Martin High School -- Vocabulary Template

cursory adj. hasty and superficial; not thorough
A cursory evaluation revealed details that required more study.
syn: perfunctory ant: thorough, meticulous
dearth adj. a lack or scarcity of supplies
The dearth of food made it hard to feed all the refugees properly.
syn: scarcity, paucity ant:abundance
debilitate verb to make feeble; to weaken
A high fever debilitated Jack for a week.
syn: devitalize ant: energize
languid adj. lazy; slowed or relaxed
It was a languid Saturday afternoon, and Joy was content to curl up on the couch with a book.
lassitude noun a condition of listlessness or weakness
As he lay in the sun on the beach, a feeling of lassitude crept over him.
lavish adj. characterized by excessive or imprudent spending.
Ann's mother had a lavish party for Ann's engagement.
syn: extravagant ant: frugal, thrifty
raze verb to destroy or tear down completely
The contractor thought it better to raze the building than to try to renovate.
rebuff verb to refuse bluntly; to snub
noun a blunt refusal; a snub
She continually rebuffed his requests for a date.
recluse noun a person who lives a secluded, solitary life
Since the accident he lives as a recluse and refuses to do interviews.
unassailable adj. not able to be attacked and conquer
No one could believe the doctor was arrested, because his reputation was unassailable.
ant: thorough, meticulous
ungainly adj. awkward, clumsy
As ungainly as she is, she could never be a figure skater.
voluminous adj. having great volume or size
The report was so voluminous that only one member had read it all the way through.
syn: extensive, copious ant: scant, skimpy
voracious adj. very eager; greedy for food
She had such a voracious appetite that she ate everything in sight.
wanton adj. recklessly or arrogantly ignoring justice, decency, morality, etc.
In driving drunk, he displayed a wanton disregard for the lives of others.
wrath noun intense anger; rage; fury
He quoted that old line about the wrath of a woman scorned.