Unit 14

Alacrity

a cheerful readiness; brisk and eager action

Alleviate

to relieve, make more bearable

Antithesis

the direct opposite, a sharp contrast

Appall

to fill with dismay or horror

Bellicose

warlike in manner or temperament; quarrelsome

Disparage

to belittle, speak slightingly of; to undervalue

Dissonant

not in harmony; disagreeing, at odds

Droll

amusingly odd

Edict

an order issued by someone in authority

Elucidate

to clarify, explain

Laud

to praise

Loll

to act in a lazy manner; to lounge; to recline, droop

Loquacious

talkative, wordy; fond of talking

Magnanimous

generous in forgiving, above small meanness

Mandatory

required, obligatory

Nondescript

ordinary, not outstanding; not easily classified

Phlegmatic

slow-moving, sluggish; unemotional

Rescind

to repeal, cancel

Vivacious

lively, sprightly, full of energy

Whet

to sharpen, put an edge on; to make keen or eager