Vocab Workshop Unit 1 (11th grade)

Acquisitive

(adj.) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property

Synonym: greedy, avaricious, retentive

Antonym: altruistic

arrogate

(v) to claim or take without right

Synonym: expropriate, commandeer, steel

Antonym: renounce, abdicate, abandon

banal

(adj) hackneyed, trite, commonplace

Synonym: stale, insipid, boring, dull

Antonym: fresh, original, new

belabor

(v) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

Synonym: overwork, to do too much (to beat a dead horse)

carping

(adj.) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n.) petty, nagging criticism

Synonym: nit picky

antonym: approving

coherent

(adj.) holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful

Synonym: connected, unified, consistent, cohesive

Antonym: muddled, chaotic, disjointed

congeal

(v.) to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid

Synonym: harden , jell, solidify

Antonym: liquefy

emulate

(v.) to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model

Synonym: copy, mimic, rival, match, measure up to

Antonym: n/a

encomium

(n) a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute

Synonym: panegyric, eulogy

Antonym: condemnation, castigation, criticism

eschew

(v) to avoid, shun, keep away from

Synonym: abstain from, avoid, steer clear of, forgo

Antonym: embrace, adopt

germane

(adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

Synonym: pertinent

Antonym: irrelevant, extraneous, inappropriate

insatiable

(adj.) so great or demanding as not to be satisfied

Synonym: ravenous, unquenchable

Antonym: n/a

intransigent

(adj.) refusing to compromise, irreconcilable

Synonym: uncompromising, unyielding, obdurate, stubborn

Antonym: lukewarm, halfhearted, yielding

invidious

(adj.) offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment

Synonym: malicious, spiteful, prejudicial, pejorative

Antonym: flattering, ameliorative

largesse

(n.) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions

Synonym: liberality, bounty, donations

Antonym:stinginess , miserliness, niggardliness

reconnaissance

(n.) a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination

Synonym: exploration, examination for something

Antonym: n/a

substantiate

(v.) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to

Synonym: confirm, validate, authenticate

Antonym:refute, disprove, invalidate

taciturn

(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little

Synonym: tight-lipped, uncommunicative, laconic, unwilling to speak

Antonym:garrulous, loquacious, prolix, verbose

temporize

(v.) to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise

Synonym: dillydally, procrastinate

Antonym: productive

tenable

(adj.) capable of being held or defended (and supported)

Synonym: defensible, justifiable, maintainable

Antonym: indefensible, unjustifiable