Vocab unit 7 - midterm

acme

the highest point

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syn: summit, top, peak, pinnacle

attribute

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

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syn: trait; ascribe

belittle

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

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syn: minimize, underrate, disparage

convey

to transport; to transmit, to communicate

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syn; carry, send, impart

doctrine

a belief, principle, or teaching; a system of such beliefs or principle; a formulation of such beliefs or principles

excise

to remove by cutting; an indirect tax on the manufacture, sale, or distribution of a commodity or service

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syn: cut out, expunge

exotic

foreign; charmingly unfamiliar striking unusual

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syn: strange, alien, picturesque, colorful

haggard

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

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syn: drawn, gaunt, wasted

jaunty

lively, easy, and carefree in manner; smart or trim in appearance

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syn: unconcerned, lighthearted

juncture

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

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syn: union, seam, joint, turning point

menial

lowly, humble, lacking importance or dignity; a person who does the humble and unpleasant tasks

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syn: underling, scullion, servant

parry

to ward off, fend off, evade, avoid; a defensive movement in fencing and other sports

predatory

preying on, plundering, or piratical

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syn: looting, pillaging, ravenous, rapacious

ravage

to destroy, lay, waste, ruin; ruinous damage, destruction

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syn: wreck, devastate

stance

a way of holding the body; an attitude or position on an issue

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syn: posture, bearing

tawdry

showy and flashy but lacking in good taste

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syn: loud, gaudy, tacky, vulgar

turncoat

a person who switches to an opposing side or party

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syn: guisling, deserter, renegade

unassuming

not putting on airs, unpretentious; modest

wallow

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

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syn: delight in, bask in

waver

to move to and from, become unsteady; to show lack of firmness or decision

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syn: hesitate