Lesson 1
Vocabulary Power Plus – Book Two
Divulge (v.) to tell; reveal (as a secret) (unveil; disclose)
Abet (v.) to assist or encourage, especially in wrong doing (promote; incite)
Dogmatic (adj.) arrogant and stubborn in one’s (often unproven) beliefs (dictatorial)
Insipid (adj.) lacking flavor; dull; not at all stimulating (flat; lifeless)
Extraneous (adj.) inessential; not constituting a vital part (irrelevant)
Coerce (v.) to force by using pressure, intimidation or threats (compel)
Jaundiced (adj.) prejudiced; hostile (skeptical; cynical)
Meticulous (adj.) extremely, sometimes excessively, careful about small details; precise (fastidious)
Temerity (n.) recklessness; a foolish disregard of a danger (audacity)
Gregarious (adj.) sociable; fond of the company of others (genial; friendly)
Lesson 2
Heresy (n.) the crime of holding a belief that goes against established doctrine
Docile (adj.) easy to teach or manage (submissive; compliant)
Libation (n.) a drink, especially and alcoholic one (intoxicant)
Anathema (n.) 1. a hatred, repellant person or thing. 2. A formal curse.
(1. Abhorration; detestation 2. condemnation)
Banter (n.) teasing; playful conversation (joshing; badinage; raillery)
Castigate (v.) to criticize or punish severely (reprimand; chastise; scold)
Gauche (adj.) lacking social graces; tactless (awkward)
Ignominy (n.) public shame, disgrace, or dishonor (disgrace; infamy)
Motley (adj.) made up of dissimilar parts being of many colors (varied)
Emaciated (adj.) extremely thin, wasted away (withered)
Lesson Three
Avarice (n.) greed; desire for wealth (acquisitiveness)
Furtive (adj.) stealthy; secret (surreptitious; sneaky)
Bacchanalian (adj.) wild and drunken
Extradite (v.) to turn over or to deliver to the legal jurisdiction of another government or authority
(deport)
Copious (adj.) numerous; large in quantity (profuse)
Irascible (adj.) easily angered (irritable; ill-tempered)
Mercenary (n.) a professional soldier hired by a foreign army (volunteer)
Bastion (n.) a strong defense or fort (or one likened to it) (stronghold)
Jettison (v.) to cast overboard; to discard (deploy, throw away)
Ostracize (v.) to banish; to shout out from a group or society by common consent (exile)
Lesson 4
Bigot (n.) one who is intolerant of differences in others (racist; extremist)
Expunge (v.) to erase or eliminate (obliterate)
Candid (adj.) outspoken; blunt (frank; direct)
Argot (n.) special words or phrases used by a specific group of people (jargon)
Negligence (n.) careless neglect, often resulting in injury (carelessness)
Appease (v.) to calm; to make satisfied (often only temporarily) (mollify)
Strident (adj.) harsh sounding; grating (shrill)
Chaos (n.) complete disorder (confusion; jumble)
Augment (v.) to enlarge; to increase in amount or intensity (expand; supplement)
Jingoism (n.) extreme chauvinistic patriotism
Lesson 5
Rancor (n.) extreme hatred or ill will (animosity; enmity)
Inexorable (adj.) unrelenting; unavoidable (relentless; certain)
Extol (v.) to praise highly (exalt; laud)
Clement (adj.) merciful; lenient (forbearing; benign)
Cliché’ (n.) a worn out idea or overused expression (platitude; banality)
Adamant (adj.) unyielding; firm in opinion (stubborn)
Diffident (adj.) lacking in self confidence; shy (timid)
Opus (n.) a creative work, especially a numbered composition
Ostensible (adj.) professed but not necessarily true (supposed)
Disparity (n.) inequality; difference (gap)
Lesson 6
Condone (v.) to forgive or overlook an offense (pardon; excuse)
Nuance (n.) a slight or subtle degree of difference (gradation; shade)
Connoisseur (n.) an expert in matters of culture, food or wine
Enigma (n.) a mystery; something seemingly inexplicable (riddle; puzzle)
Apathy (n.) lack of interest; state of not caring (indifference)
Officious (adj.) excessively eager to deliver unasked-for or unwanted help (meddlesome)
Credence (n.) belief or trust (confidence)
Jaunty (adj.) having a buoyant, self confidant air; brisk and crisp (faith; confidence)
Dilettante (n.) one who merely dabbles in an art or science (amateur; trifler)
Cult (n.) an organized group of people with an obsessive devotion to a person or a set of principles
(sect)
Lesson 7
Cynical (adj.) doubtful or distrustful of the goodness or sincerity of human motives (skeptical)
Ambivalent (adj.) having opposing attitudes or feelings toward a person, thing or idea; unable to
decide (uncertain; wavering)
Demagogue (n.) a leader who appeals to citizens’ emotions to obtain power (rabble-rouser)
Demure (adj.) quiet and modest; reserved (prim)
Intrepid (adj.) without fear; brave (fearless)
Destitute (adj.) extremely poor; lacking necessities like food and shelter (impoverished; penniless)
Erudite (adj.) scholarly; learned (educated)
Dilemma (n.) a choice between two unpleasant or difficult options
Culmination (n.) the highest point of attainment; the end or climax (apex)
Concur (v.) to be of the same opinion; to agree with (support; agree)
Lesson Eight
Abate (v.) to lessen in violence or intensity (subsides; decrease)
Decorum (n.) conformity to accepted standards of conduct; proper behavior (propriety)
Abhor (v.) to detest; to hate strongly (despise; loathe)
Dole (v.) to distribute; to give out sparingly
Gamut (n.) the whole range or extent
Extrovert (n.) one who is outgoing; one who is energized rather than drained by interactions with
others
Droll (adj.) Amusing in an odd or whimsical way (quaint)
Duplicity (n.) intentional deceit in speech or conduct (deception)
Effigy (n.) a crude dummy or image representing a hate person or group
Austere (adj.) stern; severe; plain (unadorned)
Lesson 9
Emulate (v.) to strive to be equal to; to imitate (copy)
Sere (adj.) dry and withered (desiccated; arid)
Enhance (v.) to increase the value or beauty of something (improve; heighten)
Contrite (adj.) feeling regret for having committed some wrongdoing (repentant; remorseful)
Magnanimous (adj.) noble; generous in forgiving; free from pretty feelings or acts (generous)
Enunciate (v.) to state clearly and distinctly; to pronounce (articulate)
Collaborate (v.) to work with another toward a goal (cooperate)
Impound (v.) to confine; to retain in legal custody (confiscate)
Impeccable (adj.) faultless; without sin or blemish (immaculate; faultless; irreproachable)
Evoke (v.) to summon forth (conjure up; elicit)
Inane (adj.) without sense or meaning; silly (foolish; insipid)
Unctuous (adj.) exaggeratedly or insincerely polite (oily)
Expatriate (n.) someone who chooses to live outside of, or renounce, his or her native country
Frowzy (adj.) unkempt (slovenly)
Heinous (adj.) hatefully or shockingly evil (abhorrent; horrid)
Lesson 10
Expound (v.) to explain in detail; to clarify (elaborate)
Cajole (v.) to persuade with false promises and flattery (coax; wheedle)
Inscrutable (adj.) not easily understood; hard to fathom (enigmatic)
Balk (v.) to refuse stubbornly or abruptly; to stop short and refuse to go on (hesitate; object)
Acrimony (n.) ill-natured, bitter hostility (animosity)
Dour (adj.) stern and ill-humored (forbidding)
Exult (v.) to rejoice; to feel triumphant (celebrate)
Omniscient (adj.) having unlimited knowledge; all-knowing
Feasible (adj.) reasonable; capable of being carried out (possible; doable)
Fiasco (n.) a complete, ridiculous failure (disaster)
Métier (n.) the work one is especially suited for; one’s specialty; an occupation (forte)
Fluctuate (v.) to rise and fall; to vary irregularly (waver; vacillate)
Harry (v.) to annoy or harass (bother; pester)
Incognito (adj.) disguised; pretending not to be oneself
Lethargy (n.) lack of energy; sluggishness (torpor; lassitude)
Lesson 11
Epistle (n.) a letter or literary composition in letter form
Avid (adj.) enthusiastic; extremely interested (voracious; eager)
Gadfly (n.) an irritating and persistency person (nuisance; pest)
Humility (n.) absence of vanity; humbleness (modesty)
Dolorous (adj.) exhibiting sorrow or pain
Gargantuan (adj.) of huge or extraordinary size and power (gigantic; huge)
Arduous (adj.) difficult; requiring much effort (strenuous; laborious)
Affable (adj.) friendly; agreeable; easy to talk to (amiable; good-natured)
Grandiloquent (adj.) pompous or high-flown in speech (pretentious)
Agrarian (adj.) concerning farms, farmers, or the use of land (agricultural)
Grimace (n.) a facial expression of fear, disapproval, or pain (scowl)
Harangue (n.) a long, strongly expressed speech or lecture (tirade)
Formidable (adj.) arousing fear or awe (intimidating)
Sycophant (n.) a flatterer; one who fawns on others in order to gain favor (toady)
Explicit (adj.) clearly and openly stated; leaving nothing to the imagination (exact; precise)
Lesson 12
Altercation (n.) a heated argument (quarrel; dispute)
Lexicon (n.) a dictionary; a specialized vocabulary (jargon; argot; cant)
Hue (.n) a particular shade of a given color
Galvanize (v.) to startle into sudden activity (stimulate)
Sanction (n.) permission; support
Hyperbole (n.) extreme exaggeration for effect and not meant to be taken literally
Ominous (adj.) threatening; foreboding evil (sinister)
Audacity (n.) rude boldness; nerve (insolence; impudence)
Evince (v.) to demonstrate clearly; to prove (manifest)
Implacable (adj.) unable to be appeased or pacified (inflexible; relentless)
Exhort (v.) to urge on with stirring words (encourage)
Incarcerate (v.) to put into prison; to confine (imprison; constrain)
Incisive (adj.) sharp; keen; cutting straight to the heart of the matter (piercing; acute)
Expedient (adj.) practical; providing an immediate advantage (especially when serving one’s selfinterest) (effective)
Pertinent (adj.) having to do with the subject at hand, relevant
Lesson 13
Inert (adj.) unable to act or move; inactive; sluggish (dormant; passive)
Circumvent (v.) to get around; to bypass (avoid)
Clandestine (adj.) secret (covert; furtive)
Acquit (v.) to find not guilty of a fault or crime (absolve)
Deprecate (v.) to express strong disapproval of (deplore)
Barrister (n.) lawyer (British)
Adulation (n.) excessive praise or admiration (flattery; adoration)
Culinary (adj.) having to do with her kitchen or cooking
Bawdy (adj.) indecent; humorously obscene (risqué; lewd)
Chastise (v.) to punish severely (discipline)
Jocose (adj.) joking; humorous (witty; funny; playful; jocund)
Myriad (n.) a very large number (host; multitude)(adj.) too numerous to be counted (countless;
innumerable)
Latent (adj.) present, but not active; hidden (dormant)
Pernicious (adj.) destructive; deadly (malignant; harmful)
Frugal (adj.) thrifty; economical in money matters (economical)
Lesson 14
Levity (n.) lightness of disposition; lack of seriousness (frivolity)
Hoax (n.) a practical joke a trick (fraud; fake)
Amicable (adj.) friendly; peaceable (agreeable; amiable)
Obstreperous (adj.) aggressively boisterous; stubborn and defiant
Enraptured (adj.) delighted beyond measure (ecstatic)
Marital (adj.) having to do with marriage (wedded)
Bask (v.) to expose oneself to pleasant warmth
Genial (adj.) friendly; amiable (cordial)
Charlatan (n.) one who pretends to have knowledge in order to swindle others (quack; fraud)
Mundane (adj.) commonplace; earthly and not spiritual (boring)
Fickle (adj.) likely to change on a whim or without apparent reason (vacillating; capricious)
Juggernaut (n.) a terrible destructive or irresistible force
Naïve (adj.) simple in outlook; not affected or worldly; especially innocent (unsophisticated;
unsuspecting)
Nocturnal (adj.) having to do with the night; occurring at night
Novice (n.) a beginner; one who is inexperienced (apprentice; tyro)
Lesson 15
Noxious (adj.) harmful to the health (injurious)
Connive (v.) to cooperate secretly in wrongdoing (conspire)
Chutzpah (n.) nerve; audacity (brazenness; effrontery)
Liege (n.) a lord, master, or sovereign (king)
Odium (n.) hatred (abhorrence)
Crass (adj.) coarse; tasteless (crude)
Hypercritical (adj.) overcritical; too severe in judgment (faultfinding)
Fallacy (n.) a mistaken notion; a misconception
Complacent (adj.) self-satisfied; smug (assured; confident)
Befuddle (v.) to confuse; to perplex (bewilder; fluster)
Pandemonium (n.) a wild disorder, noise, or confusion (chaos; tumult; din)
Parsimonious (adj.) excessively thrifty; stingy (cheap; frugal)
Verbose (adj.) using more words than are needed; wordy (prolix)
Laudable (adj.) worthy of praise; commendable (admirable)
Indiscreet (adj.) not wise or judicious; imprudent, as in speech or action (flagrant)
Lesson 16
Pique (v.) to cause resentment; to provoke (irritate)
Linguistics (n.) the scientific study of the structure, sounds, and meaning of language
Plebeian (n.) a commoner; one from the lower class (peon; peasant) (adj.) common or vulgar (base;
lowly)
Precocious (adj.) showing early development, especially mental (advanced)
Predatory (adj.) inclined to prey on others (pillaging; despoiling)
Prowess (n.) superior skill or ability (strength; dominance; power)
Pugnacious (adj.) eager and ready to fight; quarrelsome (combative; belligerent)
Purloin (v.) to steal (burglarize)
Pusillanimous (adj.) cowardly; fearful (fainthearted; timid)
Quell (v.) to put and end to; to allay or quiet (calm)
Quixotic (adj.) very idealistic; impractical; caught up in romantic notions
Rabble (n.) a disorderly crowd, a mob (riffraff)
Rabid (adj.) raging; fanatical (uncontrollable; fervid)
Raconteur (n.) a person skilled at telling stories
Vindictive (adj.) seeking revenge; bearing a grudge (vengeful)
Lesson 17
Circumspect (adj.) careful; heedful; attentive to all points (judicious; prudent)
Zephyr (n.) a gentle breeze (sometimes specifically the West Wind)
Renegade (n.) One who deserts one side in favor of another; traitor; outlaw (turncoat; defector)
Retribution (n.) something justly deserved, especially a punishment (reprisal)
Hurtle (v.) to move or to fling swiftly and with great force (hurl)
Scourge (n.) a person or thing that causes great trouble or misfortune (torment; bane; curse)
Caustic (adj.) biting; stingingly sharp or sarcastic (acidic; harsh)
Taciturn (adj.) not fond of talking (reticent; reserved)
Agnostic (n.) one who believes that the existence of God can neither be proved nor disproved
(skeptic)
Terse (adj.) brief and to the point (abbreviated; curt)
Uncanny (adj.) weird; strange; so keen or acute as to seem bizarre (eerie)
Exodus (n.) a mass departure or emigration
Penitent (adj.) remorseful; sorry for having done wrong (apologetic)
Vindicate (v.) to clear of suspicion or accusations (exonerate; acquit)
Raillery (n.) good-humored ridicule or teasing (banter)
Lesson 18
Impregnable (adj.) not able to be conquered; impenetrable (unbeatable)
Xenophobia (n.) an intense dislike or fear of strangers or foreigners
Inherent (adj.) essential (intrinsic)
Irreverent (adj.) disrespectful (insubordinate)
Subjugate (v.) to dominate, conquer, or bring under control
Expedite (v.) to increase the rate of progress (hurry; hasten; streamline)
Filibuster (v.) to attempt to block a bill from becoming law by speaking at length against it
Pristine (adj.) pure; completely clean and uncontaminated (pure)
Pithy (adj.) full of meaning; concise (succinct)
Invective (n.) an insult or abuse in speech (reproach)
Prodigal (adj.) reckless, wasteful, and extravagant (wastrel; libertine)
Pliable (adj.) easily bent or flexible
Torpid (adj.) losing motion, feeling, or power: lacking in energy (apathetic; lethargic)
Tenuous (adj.) not dense or thick; having little substance (thin; unconvincing; fragile)
Discordant (adj.) being in disagreement (conflicting)
Lesson 19
Mellifluous (adj.) having a rich, smoothly flowing sound (harmonious)
Epicurean (adj.) taking pleasure in food and drink (hedonistic; gourmet)
Oeuvre (n.) the complete work of an artist, composer, or writer (canon)
Arbiter (n.) a person with the ability to resolve a disagreement; a judge
Verdant (adj.) fresh and green, referring to plant life (lush)
Vagary (n.) unpredictable action or behavior (whim; caprice)
Vacuous (adj.) lacking intelligence (empty-headed)
Attrition (n.) a wearing down over time (erosion)
Archetype (n.) a prototype or original model (model)
Approbation (n.) formal approval of an act (authorization)
Burgeon (v.) to grow, expand, or bloom (swell)
Commensurate (adj.) an equal measure: corresponding in size and measurement (equivalent;
comparable)
Confluence (n.) a meeting or gathering together (convergence; concourse)
Coup (n.) a surprising, brilliant, and usually successful act (plot)
Secular (adj.) not spiritual or religious; worldly (earthly)
Lesson 20
Insouciant (adj.) not concerned; free from care (nonchalant)
Static (adj.) without force or movement; stationary (immobile; inert)
Stipulate (v.) to specify a required part of an agreement (require)
Zeitgeist (n.) the general spirit of the time
Proliferate (v.) to grow or reproduce rapidly (multiply)
Tenet (n.) a belief or principle held to be true (cornerstone; creed)
Ruminate (v.) to think deeply or repeatedly (ponder; reflect)
Vigilant (adj.) alert at all times; watchful (alert)
Dissident (n.) someone who disagrees (renegade)
Petulant (adj.) rude in speech or behavior; peevish (contemptuous)
Derivative (n.) not the original; coming from another source (Offspring; branch)
Accolade (n.) an award or honor (Kudos; recognition)
Demur (v.) to disapprove or take exception (disagree)
Limpid (adj.) transparent; clear
Invidious (adj.) tending to cause discontent, harm or resentment; offensively unfair (Malicious)
Lesson 21
August (adj.) marked by grandeur and awe (regal; magnificent)
Ancillary (adj.) subsidiary; providing assistance
Semblance (n) an outward likeness in form or appearance (similarity; copy)
Autodidact (n.) a self-taught person (self-made)
Asinine (adj.) exhibiting poor judgment or intelligence (foolish; boorish)
Albeit (conj.) although; even though
Conduit (n.) a means by which something is transmitted (channel)
Philatelist (n.) one who collects stamps
Indefatigable (adj.) tireless; incapable of being fatigued
Martyr (n.) one who suffers or sacrifices for a cause
Indiscretion (n.) a minor misdeed (peccadillo; transgression)
Osmosis (n.) a gradual, often unconscious, process of absorption
Picayune (adj.) of very little value; trivial (worthless; cheap)
Dossier (n.) a file of detailed information on a person or subject (record)
Behest (n.) a command or urgent request (demand)