vocab

askance

with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval
syn: distrustfully, suspiciously, skeptically

attenuate

to make thin or slender; to weaken or lessen in force, intensity, or value
syn: thin out, dilute, water down
ant: thicken, strengthen, booster

benign

gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect; not malignant
syn: benevolent, salutatory, salubrious, harmless
ant: malevolent, deleterious

cavil

to find fault in a petty way, carp; a trivial objection or criticism
syn: nitpick, quibble

charlatan

one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, impostor, or quack
syn: fraud, mountebank

decimate

to kill or destroy a large part of
syn: ravage, devastate

foible

a weak point; failing; minor flaw
syn: shortcoming, quirk
ant: forte, virtue

forgo

to do without, abstain from, give up
syn: refrain from, renounce
ant: indulge in, partake of

fraught

full of or loaded with; accompanied by
syn: charged with
ant: devoid of, lacking, deficient in

inure

to toughen, harden; to render used to something by long subjection or exposure
syn: accustom, acclimate

luminous

emitting or reflecting light, glowing; illuminating
syn: radiant, bright, refulgent, lustrous
ant: dark, opaque, dim, murky

obsequious

marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons
syn: fawning, servile, sycophantic, mealymouthed
ant: assertive, bumptious, overbearing, candid, frank, independent

obtuse

blunt, not coming to a point; slow or dull in understanding; measuring between 90 and 180 degrees; not causing a sharp impression
syn: stupid, dumb, thick, mild, dull-witted
ant: acute, perceptive, quick-witted

oscillate

to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver
syn: vibrate, vacillate

penitent

regretful for one's sins or mistakes. one who is sorry for wrongdoing
syn: remorseful, regretful, rueful, sorry
ant: unrepentant, remorseless

peremptory

having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial, or refusal; offensively self-assured, dictatorial; determined, resolute
syn: high-handed, unconditional
ant: irresolute, tentative, mild, unassuming

rebuff

to snub; to repel, drive away; a curt rejection, a check
syn: spurn, repulse, reject, setback
ant: accept, welcome

reconnoiter

to engage in reconnaissance; to make a preliminary inspection
syn: scout

shambles

a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of complete disorder and confusion, mess

sporadic

occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order
syn: intermittent, spasmodic
ant: constant, steady, continuous, uninterrupted

abrogate

to repeal, cancel, declare null and void
syn: annul, revoke
ant: reaffirm, renew, ratify

ambient

completely surrounding, encompassing

asperity

roughness, severity; bitterness or tartness
syn: rigor, harshness
ant: mildness, blandness, softness, lenience

burnish

to make smooth or glossy by rubbing, polish; gloss, brightness, luster
syn: shine, buff
ant: tarnish, dull, abrade

cabal

a small group working in secret
syn: clique, ring, gang, plot, conspiracy

delectable

delightful, highly enjoyable; deliciously flavored, savory; an appealing or appetizing food or dish
syn: delicious, scrumptious
ant: repugnant, repulsive, distasteful

deprecate

to express mild disapproval of; to belittle
syn: deplore, frown upon
ant: smile on, countenance, approve

detritus

loose bits and pieces of material resulting from disintegration or wearing away; fragments that result from any destruction
syn: debris, wreckage, ruins, rubble

ebullient

overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement; boiling, bubbling
syn: exhilarated, elated, exuberant
ant: gloomy, morose, sullen, apathetic, blase

eclectic

drawn from different sources; one whose beliefs are drawn from various sources
syn: selective, synthetic, pick-and-choose
ant: uniform, monolithic

flaccid

limp, not firm; lacking vigor or effectiveness
syn: soft, flabby
ant: hard, firm, solid

impecunious

having little or no money
syn: penniless, impoverished, indigent
ant: avoidable, yielding, pliant

inexorable

inflexible, beyond influence; relentless, unyielding
syn: inescapable, ineluctable, obdurate
ant: avoidable, yielding, pliant

moribund

dying, on the way out
syn: obsolescent
ant: flourishing, thriving

necromancer

one who claims to reveal or influence the future through magic, especially communication with the dead; in general, a magician or wizard
syn: sorcerer, conjurer

onerous

burdensome, involving hardship or difficulty
syn: oppressive, weighty
ant: light, easy, undemanding, untaxing

rife

common, prevalent, widespread, happening often; full, abounding; plentiful, abundant, replete
ant: devoid of, lacking

rudiments

the parts of any subject or discipline that are learned first; the earliest stages of anything
syn: fundamentals, basics

sequester

to set apart, separate for a special purpose; to take possession of and hold in custody
syn: seclude, segregate, isolate, closet

winnow

to get rid of something unwanted, delete; to sift through to obtain what is desirable; to remove the chaff from the wheat by blowing air on it; to blow on, fan
syn: sift, strain, filter, sort

aesthetic

pertaining to beauty; sensitive or responsive to beauty
syn: artistic

defunct

no longer in existence or functioning, dead
syn: extinct, nonexistent
ant: alive, extant

discomfit

to frustrate, thwart, or defeat; to confuse, perplex, or embarrass
syn: nonplus, disconcert, foil

espouse

to take up and support; to become attached to, adopt; to marry
syn: embrace, wed
ant: repudiate, disavow, renounce

fetish

an object believed to have magical powers; an object of unreasoning devotion or reverence
syn: charm, talisman, obsession

gregarious

living together in a herd or group; sociable, seeking the company of others
syn: outgoing, extroverted
ant: flood, introverted reclusive

hapless

marked by a persistent absence of good luck
syn: unlucky, ill-starred, unfortunate
ant: lucky, charmed, fortunate

impeccable

faultless, beyond criticism or blame
syn: flawless, spotless, immaculate
ant: grimy, spoiled, spotted, sullied

importune

to trouble with demands; to beg for insistently
syn: implore, entreat, dun, tax

interpolate

to insert between other parts or things; to present as an addition or correction
syn: inject, interpose, introduce

irreparable

incapable of being repaired or rectified
syn: irremediable
ant: remediable, fixable, reversible

laconic

concise, using few words
syn: terse, succinct, pithy, compact
ant: garrulous, prolix, loquacious, verbose

languish

to become weak, feeble, or dull; to droop; to be depressed or dispirited; to suffer neglect
syn: flag, wilt, fade, pine

mendacious

given to lying or deception; untrue
syn: untruthful, false
ant: truthful, veracious

nadir

the lowest point
syn: rock bottom
ant: apex, pinnacle, zenith

omnipresent

present in all places at all times
syn: ubiquitous, ever-present

perfunctory

done in a superficial or halfhearted manner; without interest or enthusiasm
syn: slapdash, cursory, shallow
ant: thorough, assiduous, diligent, meticulous

plaintive

expressive of sorrow or woe, melancholy
syn: sad, doleful, lugubrious
ant: cheerful, blithe, joyous, merry

requite

to make suitable repayment, as for a kindness, service, or favor; to make retaliation, as for an injury or wrong; to reciprocate
syn: reimburse, recompense, avenge

tantamount

equivalent, having the same meaning, value, or effect
syn: indistinguishable from