Vocabulary Workshop Level H Unit 7

Abeyance

(n.) A state of being temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside SYN: postponement; suspension

Ambivalent

(adj.) Having opposite & conflicting feelings about someone or something SYN: ambiguous, of two minds ... ANT: unequivocal, unambiguous, clear-cut

Beleaguer

(v.) To set upon from all sides; surround with an army; to trouble, harass SYN: besiege, encircle, pester

Savoir-Faire

(n.) The ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social capability SYN: tact, finesse, suavity, sophistication ANT: tactlessness, gaucherie, boorishness

Carte Blanche

(n.) Full authority to act at one's own discretion SYN: blank check

Cataclysm

(n.) A sudden violent upheaval; a surging flood SYN: disaster, catastrophe

Refractory

(adj.) Stubborn; difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure SYN: unruly, disobedient, willful, mulish ANT: docile, tractable, obedient

Queasy

(adj.) Nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea; troubled SYN: unsettled ANT: calm, untroubled, confident

Debauch

(v.) To corrupt morally, to seduce; (n.) an act of dissipation SYN: (n)orgy, (v)carouse ANT: (v)uplift, elevate, purify

Picaresque

(adj.) Involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers SYN: roguish, rascally, rakish

Éclat

(n.) Dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance SYN: celebrity ANT: dullness, insipidity, mediocrity

Philistine

(adj.) Lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values; (n.) such a person SYN: (adj) boorish, lowbrow (n) pedant ANT: (adj) refined, cultivated (n) highbrow

Fastidious

(adj.) Overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted SYN: precise, exacting, finicky ANT: messy, careless, sloppy, untidy, slovenly

Opt

(v.) To make a choice or decision SYN: choose, select, decide

Gambol

(v.) To jump or skip about playfully SYN: frolic, romp,, cavort, caper ANT: lumber, plod

Nemesis

(n.) An agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; an unbeatable rival SYN: comeuppance, avenger ANT: ally, patron, guardian angel

Imbue

(v.) To soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind SYN: infuse, inculcate ANT: remove, expunge, eradicate, erase

Malleable

(adj.) Capable of being formed into different shape; able to be altered or adapted SYN: pliable, impressionable, adaptable ANT: rigid, inflexible, unyielding, intractable

Inchoate

(adj.) Just beginning; not fully shaped or formed SYN: incipient, embryonic ANT: mature, developed, complete

Lampoon

(n.) A malicious satire; (v.) to satirize or ridicule SYN: (n)burlesque, (v)parody ANT: (n)compliment, flattery