English Vocab 4

Abhor

(v) To regard with horror or loathing; to hate deeply

\
A pacifist is someone who _____ violence in all its forms

\
SYNONYMS: Detest, despise, abominate

ANTONYMS: Admire, cherish, respect, relish

Amend

(v) To change in a formal way; to change for the better

\
If you are not doing well in a particular subject, you may want to _____ your way of studying it

\
SYNONYMS: Modify, improve, correct

Buffet

(v) To slap or cuff; to strike repeatedly; to drive or force with blows; to force one’s way with difficulty

\
(n) A slap, blow

\
Blinding snowstorms _____ the barren landmass of Antarctica for months on end

\
Few figures in history or literature are as severely tested by fortune’s _____ as Job in the Old Testament

\
SYNONYMS: Sock, thump, pummel, toss about

Chaos

(n) Great confusion, disorder

\
A great many people lost their fortunes and even their lives in the _____ brought on by the French Revolution

\
SYNONYMS: Anarchy, turmoil

ANTONYMS: Order, regularity, tranquility

Commodious

(adj) Roomy, spacious

\
No one would expect a tiny studio apartment to have particularly _____ closets

\
SYNONYMS: Comfortable, simple, capacious

ANTONYMS: Cramped, claustrophobic, insufficient

Corrosive

(adj) Eating away gradually; acid-like; bitterly sarcastic

\
Sulfuric acid is one of the most _____ substances known to chemistry

\
SYNONYMS: Caustic, mordant, acidulous, spiteful

ANTONYMS: Bland, mild, benign, amiable

Discern

(v) To see clearly, recognize

\
It is a jury’s job to _____ the truth by carefully evaluating all the evidence presented at trial

\
SYNONYMS: Perceive, detect, distinguish

ANTONYMS: Overlook

Extant

(adj) Still existing, not exterminated, destroyed, or lost

\
The painted of animals and human hands in Spain’s Altamira caves are among the oldest _____ specimens of Stone Age art

\
SYNONYMS: Surviving, in existence

ANTONYMS: Extinct, vanished

Implicate

(v) To involve in; to connect with or be related to

\
The suspects never stood trial because there was no solid evidence to _____ them in the daring series of robberies

\
SYNONYMS: Incriminate, entangle

ANTONYMS: Absolve, exculpate

Inter

(v) To bury, commit to the earth; to consign to oblivion

\
Jewels and other objects once _____ with Egypt’s pharoahs can now be seen in numerous museums all over the world

\
ANTONYMS: Unearth, exhume

Martinet

(n) A strict disciplinarian; a stickler for the rules

\
When it came to drilling troops, the Revolutionary War general Baron Friedrich von Steuben was something of a _____

\
SYNONYMS: Taskmaster, slave driver

Obviate

(v) To anticipate and prevent; to remove, dispose of

\
Vaccinations can do much to _____ the dangers of childhood illnesses

\
SYNONYMS: Preclude, forestall, ward off

Renegade

(n) One who leaves a group; a deserter, outlaw

\
(adj) Traitorous; unconventional, unorthodox

\
Many a writer has been labeled a _____ for refusing to conform to society’s conventions

\
_____ senators from the President’s own part joined the opposition to defeat the bill

\
SYNONYMS: Turncoat, heretic

ANTONYMS: Loyalist, patriot

Reprehensible

(adj) Deserving blame or punishment

\
Stalin eliminated many potential rivals by accusing them of all sorts of _____ acts that they did not commit

\
SYNONYMS: Objectionable, blameworthy, culpable, odious

ANTONYMS: Commendable, blameless, meritorious

Somber

(adj) Dark, gloomy; depressed or melancholy in spirit

\
The atmosphere in the locker room of the losing team could best be described as _____

\
SYNONYMS: Mournful, dismal

ANTONYMS: Bright, sunny, lighthearted, jaunty

Squalid

(adj) Filthy, wretched, debased

\
Many laws prohibit the types of _____ working conditions found in sweatshops

\
SYNONYMS: Dingy, sordid, foul, vile, abject

ANTONYMS: Neat, spruce, exalted, lofty

Turbulent

(adj) Disorderly, riotous, violent; stormy

\
Letters and diary entries may reveal a person’s lifelong struggle to gain some control over _____ emotions

\
SYNONYMS: Tumultuous, unruly, agitated

ANTONYMS: Calm, placid, tranquil, still

Vociferous

(adj) Loud and noisy; compelling attention

\
Relief agencies regularly make _____ appealed for aid for victims of war, terrorism, and natural disasters

\
SYNONYMS: Clamorous, uproarious, blustering

ANTONYMS: Quiet, soft-spoken, muted, subdued

Voluminous

(adj) Of great size; numerous; writing or speaking at great length

\
The task of summarizing the _____ reports issues by government agencies may fall to members of a legislator’s staff

\
SYNONYMS: Bulky, massive, plentiful

ANTONYMS: Scant, meager

Walve

(v) To do without, give up voluntarily; to put off temporarily, defer

\
The senator agreed to _____ opposition to the proposed billif some of its more controversial provisions were substantially modified

\
SYNONYMS: Decline, relinquish, forgo

ANTONYMS: Claim, accept