Sadlier Level E Unit 2

adroit

skillful, expert in the use of the hands or minds

Syn: clever, deft, slick, dextrous

Ant: clumsy, inept, all thumbs

amicable

peaceable, friendly

Pic: "Casper the amicable ghost..."

Syn: congenial, neighborly, cordial

Ant: hostile, antagonistic

averse

having a deep-seated distaste; opposed, unwilling

Syn: disinclined, loath

Ant: favorably disposed, eager, keen

belligerent

given to fighting, warlike; combative, aggressive

one at war, one engaged in war

Syn: assertive, truculent, pugnacious

Ant: peaceful, conciliatory, placid

benevolent

kindly, charitable

Syn: benign, well-meaning

Ant: malicious, spiteful

cursory

hasty, not thorough

Syn: quick, superficial, perfunctory

Ant: thorough, painstaking, careful

duplicity

treachery, deceitfulness

Syn: double-dealing, chicanery

extol

to praise extravagantly

Syn: glorify, applaud, acclaim, hail

Ant: criticize, belittle, disparage

feasible

possible, able to be done

Syn: workable, viable

Ant: unworkable, impractical

grimace

a wry face, facial distortion

to make a wry face

Syn: pained expression, facial contortion

Ant: grin, beam

holocaust

a large-scale destruction especially by fire; a vast slaughter; a burnt offering

Syn: conflagration, devastation, annihilation

Ant: deluge

impervious

not affected or hurt by; admitting of no passage or entrance

Syn: impenetrable, resistant, proof against

Ant: porous, permeable, vulnerable

impetus

a moving force, impulse, stimulus

Syn: impulse, spur

Ant: curb, hindrance, impediment, constraint

jeopardy

danger

Syn: risk, hazard, peril

Ant: safety, security

meticulous

extremely careful; particular about details

Syn: fastidious, fussy

Ant: careless, negligent, sloppy

nostalgia

a longing for something past; homesick

quintessence

the purest essence or form of something; the most typical example

Syn: paragon, exemplar

retrogress

to move backward; to return to an earlier condition

Syn: revert, degenerate, decline

Ant: advance, evolve, progress

scrutinize

to examine closely

Syn: inspect, pore over

Ant: scan, glance at

tepid

lukewarm; unenthusiastic, marked by an absence of interest

Syn: insipid, halfhearted

Ant: heated, enthusiastic