Unit 7 Vocabulary

acme

(n.) the highest point

syn: summit, top, peak, pinnacle

ant: low point, bottom, nadir

attribute

(n.) a quality or characteristic belonging to or associated with someone or something; (v.) to assign to, credit with; to regard as caused by or resulting from

syn: (n.) trait; (v.) ascribe

belittle

(v.) to make something appear smaller than it is; to refer to in a way that suggests lack of importance or value

syn: minimize, underrate, disparage

ant: exaggerate, magnify, overestimate

convey

(v.) to transport; to transmit; to communicate, make known; to transfer ownership or title to

syn: carry, send, impart

doctrine

(n.) a belief, principle, or teaching; a system or such beliefs or principles; a formulation of such beliefs or principles

excise

(v.) to remove by cutting; (n.) an indirect tax on the manufacture, sale, or distribution of a commodity or service

(v.) cut out, expunge

(v.) put in, interpolate

exotic

(adj.) foreign; charmingly unfamiliar or strikingly unusual

syn: strange, alien, picturesque, colorful

ant: native, indigenous, familiar, commonplace

haggard

(adj.) thin, pale, and careworn as a result of worry or suffering; wild-looking

jaunty

(adj.) lively, easy, and carefree in manner; smart or trim in appearance

juncture

(n.) a joining together; the point at which two things are joined; any important point in time

syn: union, seam, joint, turning point

menial

(adj.) lowly, humble, lacking importance or dignity; (n.) a person who does the humble and unpleasant tasks

syn: (n.) underling, scullion, servant

ant: (adj.) lofty, elevated; (n.) boss, master

parry

(v.) to ward off, fend off, evade, avoid; (n.) a defensive movement in fencing and other sports

predatory

(adj.) preying on, plundering, or piratical

syn: looting, pillaging, ravenous, rapacious

ravage

(v.) to destroy, lay waste, ruin; (n.) ruinous damage, destruction

syn: (v.) wreck, devastate

ant: (v.) spare

stance

(n.) a way of holding the body; an attitude or position on an issue

syn: posture, bearing

tawdry

(adj.) showy and flashy but lacking in good taste

syn: loud, gaudy, tacky, vulgar

ant: refined, tasteful, subdued, muted

turncoat

(n.) a person who switches to an opposing side or party

syn: quisling, deserter, renegade

ant: loyalist, diehard

unassuming

(adj.) not putting on airs, unpretentious; modest

ant: conceited, pretentious, self-important

wallow

(v.) to roll about in a lazy; clumsy, or helpless way; to overindulge in; to have in abundance; (n.) a wet, muddy, or dusty area used by animals as a sort of bath; a state of moral or physical collapse

syn: (v.) delight in, bask in

waver

(v.) to move to and fro, become unsteady; to show lack of firmness or decision

syn: hesitate

ant: stand firm, be resolute