Lesson 15
Freshmen Vocabulary

1. cursory  adj. hasty and superficial; not thorough
   A cursory evaluation revealed details that required more study.
   syn: perfunctory        ant: thorough, meticulous
   
   
2. 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
   
   
3. debilitate  verb to make feeble; to weaken
   A high fever debilitated Jack for a week.
   syn: devitalize         ant: energize
   
   
4. 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.
   
   
5. lassitude  noun a condition of listlessness or weakness
   As he lay in the sun on the beach, a feeling of lassitude crept over him.
   
   
6. lavish  adj. characterized by excessive or imprudent spending.
   Ann's mother had a lavish party for Ann's engagement.
   syn: extravagant          ant: frugal, thrifty
   
   
7. raze  verb to destroy or tear down completely
   The contractor thought it better to raze the building than to try to renovate.
   
   
8. rebuff  verb to refuse bluntly; to snub
             noun a blunt refusal; a snub
   She continually rebuffed his requests for a date.
   
   
9. recluse noun a person who lives a secluded, solitary life
   Since the accident he lives as a recluse and refuses to do interviews.
   
   
10. 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
    
    
11. ungainly  adj. awkward, clumsy
    As ungainly as she is, she could never be a figure skater.
    
    
12. 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
    
    
13. voracious  adj. very eager; greedy for food
    She had such a voracious appetite that she ate everything in sight.
    
    
14. wanton  adj. recklessly or arrogantly ignoring justice, decency, morality, etc.
    In driving drunk, he displayed a wanton disregard for the lives of others.
    
    
15. wrath  noun intense anger; rage; fury
    He quoted that old line about the wrath of a woman scorned.