Sadlier Level F - Unit 5

amnesty

(n.) a general pardon for an offense against a government; in general, any act of forgiveness or absolution

SYNONYM: reprieve

autonomy

(n.) self-government, political control

SYNONYM: home rule

ANTONYMS: dependence, subjection

axiomatic

(adj.) self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle

SYNONYM: taken for granted

ANTONYMS: questionable, dubious

blazon

(v.) to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely

SYNONYMS: broadcast, trumpet

ANTONYMS: hide, conceal, bury

caveat

(n.) a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior

SYNONYMS: admonition, word to the wise

equitable

(adj.) fair, just, embodying principles of justice

SYNONYMS: right, reasonable, evenhanded

ANTONYMS: unjust, unfair, one-sided, disproportionate

extricate

(v.) to free from entanglements or difficulties; to remove with effort

SYNONYMS: disentangle, extract

ANTONYMS: enmesh, entangle

filch

(v.) to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts

SYNONYMS: pilfer, purloin, swipe

flout

(v.) to mock, treat with contempt

SYNONYMS: sneer at, snicker at, scorn

ANTONYMS: obey, honor

fractious

(adj.) tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable

SYNONYMS: refractory, recalcitrant peevish

ANTONYMS: docile, tractable, cooperative

precept

(n.) a rule of conduct or action

SYNONYMS: principle, maxim

salutary

(adj.) beneficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome

SYNONYMS: salubrious, curative

ANTONYMS: detrimental, deleterious

scathing

(adj.) bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm

SYNONYMS: searing, harsh, savage

ANTONYMS: bland, mild

scourge

(v.) to whip, punish severely; (n.) a cause of affliction or suffering; a source or severe punishment or criticism

SYNONYMS: (v.) flog, beat; (n.) bane, plague, pestilence

ANTONYMS: (n.) godsend, boon, blessing

sepulchral

(adj.) funereal, typical of the tomb; extremely gloomy or dismal

SYNONYMS: lugubrious, mortuary

soporific

(adj.) tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy; (n.) something that induces sleep

SYNONYMS: (n.) narcotic, anesthetic

ANTONYMS: (adj.) stimulating; (n.) stimulant, stimulus

straitlaced

(adj.) extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish, puritanical

SYNONYMS: highly conventional, overly strict, stuffy

ANTONYMS: lax, loose, indulgent, permissive, dissolute

transient

(adj.) lasting only a short time, fleeting; (n.) one who stays only a short time

SYNONYMS: (adj.) impermanent, ephemeral, evanescent

ANTONYMS: (adj.) permanent, imperishable, immortal

unwieldy

(adj.) not easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity

SYNONYMS: bulky, clumsy, impractical

ANTONYMS: manageable, easy to handle

vapid

(adj.) dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force

SYNONYMS: lifeless, colorless

ANTONYMS: zesty, spicy, colorful