4000 CPE Vocabulary List

n. one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property
Every Resistance member acted as a saboteur, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the Nazi army.

a. having a cloyingly sweet attitude, tone, or character; overly sweet
She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling a saccharine smile.

n. bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases; enclosed space
There was a fifty-pound sack of cornmeal, a side of bacon, ammunition, a four-gallon jug of whiskey, an old book, and two newspapers for wadding, besides some tow.

a. concerned with religion; worthy of respect or dedication
The cleric remains in a strong position, with Shia Islam's holiest site under the rule of his militia and US-led forces reluctant to cause any damage to the sacred city.

a. acting or speaking very disrespectfully toward what is held to be sacred; violating sacred things; profane
His stealing of the altar cloth was a very sacrilegious act.

a. regarded as sacred and inviolable
The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy of the office of the president of the company.

n. one who, or that which, defends or protects; defense; protection
We make copies of our computer disks as a safeguard against accidents.

n. any legend; long detailed report; Scandinavian myth
In very truth, the saga is a prose epic and marked by every quality an epic should possess.

a. perceptive; shrewd; having insight
My father was a sagacious judge of character: he could spot a phony a mile away.

a. lustful; suggestive of or tending to moral looseness
Chaucer's monk is not pious but salacious. a teller of lewd tales and ribald jests.

a. prominent or protruding; projecting outwardly; moving by leaps or springs
One of the salient features of that newspaper is its excellent editorial page.

a. healthful; favorable to health; promoting health; wholesome
Many people with hay fever move to more salubrious sections of the country during August and September.

a. tending to improve; beneficial; favorable to health
The punishment had a salutary effect on the boy, as he became a model student.

n. release or discharge of bombs or firearms; forceful verbal or written assault
His warning soon turned out to be well justified, as the attacking ship unleashed its initial salvo from a distance much greater than the captain would have dared to fire.

n. approval, by an authority, generally one that makes something valid; penalty intended to ensure compliance
This rule change and new sanction are arguably one of the most significant developments ever to occur.

v. give authorization or approval to something; penalize a state, especially for violating international law
Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man.

a. cheerfully confident; optimistic; of healthy reddish color; ruddy
Let us not be too sanguine about the outcome; something could go wrong.

v. diminish; undermine the foundations; dig
The element kryptonite has an unhealthy effect on Superman: it can sap his strength.

n. a young tree, especially one with a slender trunk
She cut down the sapling with one chop.

n. a precious transparent stone of rich blue corundum valued as a gemstone
Sapphire can be found naturally or manufactured in large crystal boules.