Vocabulary Lesson 1

August 16, 2011

Define the following words:1. adulterate2. ambidextrous 3. augment4. bereft 5. deploy6. dour 7. fortitude8. gape9. gibe10. guise

guiseAn external appearance, cover, mask

His guise was frightening!

adulterateTo corrupt, make worse by the addition of something of lesser value

The litter adulterated the environment.

deployTo position

or arrange; to utilize

The troops were deployed in a strategic fashion.

dour

Stern, unyielding; gloomy, ill-humored

Our supervisor’s dour look depressed us all.

ambidextrousAble to use

both hands equally well; very skillful

The juggler was very obviously ambidextrous.

fortitudeCourage in

facing difficulties

Never once did the soldier’s fortitude waver.

augment

To make larger,

increase

His salary was augmented by a small inheritance.

gapeTo stare with open mouth; to open the

mouth wide; to open

wide

The clerk gaped at the sight of the demolished display!

bereftDeprived

of; made unhappy through a

loss

The bereft husband grieved for his wife.

gibeTo utter

taunting words; an

expression of scorn or insult

The continuous gibes augmented her insecurity.

More Vocabulary

In your team, define the following:

1. insidious2. stolid3. intimation4. tentative5. opulent6. unkempt7. pliable8. warily9. verbatim10. reiterate

insidiousDesigned or intended

to deceive or entrap; sly, treacherous

The thieves had devised an insidious plan.

pliableEasily bent,

flexible; easily

influenced

The pliable wires were needed for the installation.

verbatimWord for

word; exactly as written or spoken

Amazingly, Beth reported a verbatim account of what she had heard!

intimationA hint,

indirect suggestion

Without giving the least intimation that Mr. Jones was making a surprise visit, Beth told Chris to complete the project by the end of the day.

opulentWealthy,

luxurious; ample

The opulent businessman gave his

fiancé’ an enormous diamond.

tentativeExperimental in

nature; uncertain, hesitant

Their plans to take a vacation in July were tentative.

stolidNot easily

moved, mentally or emotionally;

dull; unresponsive

John’s stolid expression caused his family concern.

unkemptNot

combed; untidy

The unkempt classroom needed mopping.

reiterateTo say

again, repeat

The secret was reiterated.

warilyCautiously,

with great care

The baby crawled warily across the room.