units 10-12 mastery test

Askance

Askance

(adv.) with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval SYN: distrustfully, suspiciously

Attenuate

(v.) to make thin or slender; to weaken or lessen in force, intensity, or value SYN: thin out, dilute, water down ANT: thicken, strengthen, bolster

Benign

(adj.) gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect; not malignant SYN: benevolent, salubrious, harmless ANT: malevolent, deleterious

Cavil

(v.) to find fault in a petty way, carp; (n.) a trivial objection or criticism SYN: (v.) nitpick

Charlatan

(n.) one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, impostor, or quack SYN: mounteback

Decimate

(v.) to kill or destroy a large part of SYN: devastate

Foible

(n.) a weak point, failing, minor flaw SYN: shortcoming, quirk ANT: forte, virtue

Forgo

(v.) to do without, abstain from, give up SYN: refrain from, renounce ANT: indulge in, partake of

Fraught

(adj.) full of or loaded with; accompanied by SYN: charged with ANT: devoid of, lacking, deficient in

Inure

(v.) to toughen, harden; to render used to something by long subjection or exposure SYN: accustom, acclimate

Luminous

(adj.) emitting or reflecting light, glowing; illuminating SYN: bright, refulgent, lustrous ANT: dark, opaque, dim, murky

Obsequious

(adj.) marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons SYN: fawning, servile, sycophantic, mealymouthed ANT: assertive, bumptious, candid, frank, independent

Obtuse

(adj.) blunt, not coming to a point; slow or dull in understanding; measuring between 90 and 180 degrees; not causing a sharp impression SYN: dumb, thick, mild, dull-witted ANT: perceptive, quick-witted

Oscillate

(v.) to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver SYN: vibrate

Penitent

(adj.) regretful for one's sins or mistakes; (n.) one who is sorry for wrongdoing SYN: (adj.) remorseful, regretful, rueful ANT: (adj.) remorseless

Peremptory

(adj.) having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial, or refusal; offensively self-assured, dictatorial; determined, resolute SYN: unconditional ANT: irresolute, mild, unassuming

Rebuff

(v.) to snub; to repel, drive away; (n.) a curt rejection, a check SYN: (v.) repulse, reject; (n.) setback ANT: (v.) accept, welcome

Reconnoiter

(v.) to engage in reconnaissance; to make a preliminary inspection SYN: scout

Shambles

(n.) a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of complete disorder and confusion, mess

Sporadic

(adj.) occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order SYN: intermittent, spasmodic ANT: steady, continuous, uninterrupted

Abrogate

(v.) to repeal, cancel, declare null and void SYN: annul, revoke ANT: renew, ratify

Ambient

(adj.) completely surrounding, encompassing

Asperity

(n.) roughness, severity; bitterness or tartness SYN: rigor, harshness ANT: mildness, blandness, softness, lenience

Burnish

(v.) to make smooth or glossy by rubbing, polish; (n.) gloss, brightness, luster SYN: (v.) shine, buff ANT: (v.) dull, abrade

Cabal

(n.) a small group working in secret SYN: ring, gang, plot, conspiracy

Delectable

(adj.) delightful, highly enjoyable; deliciously flavored, savory; (n.) an appealing or appetizing food or dish SYN: (adj.) scrumptious ANT: (adj.) repugnant, repulsive, distasteful

Deprecate

(v.) to express mild disapproval; to belittle SYN: deplore, frown upon ANT: smile on, approve

Detritus

(n.) loose bits and pieces of material resulting from disintegration or wearing away; fragments that result from any destruction SYN: wreckage, ruins, rubble

Ebullient

(adj.) overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement; boiling, bubbling SYN: exhilarated, elated ANT: gloomy, morose, sullen, apathetic, blase

Eclectic

(adj.) drawn from different sources; (n.) one whose beliefs are drawn from various sources SYN: (adj.) selective, synthetic, pick-and-choose ANT: (adj.) uniform, monlithic

Flaccid

(adj.) limp, not firm; lacking vigor or effectiveness SYN: soft, flabby ANT: hard, solid

Impecunious

(adj.) having little or no money SYN: impoverished, indigent ANT: affluent, wealthy, prosperous, rich

Inexorable

(adj.) inflexible, beyond influence; relentless, unyielding SYN: ineluctable, obdurate ANT: avoidable, yielding, pliant

Moribund

(adj.) dying, on the way out SYN: obsolescent ANT: thriving

Necromancer

(n.) one who claims to reveal or influence the future through magic, especially communication with the dead; in general, a magician or wizard SYN: sorcerer, conjurer

Onerous

(adj.) burdensome; involving hardship or difficulty SYN: weighty ANT: light, easy, undemanding, untaxing

Rife

(adj.) common, prevalent, widespread, happening often; full, abounding; plentiful, abundant, replete ANT: devoid of, lacking

Rudiments

(n. pl.) the parts of any subject or discipline that are learned first; the earliest stages of anything SYN: basics, fundamentals

Sequester

(v.) to set apart, separate for a special purpose; to take possession of and hold in custody SYN: segregate, isolate, closet

Winnow

(v.) to get rid of something unwanted, delete; to sift through to obtain what is desirable; to remove the chaff from the wheat by blowing air on it; to blow on, fan SYN: sift, strain, filter, sort

Aesthetic

(adj.) pertaining to beauty; sensitive or responsive to beauty SYN: artistic

Defunct

(adj.) no longer in existence or functioning, dead SYN: extinct, nonexistent ANT: alive

Discomfit

(v.) to frustrate, thwart, or defeat; to confuse, perplex, or embarrass SYN: nonplus, foil

Espouse

(v.) to take up and support; to become attached to, adopt; to marry SYN: embrace, wed ANT: repudiate, disavow, renounce

Fetish

(n.) an object believed to have magical powers; an object of unreasoning devotion or reverence SYN: charm, obsession

Gregarious

(adj.) living together in a herd or group; sociable, seeking the company of others SYN: outgoing, extroverted ANT: aloof, introverted, reclusive

Hapless

(adj.) marked by a persistent absence of good luck SYN: unlucky, ill-starred, unfortunate ANT: lucky, charmed, fortunate

Impeccable

(adj.) faultless, beyond criticism or blame SYN: flawless, spotless, immaculate ANT: grimy, soiled, spotted

Importune

(v.) to trouble with demands; to beg for insistently SYN: implore, dun, tax

Interpolate

(v.) to insert between other parts or things; to present as an addition or correction SYN: interpose, introduce

Irreparable

(adj.) incapable of being repaired or rectified SYN: irremediable ANT: remediable, fixable, reversible

Laconic

(adj.) concise, using few words SYN: succinct, pithy, compact ANT: garrulous, prolix, loquacious

Languish

(v.) to become weak, feeble, or dull; to droop; to be depressed or dispirited; to suffer neglect SYN: flag, fade, pine

Mendacious

(adj.) given to lying or deception; untrue SYN: untruthful, false ANT: veracious

Nadir

(n.) the lowest point SYN: rock bottom ANT: pinnacle, zenith

Omnipresent

(adj.) present in all places at all times SYN: ubiquitous, ever-present

Perfunctory

(adj.) done in a superficial or halfhearted manner; without interest or enthusiasm SYN: slapdash, shallow ANT: thorough, assiduous, diligent, meticulous

Plaintive

(adj.) expressive of sorrow or woe, melancholy SYN: sad, lugubrious ANT: cheerful, blithe, joyous, merry

Requite

(v.) to make suitable repayment, as for a kindness, service, or favor; to make retaliation, as for an injury or wrong; to reciprocate SYN: reimburse, avenge

Tantamount

(adj.) equivalent, having the same meaning, value, or effect SYN: indistinguishable fro