Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop Level F Unit 4

affable

(adj.) courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to.

SYN: genial, amicable, cordial

A: surly, cantankerous, dour, inhospitable

aggrandize

(v.) to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater.

SYN: augment, amplify, enhance, exalt

A: reduce, decrease, diminish

amorphous

(adj.) shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion. A: definite, well-defined, clear-cut

archetype

(n.) an original model on which something is patterned or replicated; the ideal example of a particular type of person

SYN: model, prototype, epitome

aura

(n.) a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing.
Syn: ambiance, atmosphere

contraband

(n.) illegal traffic, smuggled goods; (adj.) illegal, prohibited.

Ant: legal, lawful, licit

Syn: bootleg, unlawful

erudite

(adj.) scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic.

SYN: profoundly educated, well read

Ant: ignorant, uneducated, illiterate

gossamer

(adj.) thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; (n.) a very thin, light cloth.

SYN: filmy, diaphanous, sheer, airy, feathery, gauzy

A: thick, dense, solid, massive

inscrutable

(adj.) incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically.

SYN: impenetrable, incomprehensive, enigmatic

A: comprehensible, intelligible, penetrable

insular

(adj.) Relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience.

SYN: narrow-minded, parochial, provincial

ANT: catholic, cosmopolitan, liberal

irrevocable

(adj.) incapable of being changed or called back.

SYN: unrecallable, unalterable,

A: reversible, changeable

propensity

(n.) a natural inclination or predilection toward.

SYN: natural-bent, proclivity, penchant

ANT: natural incapacity or inability

querulous

(adj.) peevish, complaining, fretful.

SYN: petulant, irritable

A: uncomplaining, stoical, serene, placid

remonstrate

(v.) To argue or plead with someone against something, protest against, object to.

SYN: reason against, expostulate

repudiate

(v.) to disown, reject, or deny the validity of.

SYN: disavow, renounce

A: avow, affirm, aver, avouch

resilient

(adj.) able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly.

SYN: springy, elastic

A: rigid, stiff, inflexible, unyielding

reverberate

(v.) To re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly.

SYN: rumble, thunder, boom, echo

scurrilous

(adj.) Coarsely abusive, vulgar or low (especially in language), foul-mouthed.

SYN: obscene, filthy, abusive, vituperative

A: decorous, seemly, tasteful, dignified

sedulous

(adj.) persistent, showing industry and determination.

SYN: assiduous, indefatigable

A: lackadaisical, listless, indolent, otiose

sleazy

(adj.) thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethically low, mean, or disreputable.

SYN: inferior, cheesy

A: superior, first-rate, quality, sturdy