1. Vocabulary Workshop
Unit 4: #’s 1-20

2. acquit
(v.) to declare not guilty, free from blame, discharge completely; to conduct or behave oneself
Synonyms: exonerate
dismiss
Now that we have proof of
their innocence, we can
acquit them of all charges.

3. deem (v.) to think, believe; to consider, have an opinion
Synonyms: judge, regard
Most people deem it a
wise plan to set aside
savings for the future.

4. devastate (v.) to destroy, lay waste, leave in ruins
Synonyms: wreck, desolate
Failure or harsh criticism can devastate a person who has shaky self-esteem.

5. discredit
(v.) to throw doubt upon, cause to be distrusted; damage in reputation
Synonym: disparage
We have gathered a considerable amount of evidence to discredit her story.
(n.) a loss or lack of belief, confidence, or reputation
Both parents and students felt strongly that the cheating scandal was a discredit to the school.

6. elusive
(adj.) difficult to catch or to hold; hard to explain or understand
Synonyms: slippery, wily, fleeting, puzzling, baffling
According to the legend, Zorro, the heroic Mexican character, was too elusive for local police to capture.

7. generate (v.) to bring into existence; to be the cause of
Synonyms: create, produce, beget, cause
Solar power uses the
energy of the sun to
generate electricity.

8. idolize (v.) to worship as an idol of; to love very much
Synonyms: adore, revere
Teens who idolize a movie
star may repeatedly see the
same movie featuring that
actor or actress.

9. ingratitude (n.) a lack of thankfulness
Synonyms: thanklessness, ungratefulness
Hosts who make every effort to please their guests are apt to be hurt by ingratitude.

10. keepsake (n.) something kept in memory of the giver; a souvenir
Synonyms: reminder, memento
Before my grandmother died, she made me a special quilt as a keepsake of her love.

11. mortal (n.) a being that must eventually die
(adj.) of or relating to such a being; causing death, fatal; possible, conceivable
Synonyms: (n.) human
(adj.) fleeting, extreme
In the mythology of many
cultures, a heavenly god can
come down to Earth and act
as a mortal.

12. ovation (n.) an enthusiastic public welcome, an outburst of applause
Synonyms: cheers, bravos, hurrahs
The audience gave the dancer a standing ovation after his impressive performance.

13. petty
(adj.) unimportant, trivial; narrow-minded; secondary in rank, minor
Synonyms: insignificant, piddling
You say my complaint is
petty, but to me it is an issue
of great importance.

14. plight (n.) a sorry condition or state
(v.) to pledge, promise solemnly
The plight of the homeless
upsets many concerned
citizens.
Wedding guests watched the
bride and groom plight their
undying love.

15. repent (v.) to feel sorry for what one has done or has failed to do
Synonyms: regret
As people grow older and gain
more maturity, some of them
come to repent their youthful
mistakes.

16. reverie (n.) a daydream; the condition of being lost in thought
Synonyms: fantasy, meditation
My boss interrupted my deep
and pleasant reverie by
reminding me about our
deadline.

17. revocation
(n.) an act or instance of calling back, an annulment, cancellation
Synonyms: repeal, withdrawal
His failure to complete the
job according to schedule
led to a revocation of his
contract.

18. scan
(v.) to examine closely; to look over quickly but thoroughly; to analyze the rhythm of a poem
(n.) an examination
Synonyms: (v.) study, glance at, skim (n.) survey
The doctor did a bone scan to
discover the location of each
fracture.

19. strand (n) a beach or shore; a string of wire, hair, etc.
(v.) to drive or run aground; to leave in a hopeless position
Synonyms: (n) fiber, thread (v.) abandon, maroon
We asked the waiter to take
back the soup when we
discovered a stand of hair in it.
I don’t want to be the third out
in the inning and strand the
two base runners.

20. strife (n.) bitter disagreement; fighting, struggle
Synonyms: conflict, discord, turmoil
The experienced senator from South Carolina was a veteran of political strife.

21. topple (v.) to fall forward; to overturn, bring about the downfall of
Synonyms: unseat, upset, tumble
The trains that rumble past our apartment often cause books to topple from the shelves.