Unit 3 Vocab

Articulate

(v.) to pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; to connect by a

joint or joints; (adj.) expressed clearly and forcefully; able to employ

language clearly and forcefully; jointed

Ex. Few people can articulate their emotions during times of stress.

Ex. The most articulate student in the class was chosen to mediate the

debate.

Synonyms: (v.) pronounce, elucidate; (adj.) eloquent

Antonyms: (v.) mumble, slur (adj.) tongue-tied, halting

cavort

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

Ex. The actors in the musical cavort(ed) on stage.

Synonym: gambol

Credence

(n.) belief, mental acceptance

Ex. The government and the public failed to give credence to the

reports of an impending water shortage.

Synonyms: credit, trust, confidence

Antonyms: disbelief, skepticism, incredulity

Decry

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

Ex. Every arm of government and every educational institution should

decry bigotry in all its forms.

Synonyms: denounce, censure, devalue

Antonyms: tout, commend, extol, laud, praise

Dissemble

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

Ex. The young man was unable to dissemble his feelings and admitted

to having committed the crime.

Synonyms: dissimulate, mask, feign

Distraught

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

conflict

Ex. The workforce became distraught in the wake do the 1929 stock

market crash.

Synonyms: frantic, distracted

Antonyms: calm, composed, collected

Eulogy

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

Ex. The best friend and longtime law partner of the deceased delivered

the eulogy at the funeral.

Synonyms: panegyric, encomium, tribute, testimonial

Antonyms: philippic, diatribe, invective

Evince

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

Ex. The crowd did not evince any signs of panic but moved in an orderly

fashion to the nearest exists.

Synonyms: exhibit, manifest, occasion

Exhume

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

Ex. Suspecting foul play, the coroner issued an order to exhume the

body immediately.

Synonyms: disinter, unearth, uncover

Antonyms: bury, inter

Feckless

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

unreliable

Ex. Although a feckless youth, he eventually matured into a hard-

working and responsible citizen.

Synonyms: feeble, helpless, incompetent, ineffectual

Antonyms: competent, capable, effective.

Murky

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

Ex. Many visitors have claimed to see a mysterious creature in the

murky waters of Loch Ness in Scotland.

Synonyms: dim, cloudy, unclear

Antonyms: clear, transparent, lucid, limpid

Nefarious

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

Ex. Brutus and Cassius hatched a nefarious plot to assassinate Julius

Caesar on the steps of the Roman Senate.

Synonyms: iniquitous, reprehensible

Antonyms: virtuous, honorable, praiseworthy, meritorious

Piquant

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

provocative

Ex. The chef was an expert in making those piquant dishes that are

characteristic of South Indian cooking.

Synonyms: tangy, zestful

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

Ex. The primordial stages for most civilizations are founded on common

needs met by common goals.

Synonyms: original, primeval, primal

Propinquity

(n.) nearness in place or time; kinship

Ex. The propinquity of the two cities has created a greater metropolitan

area that in effect is one city.

Synonyms: proximity, similarity

Antonyms: remoteness, distance

Unwonted

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

Ex. The listless student answered with unwonted spirit when the

subject of military tactics was raised.

Synonyms: unusual, uncommon, unexpected, atypical

Antonyms: usual, customary, typical

Utopian

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

impractical

Ex. A number of American religious groups like the Shakers have built

separate communities based on utopian schemes.

Synonym: 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

Ex. The contract was full of meaningless verbiage that seemed designed

to confuse the lay person.

Synonyms: verbosity, prolixity, diction, jargon

Verdant

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

Ex. The tourists on safari traveled over the verdant grasslands of Kenya

in search of native wildlife.

Synonyms: artless, naïve

Antonyms: scorched, sere, barren, arid

Viscous

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

fluidity

Ex. The varnish left a viscous residue on the wood that was hard to

remove.

Synonyms: gummy, sticky, thick

Antonyms: runny, watery, aqueous