Unit 12

abdicate

v. to resign, formally give up an office or a duty; to disown, discard

syn: relinquish, renounce

ant: retain

bestow

v. to give as a gift; to provide with lodgings

syn: confer, lodge, put up

ant: receive, take, take back, take away

capacious

adj. able to hold much, roomy

syn: spacious, commodious

ant: cramped, confined, restricted, narrow

caustic

adj. able to burn or eat away by chemical action; biting, sarcastic

syn: burning, corrosive, sharp

ant: bland, mild, sugary, saccharine

crusade

n. a strong movement to advance a cause or idea

v. to campaign, work vigorously

syn: n. campaign, organized movement

ant: halt, stoppage

deface

v. to injure or destroy the surface or appearance of; to damage the value, influence, or effect of; to face down, outshine

syn: mar, disfigure

ant: repair, restore, renovate, recondition

embargo

n. an order forbidding the trade in or movement of commercial goods; any restraint or hindrance

v. to forbid to enter or leave port; to forbid trade with

syn: n. stoppage, boycott

ant: aid, help

fallacy

n. a false notion or belief; an error in thinking

syn: misconception

ant: sound reasoning, logic

levity

n. a lack of seriousness or earnestness, especially about things that should be treated with respect; buoyancy, lightness, in weight

syn; giddiness, flippancy, frivolity, fickleness

ant: humorlessness, solemnity

mendicant

n. beggar

adj. depending on begging for a living

syn: panhandler

ant: millionaire, philanthropist

nauseate

v. to make sick to the stomach; to fill with disgust

syn: sicken, disgust

ant: delight, tickle pink

negate

v. to nullify, deny, bring on nothing

syn: invalidate, annul

ant: aver, corroborate, buttress

pivotal

adj. vitally important, essential

syn: crucial, critical, decisive, seminal

ant: unimportant, insignificant

recipient

n. one who receives

adj. receiving; able or willing to receive

syn: receiver, beneficiary

ant: donor, benefactor, contributor