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Vocabulary – Word List
Each word is listed with its Pronunciation, part of speech, Word Charge, Word Group, and a definition with sentence.
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Words

Pronunciation

 (part of speech)

Word Charge

Word Group

Obdurate

 

\AHB door it\ (adj.)

– charge STUBBORN

stubborn, hardhearted; inflexible

 

The president was obdurate on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind.

Objective

 

]ob jek TIV\ (adj.)

+ charge UNBIASED

impartial, uninfluenced by emotion

 

When making important decisions, it is important to always remain objective and decide based on the facts alone.

Oblivious

 

\ahb LIV ee us\ (adj.)

= charge INACTIVE

unaware, inattentive

 

The Police Commissioner calmly made his way through the crowd, seemingly oblivious to the angry rioters around him.

Obnoxious

 

\ob NOK shiss\ (adj.)

– charge INAPPROPRIATE

objectionable, offensive

 

Randy’s obnoxious comments offended everyone at the party.

Obscure

 

\ahb SKYOOR\ (adj.)

= charge UNCLEAR

not easily seen, inconspicuous

 

Mitch loved to find obscure facts about random politicians to impress people with his knowledge.

Obsolete

 

\ab so LEET\ (adj.)

– charge TIME

no longer in use; outdated

 

Black-and-white television is now almost completely obsolete.

Obstacle

 

\AHB stukl\ (n.)

– charge UNHELPFUL

impediment

 

Despite the many obstacles barring his way toward success, the ambitious young man was determined to succeed.

Obstinate

 

\AHB stu nit\ (adj.)

– charge STUBBORN

stubborn

 

The obstinate child could not be forced to eat any vegetables.

Obstreperous

 

\ahb STREP uh res\ (adj.)

– charge AGGRESSIVE

troublesome, boisterous, unruly

 

The obstreperous toddler, who was always breaking things, was the terror of his nursery school.

Obtrusive

 

\ab TROO siv\ (adj.)

– charge UNINTERESTED

pushy, too conspicuous

 

I think the self-portrait that you hung in the hall is a bit obtrusive.

Odometer

 

\oh DOM ih ter\ (n.)

= charge MOVING

instrument in vehicles that indicates distance traveled

 

According to the odometer in our car, we drove more than two thousand miles on our trip.

Offensive

 

\uh FEN siv\ (adj.)

– charge HOSTILE

disagreeable, obnoxious

 

The crowd seemed unaffected by the comedian’s offensive remarks.

Onerous

 

\OH ne rus\ (adj.)

– charge UNHELPFUL

burdensome

 

 

The assignment was so difficult to manage that it proved onerous to the team in charge of it.

Onset

\ON set\ (n.)

= charge TIME

start

 

At the onset of the boxing match, the referee told the fighters that he wouldn’t tolerate any foul play.

Opponent

\uh POH nent\ (n.)

– charge HOSTILE

enemy

 

Although the last person she debated against was a novice, Shelley knew that her next opponent had won the competition three years in a row.

Opportune

 

\ahp pur TOON\ (adj.)

+ charge LUCK

appropriate, fitting

 

She made an opportune investment in plastics just before their explosion in market value.

Optimistic

 

\op tuh MIS tik\ (adj.)

+ charge HAPPY

expecting things to turn out well

 

Coach Yeats was very optimistic about the team’s chances this year, expecting them to easily ascend to the playoffs.

Opulence

 

\AHP yu lens\ (n.)

= charge INDULGED

wealth

 

Livingston considered his BMW to be a symbol of both opulence and style.

Oration

 

\aw RAY shun\ (n.)

= charge COMMUNICATION

lecture, formal speech

 

The class valedictorian gave an impressive oration on graduation day.

Orator

 

\AW ruh tur\ (n.)

= charge

COMMUNICATION

lecturer, speaker

 

The new professor’s dull tone of voice and lack of energy make her a particularly poor orator.

Orderly

 

\OR der lee\ (adj.)

+ charge ORGANIZED

neat, systematic

 

“Please line up in an orderly fashion so everyone may get a ticket” the manager announced to the crowd outside the theater.

Originality

 

\uh rij uh NAL ih tee\ (n.)

+ charge TYPICAL

the ability to think independently

 

In my creative writing class, the teacher stressed the importance of originality in finding new topics to write about.

Ornate

 

\ohr NAYT\ (adj.)

+ charge ORNATE

elaborately ornamented

 

The ornate carvings over all the doorways immediately impress visitors to the palace.

Orthodox

 

\OR thu doks\ (adj.)

= charge BELIEF

adhering to what is customary or traditional

 

Rather than try something new and radical, the marketing analyst decided to take a more orthodox approach to the product.

Ostensible

 

\ah STEN sih bul\ (adj.)

= charge OPEN

apparent

 

The ostensible reason for his visit was to borrow a book, but secretly he wanted to chat with the lovely Wanda.

Ostentatious

 

\ah sten TAY shus\ (adj.)

– charge PRETENTIOUS

showy

 

The billionaire’s 200-room palace was considered by many to be an overly ostentatious display of wealth.

Ostracism

 

\AHS tra sizm\ (n.)

– charge ALONE

exclusion, temporary banishment

 

Larry knew that ostracism would be his fate when, after he made an obnoxious comment, all the other guests at the party turned their backs to him.

Outcast

\OWT kast\ (n.)

– charge ALONE

someone rejected from a society

 

The outcast decided that the only way to rejoin the group was to give in to their demands.

Outdated

 

\owt DAY tid\ (adj.)

– charge TIME

old-fashioned, out of style

 

The old doctor’s methods were so outdated that he decided to go back to medical school to learn the latest techniques.

Overpowering

 

\oh ver POW er ing\ (adj.)

= charge BOSSY

overwhelming

 

Although the foolish man prattled on senselessly, Sandra held back an overpowering urge to quiet hi

Overcome

\oh ver KUM\ (v.)

= charge BRAVE

defeat, conquer

 

Michelle managed to overcome her fears of heights to go on the tall rollercoaster this past summer.

Overshadow

 

\oh ver SHA dow\ (v.) –

charge BOSSY

to obscure; to dominate

 

Though it was not her intention, Rhoda’s insightful interpretation of the monologue overshadowed the innovative set design.