VOCABULARY LESSON 5

GUILE (GAHYL)

• Definition: Insidious cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception; duplicity.
• Sentence: While innocent Frank is principally defined by his curiosity, he isn't without guile.

AMORPHOUS (UH-MAWR-FUH S)

• Definition: Lack definite form; having no specific shape; formless.
• Sentence: The dream of the writer. Of any artist, is a fickle and amorphous thing.

SANGUINE(SANG-GWIN)

• Definition: cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident.
• Sentence: He makes it anyway, with exacting standards but in sanguine hand.

PROTEGE(PROH-TUH-ZHEY)

• Definition: A person under the patronage, protection, or care of someone interested in his or her own career or welfare.
• Sentence: The only thing that grows down is potatoes, he told his protege.

FACILE (fas-il)

• Definition: moving, acting, working with ease
• Sentence: Genetic explanations for this sort of behavior are often facile.

ASCETIC (uh-set-ik)

• Definition: A person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self denial.
• Sentence: But it wasn't exactly an ascetic life.

DOGGEREL (daw-ger-uh l)

• Definition: rude, crude, poor
• Sentence: His doggerel and sharp comments at these events were always enjoyed by the audience.

DECORUM (dih-kawr-uh m)

• Definition:Dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress.
• Sentence: Attorneys and parties should conduct themselves with decorum and manners.

SERAPHIC (si-raf-ik)

• Definition: of, like, or befitting a seraph.
• Sentence: in a dream or vision he had known the ecstasy of seraphic life.

PROFFER (Prof-er)

• Definition:to put before a person for acceptance.
• Sentence: The owner is happy to proffer information about the city.