Sadlier Level H Unit 7

abeyance

(noun): a state of being temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside
SYN: postponement, suspension

ambivalent

(adjective): having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something

SYN: ambiguous, of two minds
ANT: unequivocal, unambiguous, clear-cut

beleaguer

(verb): to set upon from all sides; to surround with an army; to trouble, harass

SYN: besiege, encircle, pester

carte blanche

(noun): full freedom or authority to act at one's own discretion

SYN: blank check

cataclysm

(noun): a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge

SYN: disaster, catastrophe

debauch

(verb): to corrupt morally, seduce; to indulge in dissipation; (noun): an act or occasion of dissipation or vice

SYN: (v.) carouse, (n.) orgy
ANT: (v.) elevate, uplift, purify

éclat

(noun): dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance (of performance or achievement)

SYN: celebrity
ANT: dullness, insipidity, mediocrity

fastidious

(adjective): overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted

SYN: precise, exacting, finicky
ANT: careless, sloppy, messy, untidy, slovenly

gambol

(verb): to jump or skip about playfully

SYN: frolic, romp, cavort, caper
ANT: lumber, plod

imbue

(verb): to soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind

SYN: infuse, inculcate
ANT: remove, expunge, eradicate, erase

inchoate

(adjective): just beginning; not fully shaped or formed

SYN: incipient, embryonic
ANT: mature, developed, complete

lampoon

(noun): a malicious satire; (verb): to satirize, ridicule

SYN: (n.) burlesque; (v.) parody
ANT: (n.) compliment, flattery

malleable

(adjective): capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced

SYN: pliable, impressionable, adaptable
ANT: rigid, inflexible, unyielding, intractable

nemesis

(noun): an agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival

SYN: comeuppance, avenger
ANT: guardian angel, ally, patron

opt

(verb): to make a choice or decision

SYN: choose, select, decide

philistine

(adjective): lacking in , hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements; (noun): such a person

SYN: (adj.) boorish, lowbrow; (n.) pedant
ANT: (adj.) refined, cultivated; (n.) highbrow

picaresque

(adjective): involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventures

SYN: roguish, rascally, rakish

queasy

(adjective): nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness; troubled

SYN: unsettled
ANT: calm, untroubled, confident

refractory

(adjective): stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure

SYN: unruly, disobedient, willful, mulish
ANT: docile, tractable, obedient

savoir-faire

(noun): the ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence

SYN: tact, finesse, suavity, sophistication
ANT: tactlessness, gaucherie, boorishness