vocab 8

allege

(v.) to assert without proof or confirmation

(SYN: claim, contend)

(ANT: prove,deny)

arrant

(adj.) thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant

(SYN: egregious, unmitigated)

badinage

(n.) light and playful conversation

(SYN: banter, persiflage, repartee)

(ANT: sermon)

conciliate

(v.) to overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease, pacify; to reconcile, make consistent

syn: placate, mollify, propitiate

ant: antagonize, alienate, estrange

countermand

(v.) to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first

syn: recall, revoke

ant: reaffirm, reassert

echelon

(n.) one of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a steplike formation or arrangement

syn: level, rank

exacerbate

(v.) to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful

(SYN: aggravate, intensify, worsen)

(ANT: alleviate, mitigate, ameliorate)

fatuous

(adj.) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way

(SYN: silly, vapid, inane, doltish, vacuous)

(ANT: sensible, intelligent, perceptive, bright)

irrefutable

(adj.) impossible to disprove; beyond argument

(SYN: indisputable, incontrovertible, undeniable)

(ANT: disputable, indefensible, untenable)

Juggernaut

(n.) a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path

lackadaisical

(adj.) lacking spirit or interest, halfhearted

(syn.) listless, indolent, indifferent, lax

(ant.) energetic, vigorous, wholehearted

litany

(n.) a prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternating with responses from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list

syn: rigmarole, catalog, megillah

macabre

(adj.) grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject

syn: grotesque, grim, ghoulish

paucity

(n.) an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth

(syn.) lack

(ant.) abundance, glut, plenitude, deluge

portend

(v.) to indicate beforehand that something is about to happen; to give advance warning of

syn: bode, foretell, foreshadow, suggest

raze

(v.) to tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out

syn: pull down, demolish, shave off

ant: build, construct, raise, erect

recant

(v.) to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract

syn: repudiate, disavow

ant: reaffirm, reassert

saturate

(v.) to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity; to satisfy fully

(SYN: permeate, drench, flood, imbue)

(ANT: drain)

saturnine

(adj.) of a gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood

syn: sullen, morose

ant: lighthearted, cheerful, vivacious

slough

(v.) to cast off, discard; to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud; (n.) a mire; a state of depression

syn: shed, slog

ant: take on, acquire, assume