Fanning Unit 2 Vocabulary

accost

(v.) to approach and speak to (someone) in an often challenging or aggressive way

synonyms: confront, encounter, approach

antonyms: eschew, shun, elude

e.g. He was accosted by three gang members on the subway.

animadversion

(n.) a critical and usually censorious remark —often used with on

synonyms: rebuke, reproof

antonyms: praise, compliment

e.g. The inexperienced filmmaker was disheartened by the animadversion of the film critic.

avid

(adj.) characterized by enthusiasm and vigorous pursuit : very eager and enthusiastic

synonyms: keen, enthusiastic, grasping

antonyms: reluctant, indifferent, unenthusiastic

desirous to the point of greed : urgently eager

e.g. He is an avid admirer of horror movies.

brackish

(adj.) somewhat salty

not appealing to the taste; repulsive

synonym: saline

antonyms: clear, sweet

e.g. The office coffee is often some brackish brew that's been sitting around for a couple of hours

brackishness (n.)

celerity

(n.) rapidity of motion or action

synonyms: promptness, speed

antonyms: slowness, sluggishness, dilatoriness

e.g. a journalist who writes his well-crafted stories with remarkable celerity

devious

(adj.) deviating from a right, accepted, or common course

not straightforward; cunning

synonyms: roundabout, indirect, tricky, sly, artful

antonyms: direct, straightforward, open, aboveboard

e.g. a dishonest and devious politician

gambit

(n.) a chess opening in which a player risks one or more pawns or a minor piece to gain an advantage in position

synonyms: poly, use, maneuver

e.g. The gambit paid off in the fifth inning.

a remark intended to start a conversation or make a telling point; a calculated move

halcyon

(adj.) characterized by happiness, great success, and prosperity : golden —often used to describe an idyllic time in the past that is remembered as better than today

calm; peaceful

prosperous; affluent

synonyms: tranquil, placid, palmy

antonyms: turbulent, tumultous

e.g. a halcyon era following the American Civil War

(n.) : a bird identified with the kingfisher and held in ancient legend to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation

histrionic

(adj.) deliberately affected; overly dramatic or emotional; theatrical

synonyms: affected, stagy

antonyms: muted, untheatrical, subdued

e.g. a penchant for dish throwing, door slamming, and other histrionic displays of temper

of or relating to actors, acting, or the theater

incendiary

(adj.) igniting combustible materials spontaneously; of, relating to, or being a weapon (such as a bomb) designed to start fires

tending to excite or inflame; inflammatory

synonyms: inflammatory, provocative

antonyms: soothing, quieting

e.g. The fire was started by an incendiary bomb.

(n.) a person who excites factions, quarrels, or sedition; agitator

a person who commits arson; arsonist

a substance or weapon (such as a bomb) used to start fires

synonym: firebrand

antonym: peacemaker

e.g. firefighters caught the incendiary, who was watching the effects of his handiwork

maelstrom

(n.) a powerful often violent whirlpool sucking in objects within a given radius

something resembling a maelstrom in turbulence

synonym: chaos, turbulence, tumult

e.g. She was caught in a maelstrom of emotions.

myopic

(adj.) affected by myopia; of, relating to, or exhibiting myopia; nearsighted

lacking in foresight or discernment; narrow in perspective and without concern for broader implications

synonym: shortsighted

antonym: farsighted

e.g. he became so myopic that he finally broke down and got contact lenses

e.g. the myopic city designers who did not plan for growth

overt

(adj.) open to view; manifest

e.g. clear, obvious, manifest, patent

antonym: clandestine, covert, concealed

e.g. Wong added that luxury can be less about overt branding and more about materials, craftsmanship, and how a product feels and wears over time.

pejorative

(adj.) having negative connotations

antonym: complimentary, ameliorative

e.g. the reviewer used the pejorative word “versifier” to refer to the writer, whose poems had struck a responsive chord with the general public

propriety

(n.) the quality or state of being proper or suitable; appropriateness

conformity to what is socially acceptable in conduct or speech

synonym: fitness, correctness

antonym: unseemliness, inappropriateness

e.g. In contemporary America the appearance of prosperity is all too often taken as a sign of propriety.

(pl.) proprieties: standards of what is proper

sacrilege

(n.) a technical and not necessarily intrinsically outrageous violation (such as improper reception of a sacrament) of what is sacred because consecrated to God

synonym: desecration, profanation, defilement

gross irreverence toward a hallowed person, place, or thing

e.g. They accused him of committing a sacrilege.

summarily

(adv.) in a summary manner or form

without delay or formality; briefly, concisely

synonym: promptly, peremptorily

e.g. As soon as there was evidence of criminal wrongdoing, the official was summarily ousted from his post.

suppliant

(adj.) humbly imploring; entreating

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

e.g. He made a suppliant address to the parole board.

talisman

(n.) an object held to act as a charm to avert evil and bring good fortune

e.g. a pendant of white nephrite jade is often worn by Indians as a talisman to ward off heart disease

undulate

(adj.) having a wavy surface, edge, or markings

e.g. the undulate margin of a leaf

(v.) to form or move in waves; fluctuate

synonyms: fluctuate, rise and fall