English III AP Vocab 4

Atrophy

the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; (v.) to waste away 

The _____________ of the downtown business district began 

when two huge malls opened. 

SYNONYMS: (n.) degeneration, deterioration; (v.) wither 

ANTONYMS: (n.) growth, development; (v.) mature, develop 

delineate

to portray, sketch, describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially.

The architects will ________________ the main features of their 

plan at the next client meeting. 

SYNONYMS: depict, picture, render 

complicity

(n.)involvement in wrongdoing; the state of being an accomplice

If you know a crime is going to be committed but do nothing to prevent it, you may be accused of ________________. 

SYNONYMS: connivance, collusion 

ANTONYMS: noninvolvement, innocence 

 cognizant

adj.) aware, knowledgeable, informed; having jurisdiction.

Police officers must make sure that crime suspects are made ________ of their rights before they are questioned. 

SYNONYMS: conscious, acquainted 

ANTONYMS: unaware, unconscious, oblivious 

efficacy

(n.) the power to produce a desired result 

The pharmaceutical company has done extensive research to prove the _______ of the new drug they are marketing. 

SYNONYMS: effectiveness, potency, reliability 

ANTONYMS: ineffectiveness, impotence 

esoteric

(adj.) intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret 

The fraternity developed a set of ____________ rites that had to be performed by anyone seeking membership. 

SYNONYMS: occult, cryptic, arcane, recondite  ANTONYMS: accessible, comprehensible, intelligible 

fecund

(adj.) fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive

The remarkably ___________mind of Albert Einstein produced theories that revolutionized the science of physics. 

SYNONYMS: fertile, teeming, prolific 

ANTONYMS: infertile, barren, unproductive 

frenetic

(adj.) frenzied, highly agitated 

When a court order was issued, the social services department made a _______________ search for the missing report. 

SYNONYMS: frantic, overwrought 

ANTONYMS: calm, controlled, relaxed, leisurely 

 grouse

(n.) a complaint; (v.) to complain, grumble 

The patient’s latest __________ was that he did not get any dessert with his dinner the night before. 

Those who just stand around and ___________ about their low salaries are not likely to get raises. 

SYNONYMS: (v.) gripe, kvetch, bellyache 

 indictment

t (n.) a charge, accusation, serious criticism 

The Grand Jury delivered the ___________________ for murder after deliberating in secret for two weeks. 

SYNONYMS: charge, accusation

jocular

(adj.) humorous, jesting, jolly, joking 

After receiving the news that she was ahead in the polls, the candidate was in a delightfully _____________ mood. 

SYNONYMS: waggish, facetious, droll, witty 

ANTONYMS: humorless, solemn, grave, earnest, grim

moot

(adj.) of little or no practical value or meaning 

 The class agreed that the question of whether Jefferson should have retaliated sooner against the Barbary pirates a _________ point. 

SYNONYMS: (adj.) meaningless, irrelevant, impractical 

ANTONYMS: (adj.) relevant, valuable 

nemesis

 (n.) an agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival 

Calculus proved to be my ___________. 

SYNONYMS: comeuppance, avenger 

ANTONYMS: guardian angel, ally, patron 

nettle

(n.) a prickly or stinging plant; (v.) to arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex or irritate severely. 

If you are prickled by a ____________, aloe cream will soothe and reduce the sting. 

SYNONYMS: peeve, annoy, incense, gall, irk 

ANTONYMS: please, delight, soothe, pacify. 

 nuance

(n.) a subtle or slight variation (as in color, meaning, quality), delicate gradation or shade of difference. 

In his writing the poet paid close attention to every __________  of meaning in the words he chose. 

SYNONYMS: shade, nicety, refinement 

perspicacity

(n.) keenness in observing and understanding 

The bird watcher scans the surrounding trees and fields with the same ____________________ as a hawk looking for prey. 

SYNONYMS: acuity, acumen, discernment 

ANTONYMS: dullness, obtuseness 

recumbent

(adj.) in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting. 

The tired toddlers were __________ on the couch after playing all afternoon in the yard. 

SYNONYMS: prone, prostrate, supine, inactive 

ANTONYMS: erect, upright, energetic, dynamic

reputed

 (adj.) according to reputation or general belief; having widespread acceptance and good reputation 

Although he is the __________ head of a crime syndicate, he has never spent time in jail. 

SYNONYMS: putative, reputable, supposed 

ANTONYMS: proven, corroborated, authenticated 

stratagem

(n.) a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end.

The defense attorney used a clever_________ to curry sympathy for her client. 

SYNONYMS: ruse, trick, ploy, subterfuge 

ubiquitous

(adj.) present or existing everywhere 

The __________ eye of the TV camera threatens to rob citizens of any sense of privacy. 

SYNONYMS: omnipresent, pervasive, universal 

ANTONYMS: restricted, limited, rare, scarce