Sadlier Vocabulary Workshop Level H - Unit 7

abeyance

(n.) a state of being temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside

syn: postponement

ambivalent

(adj.) having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something

syn: of two minds

ant: unequivocal

beleaguer

(v.) to set upon from all sides; to surround with an army; to trouble, harass

syn: besiege

carte blanche

(n.) full freedom or authority to act at one's own discretion

syn: blank check

cataclysm

(n.) a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge

syn: disaster

debauch

(v.) to corrupt morally, seduce; to indulge in dissipation; (n.) an act or occasion of dissipation or vice

syn: (v.) carouse, (n.) orgy

ant: (v.) purify

éclat

(n.) dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance (of performance or achievement)

syn: celebrity

ant: mediocrity

fastidious

(adj.) overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted

syn: precise

ant: careless

gambol

(v.) to jump or skip about playfully

syn: frolic

ant: plod

imbue

(v.) to soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind

syn: infuse

ant: remove

inchoate

(adj.) just beginning; not fully shaped or formed

syn: embryonic

ant: mature

lampoon

(n.) a malicious satire; (v.) to satirize, ridicule

syn: embryonic

ant: mature

malleable

(adj.) capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced

syn: pliable

ant: rigid

nemesis

(n.) an agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival

syn: avenger

ant: ally

opt

(v.) to make a choice or decision

syn: select

philistine

(adj.) lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements; (n.) such a person

syn: (adj.) lowbrow; (n.) pedant

ant: (adj.) refined; (n.) highbrow

picaresque

(adj.) involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers

syn: rakish

queasy

(adj.) nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness; troubled

syn: unsettled

ant: calm

refractory

(adj.) stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure

syn: disobedient

ant: docile

savoir-faire

(n.) the ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence

syn: finesse

ant: boorishness