170 VOCABULARY FOR TOEFL iBT
turpitude ('tur·pi·tood) n. 1. wickedness. 2. a corrupt or depraved act. Such
turpitude deserves the most severe punishment.U
umbrage ('um·brij) n. offense, resentment. I took great umbrage at your suggestion
that I twisted the truth.
unctuous ('unk·choo·u ̆s) adj. 1. unpleasantly and excessively or insincerely
earnest or ingratiating. 2. containing or having the quality of oil or ointment;
greasy, slippery, suave. I left without test driving the car because the salesperson was
so unctuous that I couldn’t trust him.
undermine (un·de ̆r·'m ̄n) v. 1. to weaken or injure, especially by wearing away at
the foundation. 2. to destroy in an underhanded way. By telling the children that
they could eat chocolate, the babysitter undermined their mother, who had forbade
them to eat sweets.
undulate ('un·ju ̆·layt) v. to move in waves or in a wavelike fashion, fluctuate.
The curtains undulated in the breeze.
untoward (un·'tohrd) adj. 1. contrary to one’s best interest or welfare; inconven-
ient, troublesome, adverse. 2. improper, unseemly, perverse. Jackson’s untoward
remarks made Amelia very uncomfortable.
upbraid (up·'brayd) v. to reprove, reproach sharply, condemn; admonish. The
child was upbraided for misbehaving during the ceremony.
urbane (ur·'bayn) adj. elegant, highly refined in manners, extremely tactful and
polite. Christopher thinks he’s so urbane, but he’s really quite pedestrian.
usurp (yoo·'surp) v. to seize, or take possession of, by force and without right; to
wrongfully take over. After the king’s half-brother usurped the throne, he executed
the king and queen and imprisoned the prince, who was the rightful heir to the
throne.V
vacillate ('vas· ̆·layt) v. 1. to move or sway from side to side, fluctuate.- to swing back and forth about an opinion, course of action, etc.; to be inde-
cisive, waver. Denise vacillated for weeks before she decided to accept our offer.
vacuous ('vak·yoo·u ̆s) adj. empty, purposeless; senseless, stupid, inane. This TV
show is yet another vacuous sitcom.