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