Unit 7

Word

Definition

Example

Controversial

Arousing controversy—a debate or discussion of opposing opinions

The first of these are what we call controversial activities

Indigenous

Originating and living or occurring naturally in an area or environment; native

The Maasai tribes indigenous to the region also use the land to graze cattle and other animals

Gregarious

Seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable

A gregarious host, the bishop often threw generous dinner parties for visiting luminaries

Habitat

The area or environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives

That's good habitat for eagles, which eat fish but also prey on waterfowl and small mammals

Cursory

Hasty; superficial; careless

Principal Steve Perry doesn't believe in cursory inspections

Interloper

intruder; a person who introduces himself into professional or social circles where he does not belong

There was reason, then, for him to believe the interloper had not survived her abduction

Prolific

Similarly producing results or works in abundance

He studied mathematics and became known as a prolific writer on mathematical subjects

Bulwark

To provide defense or protection for

Jennings also switched agents a month ago to bulwark that ultimatum

Sedentary

Inactive; idle; sluggish

And as long as we remain sedentary and warm, they'll stay

Frugal

Synonyms Choice, careful, chary, thrifty

Pent-up demand, as well as what I call frugal fatigue are starting to kick in

Antithesis

The direct or exact opposite

In a weird way it is the antithesis of the free market

Altruistic

Regardful of others; beneficent; unselfish

This is not an altruistic act of kindness by the oil and gas industry

Embellish

To make beautiful or elegant by ornaments; to decorate; to adorn

I didn't embellish my life story, everything in that press release is factual

Cache

A hiding place used especially for storing provisions

The following summer, an arms cache was seized in the Croatian port of Split

Coterie

A small, often select group of persons who associate with one another frequently

The record label coterie at least had good reason for putting up a fight to the end

Cupidity

strong desire, esp for possessions or money; greed

Absence of harsh consequences for cupidity in banking encourages risk taking that borders on lunacy

Virtuosity

The technical skills and fluent style of a virtuoso

Griffin indeed matched the virtuosity and musical depth of his mentors

Temerity

Reckless boldness; foolish bravery

No one seems to have envisaged that the Cypriots would have the temerity to reject the deal

Amorous

Indicative of love or sexual desire

Summer Things is a farce of mistaken identities and amorous adventures

Progeny

Offspring or descendants

At least one parent should be a U.S. citizen before the progeny is eligible would be my opinion

Saturate

To soak, fill, or load to capacity

AMOLEDs typically over saturate colors and have very bad gradients in their displays

Perpetrate

To be responsible for; commit

He also said he has no idea who would perpetrate the costly prank

Consummate

Complete in every detail, perfect, absolute

That's why Jones is often referred to as the consummate team player

Subterfuge

Synonyms excuse, trick, quirk, shuffle, pretense, pretext, mask, blind

Despite what Zachriel may think, subterfuge is not an Olympic event

Concoct

To devise, using skill and intelligence; contrive

Leave it to the Brits to concoct one of history's most memorable April Fools' Day pranks

Fallacious

Deceptive or misleading

The argument that Novartis will reduce prices through various schemes is fallacious

Manifold

Many and varied; of many kinds; multiple

In my sleep I slew them in manifold ways and threw their carcasses into the reservoir

Assiduous

Constant in application or attention; devoted; attentive; unremitting

Andy Anson, 2018's chief executive, is described as assiduous about keeping the board informed

Impeccable

Perfect, without faults, flaws or errors

The candidate must also impeccable time and project management skills

Fraught

Figuratively, to fill; store; charge

In tight games, having players out of position is fraught with danger

Resourceful

Able to act effectively or imaginatively, especially in difficult situations

An idiotic question to ask a man who's resourceful enough to launder a billion dollars

Murky

Dark, dim, or gloomy

However, some of his story is described as murky and confused

Component

A constituent element, as of a system

And just so you know, we insisted that the vitamin component is OPTIONAL for all winners

Hoax

A deception for mockery or mischief; a deceptive trick or story; a practical joke

Officers secured the location and quickly determined the call was a hoax

Labyrinth

a mazelike network of tunnels, chambers, or paths, either natural or man-made

Anyone wishing to hold down housing costs enters a labyrinth of federal and local subsidies

Evaluate

To ascertain or fix the value or worth of

Ethiopian will evaluate the current batch of offers using three criteria

Exult

To rejoice greatly; be jubilant or triumphant

Juventus players exult after scoring against Calcio Catania

Attest

To certify by signature or oath

As his peers will attest, his passion for the game is simply unparalleled

Gullible

Easily deceived or duped; na?ve, easily cheated or fooled

If you're the gullible type, best to stay away from the internet today

Deploy

To position (troops) in readiness for combat, as along a front or line

One that we're getting ready to deploy is data-loss prevention technologies

Enigma

A riddle, or a difficult problem

Now a new study claims the enigma is due to the efforts of termites

Abortive

Failing to accomplish an intended objective; fruitless

There is another grand class of facts relating to what are called abortive organs

Modify

To change in form or character; alter

Envivio reserves the right to modify future product plans at any time

Accommodate

To become adjusted, as the eye to focusing on objects at a distance

The very province we were jointly trying to accommodate is isolated yet again

Spontaneous

Happening or arising without apparent external cause; self-generated

The spontaneous decision to change her career path is reflected in her prints

Innate

Inborn; native; natural; as, innate vigor; innate eloquence

The innate musicianship of the dancers makes his job easier

Veneer

A thin decorative covering of fine wood applied to coarser wood or other material

The long, low walls are hung with wallpaper that looks like veneer

Myriad

Constituting a very large, indefinite number; innumerable

But I think there are myriad reasons why living apart appeals to so many

Urbane

Polite, refined, and often elegant in manner

It caters to the fragmented urbane and emerging class of Chinese consumers

Crave

To have an intense desire for

The hustle to make American consumers crave what they do not need goes on