Unit 3 VCB, Level F
Unit 3 First 10 Words
Acculturation
Commiserate
Expedited
Expiate
Inadvertent
Noncommittal
Peculate
Seditious
Vitriolic
Wheedle
Unit Last 10 Words
Abominate
(v.) to have an intense dislike or hatred for
Synonyms: Despise, Detest
Ex: Abigail abominates Elizabeth Proctor.
Acculturation
(n.) the modification of the social patterns, traits,
or structures of one group or society by contact
with those of another; the resultant blend
Synonym: Adaptation
Ex: We experienced a smooth acculturation
from middle school to high school.
Adventitious
(adj.) resulting from chance rather than from an
inherent cause or character; accidental, not
essential; (medicine) acquired, not congenital
Synonyms: Fortuitous, Incidental
Ex: It was an adventitious situation when I won at bingo!
Ascribe
(v.) to assign or refer to (as a cause or source),
attribute
Synonyms: Impute, Credit
Ex: I ascribed the students to an evening of intense
studying.
Circuitous
(adj.) roundabout, not direct
Ex: The parent took the circuitous route to my friend’s house; my
father wanted to spend time in the car lecturing me.
Commiserate
(v.) to sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a
feeling of distress
Synonym: sympathizing
Ex: The underclassmen commiserate
with each other because they all must
take the PSAT.
Enjoin
(v.) to direct or order; to prescribe a course of
action in an authoritative way; to prohibit
Ex: The teacher enjoined the students
to study their vocabulary!
Expedite
(v.) to make easy, cause to progress faster
Synonym: Accelerate
Ex: Some students want to
expedite their experience in high
school by graduating earlier.
Expiate
(v.) to make amends, make up for; to avert
Synonym: redeem/make peace
Ex: Guys tend to expiate
conflicts with girls; they know
they can’t win the argument.
Ferment
(n.) a state of great excitement, agitation,
turbulence; (v.) to be in or work into such a state; to
produce alcohol by chemical action
Ex: The students were in a wild state of ferment
because it was the last day of school.
Inadvertent
(adj.) resulting from or marked by lack of attention;
unintentional, accidental
Synonym: accidental
Ex: The inadvertent accident caused the
teenager’s car insurance to increase.
Nominal
(adj.) existing in name only, not real; too small to be
considered or taken seriously
Ex: The nominal gift still
made the children smile.
Noncommittal
(adj.) not decisive or definite
Synonym: uninformative
Ex: Parents are more
noncommittal about allowing
teenagers to be independent.
Peculate
(v.) to steal something that has been given into one’s
trust; to take improperly for one’s own use
Synonyms: defraud/misappropriate
Ex:He peculated from the old
women; the teenager said the money
would go towards a needy family.
Proclivity
(n.) a natural or habitual inclination or tendency
(especially of human character or behavior)
Ex: Teenagers have a proclivity for sleeping on
weekends; they sleep ten hours.
Sangfroid
(n.) composure or coolness, especially in trying
circumstances
Ex: 007 exhibits sangfroid; he is
composed and always cool!
Seditious
(adj.) resistant to lawful authority; having the
purpose of overthrowing an established government
Synonyms: mutinous, rebellious
Ex: The seditious killing of an American
ambassador in Egypt caused the United
States to evacuate the country.
Tenuous
(adj.) thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or
sharpness; of slight importance; lacking a sound
basis, poorly supported
Ex: The presidential debates consisted of tenuous
arguments; their platforms were weakly supported.
Vitriolic
(adj.) bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting (like a strong acid)
Synonyms: withering, acerbic
Ex: Her vitriolic attitude created enemies
everywhere; she never used polite language.
Wheedle
(v.) to use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end
Synonyms: inveigle, sweet-talk
Ex: The teenager wheedled her
way into the concert. Her parents
let her stay out late.