Vocab Levels 1-3

acquisitive

able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property

arrogate

to claim or take without right

banal

hackneyed, trite, commonplace

belabor

to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

carping

tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; petty, nagging criticism

coherent

holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful

congeal

to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid

emulate

to imitate with the intent of aqualing or surpassing the model

encomium

a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute

eschew

to avoid, shun, keep away from

germane

relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

insatiable

so great or demanding as not to be satisfied.

intransigent

refusing to compromise, irreconcilable

invidious

offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment

largesse

generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions

reconnaissance

a survey made for military purposes; any kind of prelimiary inspection or examination

substantiate

to establish by evidence, to prove; to give concrete or substantial

temporize

to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpose a decision; to compromise

tenable

capable of being help or defended

taciturn

habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little

Cavort

(v.) to romp or prance around exhuberantly; to make merry

Synonym: gambol

Credence

(n.) belief, mental acceptance

Synonyms: credit, trust, confidence

Antonyms:disbelief, skepticism, incredulity

Decry

(v.) to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate

Synonyms: denounce, censure, devalue

Antonyms: tout, commend, extol, laud, praise

Dissemble

(v.) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression

Synonyms: dissimulate, mask, feign

Distraught

(adj.) very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict

Synonyms: distracted

Antonyms: calm, collected

Eulogy

(n.) a formal statement of commendation; high praise

Synonyms: panegyric, encomium, tribute

Antonyms: philippic, invective

Evince

(v.) to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke

Synonyms: exhibit, manifest, occasion

Exhume

(v.) to remove from a grave; to bring to light

Synonyms: disinter, unearth, uncover

Antonyms: bury, inter

Feckless

(adj.) lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable

Synonyms: feeble, incompetent, ineffectual

Antonyms: competent, capable, effective

Murky

(adj.) dark and gloomy, obscure; lacking in clarity and precision

Synonyms: dim, cloudy

Antonyms: clear, transparent, lucid, limpid

Nefarious

(adj.) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards

Synonyms: iniquitous, reprehensible

Antonyms: virtuous, honorable, praiseworthy, meritorious

Piquant

(adj.) stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative

Synonyms: zestful, tangy

Antonyms: bland, insipid, tasteless, mild

Primordial

(adj.) developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest stage; fundamental, basic

Synonyms: original, primal

Propinquity

(n.) nearness in place or time; kinship

Synonyms: similarity

Antonyms: remoteness, distance

Substantive

(adj.) real, having a solid basis; considerable in number or amount; meaningful and on topic

Synonyms: firm, substantial, meaty

Antonyms: imaginary, unreal, meaningless

Unwonted

(adj.) not usual or expected; not in character

Synonyms: unusual, uncommon, unexpected, atypical

Antonyms: usual, customary, typical

Utopian

(adj.) founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical

Synonyms: idealistic

Antonyms: realistic, pragmatic

Verbiage

(n.) language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness; a manner of expression

Synonyms: prolixity, diction, jargon

Verdant

(adj.) green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgement

Synonyms: artless, naive

Antonyms: scorched, sere, barren

Viscous

(adj.) having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity

Synonyms: sticky, thick

Antonyms: watery, aqueous

Accost

(v) approach and speak to first; confront in a challenging or aggressive way

S: buttonhole, approach, confront

A: evade, avoid, shun

Animadversion

(n) a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval

S: rebuke, reproof

A: praise, compliment

Avid

(adj) desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager

S: keen, enthusiastic, grasping

A: reluctant, indifferent, unenthusiastic

Brackish

(adj) having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink

S: briny, saline

A: fresh, clear, sweet

Celerity

(n) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action

S: promptness, alacrity, speed

A: slowness, sluggishness, dilatoriness

Devious

(adj) straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhand way

S: roundabout, indirect, tricky, sly, artful

A: direct, straightforward, open, aboveboard

Gambit

(n) in chess and opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of a minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type

S: ploy stratagem, ruse, maneuver

Halcyon

(n) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent

S: tranquil, serene, placid, palmy

A: turbulent, chaotic, tumultuous

Histrionic

(adj) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic S: affected, stagy

A: low-keyed, muted, untheatrical, subdued

Incendiary

(adj) deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to sir up strife or rebellion; (n) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who cases strife

Maelstrom

(n) whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction

A: vortex, chaos, turbulence, tumult

Myopic

(adj) nearsighted, lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment

S: shortsighted

A: farsighted

Overt

(adj) open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is not easily recognized

S: clear, obvious, manifest, patent

A: secret, clandestine, covert, concealed

Pejorative

(adj) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling

A: complimentary ameliorative

Propriety

(n) the state of being proper, appropriateness; (pl) standards of what is proper or socially acceptable

Sacrilege

(n) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred

S: desecration, profanation, defilement

Summarily

(adv) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely

S: promptly, peremptorily

Suppliant

(adj) asking humbly and earnestly (n) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor

Talisman

(n) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

Undulate

(v) to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form

S: ripple, fluctuate, rise and fall