Vocabulary Unit 5

Words 1 – 206th Grade

Thank you Mrs. Kind!

acuteacute• (adj.) with a sharp point; keen

and alert; sharp and severe; rising quickly to a high point and lasting for a short time

• Synonyms: clever, penetrating

One who is an acute observer of human nature may notice subtle changes in people’s behavior.

blusterbluster• (v.) to talk or act in a noisy and

threatening way; to blow in stormy gusts; (n.) speech that is loud and threatening

• Synonyms: (v.) spout, rant, brag, swagger (n.) bravado

When we saw harsh winds bluster around our tent, we decided to change our plans for the weekend.

bunglebungle

• (v.) to act or work clumsily and awkwardly; to ruin something through clumsiness.

• Synonyms: blunder, botch, mess up

If we bungle this project, we may never get another chance to prove ourselves as a worthy team.

commentarycommentary• (n.) a series of notes

clarifying or explaining something; an expression of opinion.

• Synonym: explanation, remarks, narration, description, account, review, analysis

Our spiritual leader gave us

a helpful commentary on the true meaning of the Ten Commandments.

durationduration• (n.) the length of time

that something continues or lasts

Even though the story

was hard to follow, my friends decided to stay for the duration of the opera.

eerieeerie

• (adj.) causing fear because of strangeness; weird; mysterious

• Synonyms: frightening, spooky, creepy

It is a lot of fun to tell eerie ghost stories around a campfire.

facetfacet• (n.) one aspect or side of a

subject or problem; one of the cut surfaces of a gem

• Synonyms: angle, characteristic, factor, element, cut

One important facet of problem solving is to recognize when a solution makes no sense.

fidelityfidelity• (n.) the state of being

faithful; accuracy in details; exactness

• Synonyms: loyalty, faithfulness

The fidelity of scratchy old records can’t match the clarity of CDs or DVDs.

frayfray• (n.) a brawl; a noisy quarrel (v.)

to wear away by rubbing; make ragged or worn; to strain; irritate

• Synonyms: (n.) scuffle (v.) unravel

After the two loudest students began arguing, the whole class jumped into the fray.

headstrongheadstrong

• (adj.) willful; stubborn

• Synonyms: obstinate, mulish, unruly

Even the most patient caregiver may feel challenged when faced with a headstrong child.

inhabitantinhabitant• (n.) one living permanently in a

given place

• Synonyms: resident, native, occupant, tenant

Although she enjoys traveling to exotic places, she’s is a lifelong inhabitant of this small town.

numbnumb• (adj.) having lost the power

of feeling or movement;• (v.) to dull the feelings of;

to cause to lose feeling• Synonyms: (adj.) unfeeling,

insensible, dazed (v.) deaden This injection will numb the

area so that the doctor can stitch the cut painlessly.

pacifypacify

• (v.) to make peaceful or calm; to soothe

• Synonyms: mollify, placate

The factory owners hope to pacify the angry protestors with promises of higher wages and shorter working hours.

ravenousravenous• (adj.) greedy; very hungry;

eager for satisfaction

• Synonyms: starved, famished, voracious, wolfish

Exercising vigorously for several hours gives me a ravenous appetite.

refuterefute• (v.) to prove incorrect

• Synonyms: disprove, rebut

After analyzing the situation, I now know a foolproof way to refute the original claim.

remorseremorse• (n.) deep and regretful for

one’s past misdeeds; pangs of conscience

• Synonyms: guilt

When the driver realized

what a terrible accident he had caused, he was overcome with remorse.

setbacksetback• (n.) something that interferes

with progress; a disappointment, unexpected loss or defeat; a steplike recession in a wall

• Synonyms: failure, reversal

A broken toe can be a major setback for a skater who hopes to qualify for the Olympics.

smugsmug• (adj.) overly self-

satisfied, self-righteous

• Synonyms: conceited, complacent

Just because he got the lead in the school play doesn’t justify his irritating air of smug superiority

synopsissynopsis• (n.) a brief statement

giving a general view of some subject, book, etc.; summary

• Synonyms: outline, digest, abstract

The teacher’s guide gives a synopsis of the plot of each story in the collection.

tarrytarry

• (v.) to delay leaving; to linger, wait; to remain or stay for a while

• Synonyms: dawdle, dally

He will be tempted to tarry longer if he thinks that this might be their last visit together.