English IV Vocabulary 7

abeyance

a state of being temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside

ambivalent

having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something \n \n SYNONYMS: equivocal, ambiguous, of two minds \n ANTONYMS: unequivocal, unambiguous, clear-cut

beleaguer

to set upon from all sides; to surround with an army; to trouble, harass \n \n SYNONYMS: besiege, encircle, pester

carte blanche

full freedom or authority to act at one's own discretion \n \n SYNONYMS: blank check, free rein

cataclysm

a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge \n \n SYNONYMS disaster, catastrophe

debauch

(v.) to corrupt morally, seduce; to indulge in dissipation; (n.) an act or occasion of dissipation or vice \n \n SYNONYMS: carouse, (n.) spree, orgy \n ANTONYMS:(v) elevate, uplift, inspire, purity

éclat

(n.) dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance (of performance or achievement) \n \n SYNONYM celebrity \n ANTONYMS dullness insipidity, mediocrity

fastidious

overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted \n \n SYNONYMS: precise, meticulous, exacting, finicky \n ANTONYMS careless, sloppy, messy, untidy, slovenly

gambol

to jump or skip about playfully \n \n SYNONYMS: frolic, romp, cavort, caper \n ANTONYMS: lumber, trudge, plod

imbue

to soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind \n \n SYNONYMS: infuse, instill inculcate \n ANTONYMS: remove, expunge, eradicate, erase

inchoate

just beginning; not fully shaped or formed \n \n SYNONYMS: Incipient, embryonic rudimentary \n ANTONYMS: mature, developed, complete

lampoon

(n.) a malicious satire; (v.) to satirize, ridicule \n \n SYNONYMS: (n) burlesque, (v) parody \n ANTONYMS: (n) compliment, flattery homage

malleable

(adj.) capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced \n \n SYNONYMS pliable, impressionable, adaptable \n ANTONYMS: rigid, inflexible, unyielding, intractable

nemesis

(n.) an agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival \n \n SYNONYMS: comeuppance, avenger \n ANTONYMS: guardian angel, aily, patron

opt

to make a choice or decision \n \n SYNONYMS choose, select, decide

philistine

(adj.) lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements; (n.) such a person \n \n SYNONYMS: (adj) boorish, lowbrow: (n) yahoo \n ANTONYMS: (a) refined, cultivated, (n.) esthete, highbrow

picaresque

(adj.) involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers \n \n SYNONYMS: roguish, rascally, rakish

queasy

(adj.) nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness; troubled \n \n SYNONYM: unsettled \n ANTONYMS: calm, untroubled, confident

refactory

(adj.) stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure \n \n SYNONYMS: unruly, disobedient, willful, mulish \n ANTONYMS: docile, tractable, dutiful, obedient

Savior-Faire

the ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence \n \n SYNONYMS: tact, finesse, suavity, sophistication \n ANTONYMS: tactlessness, gaucherie, boorishness