a Hilton to dirty, sylvan
surroundings.
Testy
(Adj) – Easily irritated, characterized by
impatience and exasperation
The teacher was very
testy today, because
nobody did well on the
chemistry test.
Travesty
(N) – A grotesque or grossly inferior
imitation; a disguise, especially the clothing
of the opposite sex
(V) – to ridicule by imitating in a broad or
burlesque fashion
Many movies today are
travesties of the original
books because they are
inaccurate, badly produced,
or do not contain correct information.