Unit 13 Vocabulary

adapt

(v.) to adjust or change to suit conditions

syn: regulate, alter, acclimate

ant: remain unchanged

attest

(v.) to bear witness, affirm to be true or genuine

syn: witness, verify, confirm, corroborate

ant: deny, disprove, refute, rebut

dovetail

(v.) to fit together exactly; to connect so as to form a whole;

(n.) a carpentry figure resembling a dove's tail

syn: (v.) mesh, jive, harmonize

ant: (v.) clash, be at odds

enormity

(n.) the quality of exceeding all moral bounds; an exceedingly evil act; huge size, immensity

syn: heinousness, atrocity, vastness

ant: mildness, harmlessness, innocuousness

falter

(v.) to hesitate, stumble, lose courage; to speak hesitatingly; to lose drive, weaken, decline

syn: waver

ant: persevere, plug away at

foreboding

(n.) a warning or feeling that something bad will happen; (adj.) marked by fear, ominous

syn: (n.) presentiment, premonition

forlorn

(adj.) totally abandoned and helpless; sad and lonely; wretched or pitiful; almost hopeless

syn: woebegone, forsaken, bereft, pathetic

ant: jaunty, buoyant, blithe, chipper

haughty

(adj.) chillingly proud and scornful

syn: disdainful, supercilious

ant: meek, humble, unassuming, modest

impediment

(n.) a physical defect; a hindrance, obstacle

syn: obstruction, stumbling block

ant: help, advantage, asset, plus

imperative

(adj.) necessary, urgent; (n.) a form of a very expressing a command; that which is necessary or required

syn: (adj.) essential, indispensable

ant: (adj.) nonessential, unnecessary, optional

loiter

(v.) to linger in an aimless way, hang around, dawdle

ant: hurry along

malinger

(v.) to pretend illness to avoid duty or work, lie down on the job

syn: goof off, shirk

pithy

(adj.) short but full of meaning

syn: terse, short and sweet, meaty, telling

ant: wordy, verbose, long-winded, foolish, inane

plunder

(v.) to rob by force, especially during wartime; to seize wrongfully; (n.) property stolen by force

syn: (v.) pillage, loot, sack; (n.) spoils, pelf

simper

(v.) to smile or speak in a silly, forced way; (n.) a silly, forced smile

syn: snicker, titter, giggle

steadfast

(adj.) firmly fixed; constant, not moving or changing

syn: loyal, faithful

ant: inconstant, fickle, unreliable, vacillating

vaunted

(adj.) much boasted about in vain or swaggering way

syn: trumpeted, heralded

ant: downplayed, soft-pedaled, de-emphasized

vilify

(v.) to abuse or belittle unjustly or maliciously

syn: malign, defame, denigrate, traduce

ant: glorify, extol, lionize

waif

(n.) a person (usually a child) without a home or friend; a stray person or animal; something that comes along by chance, a stray bit

syn: stray, urchin

wry

(adj.) twisted, turned to one side; cleverly or grimly humorous

syn: dryly amusing, droll

ant: humorless, solemn, straight