Sadlier-Oxford Level G Units 10-12

Peremptory

Peremptory

(adj.) having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial, or refusal; offensively self-assured, dictatorial; determined, resolute

SYN: unconditional

ANT: irresolute, mild, unassuming

Winnow

(v.) to get rid of something unwanted, delete; to sift through to obtain what is desirable; to remove the chaff from the wheat by blowing air on it; to blow on, fan

SYN: sift, strain, filter, sort

Omnipresent

(adj.) present in all places at all times

SYN: ubiquitous, ever-present

Askance

(adv.) with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval

SYN: distrustfully, suspiciously

Attenuate

(v.) to make thin or slender; to weaken or lessen in force, intensity, or value

SYN: thin out, dilute, water down

ANT: thicken, strengthen, bolster

Benign

(adj.) gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect; not malignant

SYN: benevolent, salubrious, harmless

ANT: malevolent, deleterious

Cavil

(v.) to find fault in a petty way, carp; (n.) a trivial objection or criticism

SYN: (v.) nitpick

Charlatan

(n.) one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, impostor, or quack

SYN: mountebank

Decimate

(v.) to kill or destroy a large part of

SYN: devastate

Foible

(n.) a weak point, failing, minor flaw

SYN: shortcoming, quirk

ANT: forte, virtue

Forgo

(v.) to do without, abstain from, give up

SYN: refrain from, renounce

ANT: indulge in, partake of

Fraught

(adj.) full of or loaded with; accompanied by

SYN: charged with

ANT: devoid of, lacking, deficient in

Inure

(v.) to toughen, harden; to render used to something by long subjection or exposure

SYN: accustom, acclimate

Luminous

(adj.) emitting or reflecting light, glowing; illuminating

SYN: bright, refulgent, lustrous

ANT: dark, opaque, dim, murky

Obsequious

(adj.) marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons

SYN: fawning, servile, sycophantic, mealymouthed

ANT: assertive, bumptious, candid, frank, independent

Obtuse

(adj.) blunt, not coming to a point; slow or dull in understanding; measuring between 90 and 180 degrees; not causing a sharp impression

SYN: dumb, thick, mild, dull-witted

ANT: perceptive, quick-witted

Oscillate

(v.) to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver

SYN: vibrate

Penitent

(adj.) regretful for one's sins or mistakes; (n.) one who is sorry for wrongdoing

SYN: (adj.) remorseful, regretful, rueful

ANT: (adj.) remorseless

Rebuff

(v.) to snub; to repel, drive away; (n.) a curt rejection, a check

SYN: (v.) repulse, reject; (n.) setback

ANT: (v.) accept, welcome

Reconnoiter

(v.) to engage in reconnaissance; to make a preliminary inspection

SYN: scout

Shambles

(n.) a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of complete disorder and confusion, mess

Sporadic

(adj.) occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order

SYN: intermittent, spasmodic

ANT: steady, continuous, uninterrupted

Abrogate

(v.) to repeal, cancel, declare null and void

SYN: annul, revoke

ANT: renew, ratify

Ambient

(adj.) completely surrounding, encompassing

Asperity

(n.) roughness, severity; bitterness or tartness

SYN: rigor, harshness

ANT: mildness, blandness, softness, lenience

Burnish

(v.) to make smooth or glossy by rubbing, polish; (n.) gloss, brightness, luster

SYN: (v.) shine, buff

ANT: (v.) dull, abrade

Cabal

(n.) a small group working in secret

SYN: ring, gang, plot, conspiracy

Delectable

(adj.) delightful, highly enjoyable; deliciously flavored, savory; (n.) an appealing or appetizing food or dish

SYN: (adj.) scrumptious

ANT: (adj.) repugnant, repulsive, distasteful

Deprecate

(v.) to express mild disapproval; to belittle

SYN: deplore, frown upon

ANT: smile on, approve

Detritus

(n.) loose bits and pieces of material resulting from disintegration or wearing away; fragments that result from any destruction

SYN: wreckage, ruins, rubble

Ebullient

(adj.) overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement; boiling, bubbling

SYN: exhilarated, elated

ANT: gloomy, morose, sullen, apathetic, blase

Eclectic

(adj.) drawn from different sources; (n.) one whose beliefs are drawn from various sources

SYN: (adj.) selective, synthetic, pick-and-choose

ANT: (adj.) uniform, monolithic

Flaccid

(adj.) limp, not firm; lacking vigor or effectiveness

SYN: soft, flabby

ANT: hard, solid

Impecunious

(adj.) having little or no money

SYN: impoverished, indigent

ANT: affluent, wealthy, prosperous, rich

Inexorable

(adj.) inflexible, beyond influence; relentless, unyielding

SYN: ineluctable, obdurate

ANT: avoidable, yielding, pliant

Moribund

(adj.) dying, on the way out

SYN: obsolescent

ANT: thriving

Necromancer

(n.) one who claims to reveal or influence the future through magic, especially communication with the dead; in general, a magician or wizard

SYN: sorcerer, conjurer

Onerous

(adj.) burdensome; involving hardship or difficulty

SYN: weighty
ANT: light, easy, undemanding, untaxing

Rife

(adj.) common, prevalent, widespread, happening often; full, abounding; plentiful, abundant, replete

ANT: devoid of, lacking

Rudiments

(n. pl.) the parts of any subject or discipline that are learned first; the earliest stages of anything

SYN: basics, fundamentals

Sequester

(v.) to set apart, separate for a special purpose; to take possession of and hold in custody

SYN: segregate, isolate, closet

Aesthetic

(adj.) pertaining to beauty; sensitive or responsive to beauty

SYN: artistic

Defunct

(adj.) no longer in existence or functioning, dead

SYN: extinct, nonexistent

ANT: alive

Discomfit

(v.) to frustrate, thwart, or defeat; to confuse, perplex, or embarrass

SYN: nonplus, foil

Espouse

(v.) to take up and support; to become attached to, adopt; to marry

SYN: embrace, wed

ANT: repudiate, disavow, renounce

Fetish

(n.) an object believed to have magical powers; an object of unreasoning devotion or reverence

SYN: charm, obsession

Gregarious

(adj.) living together in a herd or group; sociable, seeking the company of others

SYN: outgoing, extroverted

ANT: aloof, introverted, reclusive

Hapless

(adj.) marked by a persistent absence of good luck

SYN: unlucky, ill-starred, unfortunate

ANT: lucky, charmed, fortunate

Impeccable

(adj.) faultless, beyond criticism or blame

SYN: flawless, spotless, immaculate

ANT: grimy, soiled, spotted

Importune

(v.) to trouble with demands; to beg for insistently

SYN: implore, dun, tax

Interpolate

(v.) to insert between other parts or things; to present as an addition or correction

SYN: interpose, introduce

Irreparable

(adj.) incapable of being repaired or rectified

SYN: irremediable

ANT: remediable, fixable, reversible

Laconic

(adj.) concise, using few words

SYN: succinct, pithy, compact

ANT: garrulous, prolix, loquacious

Languish

(v.) to become weak, feeble, or dull; to droop; to be depressed or dispirited; to suffer neglect

SYN: flag, fade, pine

Mendacious

(adj.) given to lying or deception; untrue

SYN: untruthful, false

ANT: veracious

Nadir

(n.) the lowest point

SYN: rock bottom

ANT: pinnacle, zenith

Perfunctory

(adj.) done in a superficial or halfhearted manner; without interest or enthusiasm

SYN: slapdash, shallow

ANT: thorough, assiduous, diligent, meticulous

Plaintive

(adj.) expressive of sorrow or woe, melancholy

SYN: sad, lugubrious

ANT: cheerful, blithe, joyous, merry

Requite

(v.) to make suitable repayment, as for a kindness, service, or favor; to make retaliation, as for an injury or wrong; to reciprocate

SYN: reimburse, avenge

Tantamount

(adj.) equivalent, having the same meaning, value, or effect

SYN: indistinguishable from