Level H - Unit 1

adjunct

(noun)

something added to something else as helpful or useful but not essential; an assistant or helper; a valuable quality or characteristic;

(-SYN: associate, addition, accessory)

(adjective)

added or connected in a subordinate capacity; attached to a faculty or staff in an auxiliary capacity;

bellwether

(noun)

the male sheep that leads the flock to the slaughterhouse; a leader, as in a desperate or violent undertaking; an indicator of trends;

(SYN ringleader, initiator, barometer)

(ANT follower, imitator, emulator)

caterwaul

(verb)

to howl or screech like a cat; to quarrel;

(-SYN whine)

(noun)

a harsh or noisy cry; a racket

(-SYN wail, screech)

chimerical

(adjective)

absurd; wildly fantastic; impossible

(SYN fanciful, visionary, quixotic, pie-in-the-sky)

(ANT realistic, down-to-earth, practical)

effete

(adjective)

lacking in wholesome vigor or energy; worn-out or exhausted; sterile or unable to produce; out-of-date

(SYN decadent, enfeebled, outmoded)

(ANT thriving, burgeoning, vigorous, dynamic)

fait accompli

(noun)

an accomplished and presumably irreversible deed, fact, or action

hidebound

(adjective)

narrow-minded and rigid, especially in opinions or prejudices; stubbornly and unthinkingly conservative

(SYN intolerant, inflexible)

(ANT open-minded, tolerant, liberal, progressive)

hierarchy

(noun)

any system of things or people arranged or graded one above another in order of rank, wealth, class, etc.

(SYN chain of command, pecking order)

liturgy

(noun)

a religious service or rite; the form of a ritual or other act of public worship

(SYN: ceremony, observance)

mirage

(noun)

something illusory, without substance or without a basis in reality; an illusion

(SYN optical illusion)

morass

(noun)

a patch of low, soft, wet ground; a swamp; a confusing situation in which one is entrapped, as in quicksand

(SYN bog, quagmire)

(ANT solid ground, bedrock, terra firma)

noisome

(adjective)

offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious

(SYN fetid, noxious, vile, loathsome)

(ANT wholesome, pleasant, sweet-smelling)

oblivious

(adjective)

forgetful; unaware

(SYN insensible)

(ANT aware, mindful, cognizant, alert)

poltroon

(noun)

a base coward

(SYN craven, dastard, "chicken")

(ANT hero, stalwart, gallant)

proselyte

(noun)

a convert; a disciple

(SYN novice, neophyte)

(ANT master, teacher, guide, guru)

quasi

(adjective)

resembling but not actually being; seemingly but not actually or completely

(SYN kind of, semi-)

(ANT totally, completely, actually, in fact)

raillery

(noun)

good-humored ridicule; teasing

(SYN banter, persiflage)

ribald

(adjective)

irreverently mocking; coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language

(SYN bawdy, risque)

(ANT seemly, proper, decorous)

supine

(adjective)

lying flat on one's back; listless or lethargic; apathetic or passive

(SYN prone, prostrate; inert)

(ANT upright, erect, perpendicular, vertical)

vignette

(noun)

a short description or sketch; a picture or illustration with edges that gradually shade off; a decorative design on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter

(SYN thumbnail sketch, anecdote)

(ANT epic, full-length treatment)