APLang Finals Vocab

Decadence

decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence

Syn: degeneration, corruption

Ant: rise, growth, maturation

Approbation

the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval

SYNONYMS sanction

ANTONYMS disapproval, condemnation, censure

Assuage

to make easier or milder, relieve, quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench

SYNONYMS mitigate, slake, allay

ANTONYMS intensify, aggravate, exacerbate

Coalition

a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose

SYNONYMS alliance, league, federation, combine

ANTONYMS splinter group

Elicit

to draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person)

SYNONYMS evoke, extract, educe

ANTONYMS repress, quash, squelch, stifle

Hackneyed

used so often as to lack freshness or originality

SYNONYMS banal, trite, commonplace, corny

ANTONYMS new, fresh, novel, original

Hiatus

a gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing)

SYNONYMS pause, lacuna

ANTONYMS continuity, continuation

Innuendo

a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense)

SYNONYMS insinuation, intimation

ANTONYMS direct statement

Intercede

to plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement

SYNONYMS intervene, mediate

Ameliorate

to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming

SYNONYMS amend, better

ANTONYMS worsen, aggravate, exacerbate

Exhort

to urge strongly, advise earnestly

SYNONYMS entreat, implore, adjure

ANTONYMS discourage, advise against, deprecate

Ex officio

by virtue of holding a certain office

Infringe

to violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds

SYNONYMS encroach, impinge, intrude

ANTONYMS stay in bounds, comply

Abominate

to have an intense dislike or hatred for

SYNONYMS loathe, abhor, despise, detest

ANTONYMS relish, savor, esteem

Adventitious

resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause or character; accidental, not essential

SYNONYMS extrinsic, incidental, fortuitous

ANTONYMS essential, intrinsic, inherent, congenital

Ascribe

to assign or refer to (as a cause or source), attribute

SYNONYMS impute, credit

Circuitous

roundabout, not direct

SYNONYMS indirect, meandering, winding

ANTONYMS straight, direct, as the crow flies

Commiserate

to sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress

SYNONYMS feel sorry for, empathize

ANTONYMS feel no sympathy for

Enjoin

to direct or order, to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way; to prohibit

SYNONYMS bid, charge, adjure

ANTONYMS allow, permit

Expedite

to make easy, cause to progress faster

SYNONYMS accelerate, facilitate, speed up

ANTONYMS hinder, hamper, impede, obstruct

Expiate

to make amends, make up for; to avert

SYNONYMS redeem, make amends for, make reparation

Ferment

a state of great excitement, agitation, or turbulence

SYNONYMS commotion, turmoil, unrest

ANTONYMS peace and quiet, tranquility, placidity

Affable

courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to

SYNONYMS genial, amicable, cordial

ANTONYMS surly, cantankerous, dour, inhospitable

Aggrandize

to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify, to make appear greater

SYNONYMS augment, amplify, enhance, exalt

ANTONYMS reduce, decrease, diminish

Amorphous

shapeless, without definite form, of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion

SYNONYMS formless, unstructured, inchoate

ANTONYMS definite, well-defined, clear-cut

Aura

that which surrounds (as an atmosphere); a distinctive air or personal quality

SYNONYMS ambience, atmosphere

Contraband

illegal traffic, smuggled goods

Erudite

scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic

SYNONYMS profoundly educated, well-read

Gossamer

thin, light, delicate, insubstantial

SYNONYMS filmy, diaphanous, sheer, airy, feathery, gauzy

ANTONYMS dense, solid, massive

Inscrutable

incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically

SYNONYMS impenetrable, incomprehensible, enigmatic

ANTONYMS comprehensible, intelligible, penetrable

Incular

relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience

SYNONYMS narrow-minded, parochial, provincial

ANTONYMS cosmopolitan, liberal

Amnesty

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

SYNONYMS reprieve

Autonomy

self-government, political control

SYNONYMS home rule

ANTONYMS dependence, subjection

Axiomatic

self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle

SYNONYMS taken for granted

ANTONYMS questionable, dubious

Blazon

to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously, to publish or proclaim widely

SYNONYMS broadcast, trumpet

ANTONYMS hide, conceal, bury

Caveat

a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior

SYNONYMS admonition, word to the wise

Extricate

to free from entanglements or difficulties; to remove with effort

SYNONYMS disentangle, extract

ANTONYMS enmesh, entangle

Filch

to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts

SYNONYMS pilfer, purloin, swipe

Flout

to mock, treat with contempt

SYNONYMS sneer at, snicker at, scorn

ANTONYMS obey, honor

Fractious

tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary, unpredictable

SYNONYMS refractory, recalcitrant, peevish

ANTONYMS docile, tractable, cooperative

Anomalous

abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual

SYNONYMS exceptional, unusual, aberrant

ANTONYMS normal, regular, customary, typical, ordinary

Bizarre

extremely strange, unusual, atypical

SYNONYMS grotesque, fantastic, outlandish

ANTONYMS normal, typical, ordinary, expected

Brusque

abrupt, blunt, with no formalities

SYNONYMS tactless, ungracious

ANTONYMS tactful, diplomatic

Cajole

to coax, persuade through flattery or artifice; to deceive with soothing thoughts or false promises

SYNONYMS wheedle, inveigle

ANTONYMS coerce, force

Castigate

to punish severely; to criticize severely

SYNONYMS chastise, censure

ANTONYMS honor, praise, laud

Contrive

to plan with ingenuity; to bring about through a plan

SYNONYMS think up, concoct, fabricate

Demagogue

a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

SYNONYMS rabble-rouser, firebrand

Disabuse

to free from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking

SYNONYMS undeceive, enlighten

ANTONYMS deceive, delude, pull wool over one’s eyes

Ennui

weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest, boredom

SYNONYMS languor, world-weariness, listlessness

ANTONYMS enthusiasm, liveliness, excitement, intensity

Cadaverous

pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse

SYNONYMS corpselike, wasted, haggard, emaciated, ghastly

ANTONYMS robust, portly, rosy, the picture of health

Concoct

to prepare by combining ingredients, make up (as a dish); to devise, invent, fabricate

SYNONYMS create, fashion, rustle up

Crass

coarse, unfeeling

SYNONYMS crude, tasteless, obtuse

ANTONYMS refined, elegant, tasteful, polished, brilliant

Debase

to lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade, adulterate, to cause to deteriorate

SYNONYMS cheapen, corrupt, demean, depreciate

ANTONYMS elevate, uplift, improve, enhance

Desecrate

to commit sacrilege upon, treat irreverently; to contaminate, pollute

SYNONYMS profane, defile, violate

ANTONYMS revere, venerate, consecrate

Grandiose

grand in an impressive or stately way; marked by pompous affectation or grandeur, absurdly exaggerated

SYNONYMS majestic, bombastic, highfalutin

ANTONYMS simple, modest, humble

Acrimonious

stinging, bitter in temper or tone

SYNONYMS biting, rancorous, hostile, peevish

ANTONYMS gentle, warm, mild, cordial

Bovine

resembling a cow or ox; sluggish, unresponsive

SYNONYMS stolid, dull, slow

ANTONYMS sharp, bright, keen, quick

Corpulent

having a large, bulky body

SYNONYMS obese, stout, portly

ANTONYMS spare, gaunt, emaciated

Disavow

to deny responsibility for or connection with

SYNONYMS disclaim, retract, abjure

ANTONYMS acknowledge, admit, grant, certify

Dispassionate

impartial; calm, free from emotion

SYNONYMS unbiased, disinterested, cool, detached

ANTONYMS committed, engaged, partial, biased

Dissension

disagreement, sharp difference of opinion

SYNONYMS strife, discord, contention

ANTONYMS agreement, accord, harmony

Dissipate

to cause to disappear, to scatter, dispel; to spend foolishly, squander, to be extravagant in pursuit of pleasure

SYNONYMS disperse, strew, diffuse, waste

ANTONYMS gather, collect, conserve, husband

Gauntlet

an armored or protective glove; a challenge; two lines of men armed with weapons with which to beat a person forced to run between them; an ordeal

SYNONYMS dare, provocation, trial, punishment