Vocabulary Unit #3

He abominates cats because when he was a child, he was badly scratched by a neighbor’s cat.

abominate—v.—to have an intense dislike or hatred for; to despise or detest

Native Americans have gone through a process of acculturation over the years.

acculturation—n.—the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another; adaptation

His adventitious meeting with her kicked off their long love affair which ended in their happy marriage.

adventitious—adj.—resulting from chance; accidental

You may ascribe these holes to gophers, but I blame the dog from next door for digging them.

ascribe—v.—to assign or refer to (as a cause or source); to attribute or credit

I followed a circuitous path through the woods, but not because I feared being followed, but because I was lost.

circuitous—adj.—roundabout; not direct; winding

The mom commiserated with her daughter after she lost the championship race.

commiserate—v.—to sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for; to empathize

I enjoined them to stop spending so much money or to face the consequences.

enjoin—v.—to direct or order; to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way; to prohibit

We decided to expedite the arrival of the holiday packages by sending them through FedEx.

expedite—v.—to make easy, to cause to progress further; to speed up or accelerate

He seemed more than willing to expiate his guilt by whatever means necessary.

expiate—v.—to make amends, to make up for

Caught in the ferment of revolution, the young men enlisted with the local militias.

ferment—n.—a state of great excitement, agitation, or turbulence; commotion, turmoil

My mom inadvertently bumped into the pole with her car.

inadvertent—adj.—resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional; accidental

The new health clinic for lower-income residents charges only nominal fees.

nominal—adj.—too small to be considered or taken seriously; inconsequential

This man is being very noncommittal about going out on another date.

noncommittal—adj.—not decisive or definite; unwilling to take a clear position

The police discovered that the cashier came up with a scheme to peculate money from the store by voiding some of the purchases and pocketing the money.

peculate—v.—to steal something that has been given into one’s trust; to defraud

Curious, patient, and fond of long walks outdoors, she soon displayed a proclivity for nature study.

proclivity—n.—a natural or habitual inclination or tendency; a propensity

Even when they forget their lines, experienced actors can usually perform with sangfroid.

sangfroid—n.—composure or coolness; poise

Dictators usually begin their reigns by searching out and silencing seditious opinion.

seditious—adj.—resistant to lawful authority; rebellious

My grasp of trigonometry was tenuous until I attended the remedial study session.

tenuous—adj.—thin, slender; lacking clarity or sharpness; hazy

Though hurt by his vitriolic language, I had to admit that some of his points were valid.

vitriolic—adj.—bitter, sarcastic

The frog tried to wheedle a kiss from Tiana.

wheedle—v.—to use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end; sweet-talk