Vocabulary Level F Unit 4 Part A

1. Vocabulary Level FUnit 4 Part A

2. affable erudite aggrandize gossamer amorphous infer aura inscrutable contraband insular

3. Affable

4. affable • Definition: Courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to. • Adjective. • Synonyms: Genial, Amicable, agreeable, cordial. • We spent a pleasant afternoon with our affable neighbors.

5. Aggrandize

6. Aggrandize • Definition: To increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater. • Verb. • Synonyms: augment, amplify, enhance, exalt. • John D. Rockefeller worked to aggrandize his empire by purchasing oil wells, refineries, and pipelines.

7. aggrandize • The money earning interest in the stock market aggrandized her wealth more and more each year.

8. Amorphous

9. amorphous • Definition: Shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity or cohesion. • Adjective • Synonyms: Formless, unstructured, nebulous, inchoate. • Journal writing is more free structured or amorphous than other writing.

10. amorphous • The amoeba is a single cell organism that has an amorphous shape. • The amorphous body of the amoeba was fascinating to watch under the microscope.

11. Aura

12. aura • Definition: That which surrounds (an atmosphere); a distinctive air or personal quality. • Noun. • Synonyms: ambience, atmosphere. • What people thought was her aura of mystery was actually a mask for her shyness.

13. aura Many Renaissance painters portray baby Jesus and Mary each with an aura around their heads.

14. Contraband

15. Contraband • Definition: Illegal traffic, smuggled goods; • Noun • Definition: Illegal, prohibited • Adjective. • Synonyms: illicit, bootleg, unlawful. • Three jeweled combs from the 17th century were among the contraband seized by the police.

16. contraband Televisions can be contraband if they are illegally smuggled into the country to avoid paying import taxes.

17. Erudite

18. Erudite • Definition: Scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic. • Adjective. • Synonyms: profoundly educated, well-read. • For my paper I would like to find an erudite history of the subject written in a clear and unbiased manner.

19. erudite The erudite math professor explained the complex equation to his class.

20. Gossamer

21. gossamer • Definition: thin, light, delicate, insubstantial. • Adjective • Synonyms: filmy, sheer, airy. • Ghosts are often depicted in literature as wearing gossamer clothing that makes them seem all the more ethereal.

22. gossamer • Definition: a very thin light cloth • Noun • The book was so old that each finely printed page seemed only the weight of gossamer. • A spider web has the quality of gossamer.

23. Infer

24. infer • Definition: To find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the basis of thought; to hint, suggest, imply. • Verb. • Synonyms: gather, deduce, presume, guess. • I can infer nothing from his odd behavior.

25. infer Scientists often infer what will happen based on what they observe in the experiments they conduct.

26. Inscrutable

27. Inscrutable • Definition: incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically. • Adjective. • Synonyms: impenetrable, enigmatic. • I could not tell by her inscrutablesmile whether she was pleased or only amused by me.

28. inscrutable The fog was so inscrutable that it was too difficult to see the physical landmarks to make our way as we were hiking.

29. Insular

30. insular • Definition: relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience. • Adjective • Synonyms: narrow-minded, parochial, provincial. • You seem too sophisticated to hold such insular opinions.

31. insular • The aborigines of Australia lived insular lives totally unaware of the history and culture of the rest of the world until English settlers came to their lands.