Define:
slovenly
(sluhv-uhn-lee)
adj. untidy, disheveled; unclean in appearance or habits
The other dinner guests held the slovenly drunkard in contempt.
Root: sloven (from Middle English slovein, meaning “careless person”)
Define:
onerous
(oh-ner-uhs)
adj. causing hardship; burdensome, troublesome
The students relished making the teacher’s job as onerous as possible.
Root: oner (from Latin onus, meaning “burden”)
Define:
scourge
(skurdj)
n. a plague or cause of affliction
n. something that causes suffering
The scourge of drugs in American society will be its downfall.
Root: scourge (from Latin corrigia, meaning “thong, whip”)
Define:
candor
(kan-der)
n. the quality of being frank, sincere, or impartial in expression
Giorgio was known for his candor, so it surprised no one when he began to talk at length about his love life.
Root: cand (from Latin candere, meaning “to shine, to be white”)
Define:
boor
(boor)
n. a crude, unmannered, or rude person
The boor upset everyone at the fancy restaurant.
Root: boor (from Dutch boer, meaning “farmer”)
Define:
moribund
(mawr-uh-buhnd)
adj. dying, decaying, on the brink of extinction
The moribund customs of the indigenous culture are only practiced in a few outlying areas.
Root: mori (from Latin mori, meaning “to die”)
Define:
pine
(pahyn)
v. to suffer from extreme desire or painful longing; to yearn deeply
v. to waste away with grief
The sailor’s wife pined for him all through the long, harsh winter.
Root: pine (from Old English pinian, meaning “to cause to suffer”)
Define:
siren
(sahy-ruhn)
n. a beautiful, seductive, or charming woman
The young men of the neighborhood are smitten with the siren who moved in last week.
Root: siren (from Greek Seirēn, a mythological creature)
Define:
cache
(kash)
n. a hidden place, a secret storage
n. a place for valuables
The bomb shelter had a cache of resources capable of supporting the family.
Root: cache (from French cacher, meaning “to hide”)
Define:
lionize
(lahy-uh-nahyz)
v. to treat a person as a celebrity
When the musical sensation returned to her hometown, she was lionized by everyone she knew.
Suffix: -ize (a verb-forming suffix meaning “to make or to treat as”)
Name the vocab term:
adj. untidy, disheveled; unclean in appearance or habits
Hint: starts with “s”
slovenly
synonyms: dirty, careless, messy, unkempt, disorganized
His slovenly appearance made a poor impression during the job interview.
Fill in the blank:
The ________ task of filing taxes each year often leaves people feeling frustrated.
Hint: Starts with “o” and means “burdensome or difficult”.
onerous
onerous (oh-ner-uhs)
adj. causing hardship; burdensome, troublesome
Name the vocab term:
n. a plague or cause of affliction
Hint: starts with “s”
scourge
synonyms: torment, affliction, pestilence, curse, bane, blight
The disease was a scourge on the population, causing widespread suffering.
Fill in the blank:
Her ________ in addressing the issues at hand earned her the respect of her colleagues.
Hint: Starts with “c” and means “honesty and openness”.
candor
candor (kan-der)
n. the quality of being frank, sincere, or impartial in expression
Name the vocab term:
n. a crude, unmannered, or rude person
Hint: starts with “b”
boor
synonyms: goon, oaf, barbarian, lout, clod, ruffian
The boor at the party offended everyone with his rude jokes and behavior.
Fill in the blank:
The once-thriving industry is now ________, with very few companies still operating.
Hint: Starts with “m” and means “at the point of death”.
moribund
moribund (mawr-uh-buhnd)
adj. dying, decaying, on the brink of extinction
Name the vocab term:
v. to suffer from extreme desire or painful longing
v. to waste away with grief
Hint: starts with “p”
pine
synonyms: dream, hanker, lust, long, yearn, ache
He spent months pining for his lost love.
She pined away after the death of her beloved pet.
Fill in the blank:
The actress played the role of a ________, luring men to their doom with her beauty.
Hint: Starts with “s” and means “a tempting but dangerous lure”.
siren
siren (sahy-ruhn)
n. a beautiful, seductive, and charming woman
Name the vocab term:
n. a hidden place, a secret storage
n. a place for valuables
Hint: starts with “c”
cache
synonyms: secret storage place, hoard, stash, reserve
They found a cache of old coins hidden in the attic.
Fill in the blank:
The young athlete was ________ by the media after his impressive victory.
Hint: Starts with “l” and means “treated as a celebrity”.
lionized
lionize (lahy-uh-nahyz)
v. to treat a person as a celebrity
