Vocabulary Workshop Level F: Unit 8

acrimonious

(adj.) stinging, bitter in temper or tone

s: biting, caustic, rancorous, hostile, peevish

a: gentle, warm, mild, friendly, cordial

bovine

(adj.) resembling a cow or ox; sluggish, unresponsive

s: stolid, dull, slow, stupid

a: alert, sharp, bright, keen, quick

consternation

(noun) dismay, confusion

s: shock, amazement, bewilderment, dismay

a: calm, composure, aplomb

corpulent

(adj.) fat; having a large, bulky body

s: overweight, heavy, obese, stout, portly

a: slender, lean, spare, gaunt, emaciated

disavow

(verb) to deny responsibility for or connection with

s: disown, disclaim, retract, abjure

a: acknowledge, admit, grant, certify

dispassionate

(adj.) impartial; free from emotion

s: unbiased, disinterested, cool, detached

a: committed, engaged, partial, biased

dissension

(noun) disagreement, sharp difference of opinion

s: strife, discord, contention

a: agreement, accord, harmony

dissipate

(verb) to cause to disappear; to scatter, dispel; to spend foolishly, squander; to be extravagant in pursuit of pleasure

s: disperse, strew, diffuse, waste

a: gather, collect, conserve, husband

expurgate

(verb) to remove objectionable passages or words from a written text; to cleanse, clarify

s: purge, censor, bowdlerize

gauntlet

(noun) an armored or protective glove; a challenge to combat

s: dare, provocation, trial, punishment

hypothetical

(adj.) based on an assumption or guess; used as a tentative idea to direct an investigation

s: assumed, supposed, conjectural, conditional

a: actual, real, tested, substantiated

ignoble

(adj.) mean, low, base

s: inferior, unworthy, dishonorable, sordid

a: admirable, praiseworthy, lofty, noble

impugn

(verb) to call into question, to attack as false

s: challenge, deny, dispute, query, question

a: confirm, prove, verify, validate

intemperate

(adj.) immoderate; lacking in self-control; inclement

s: excessive, extreme, unrestrained, inordinate

a: moderate, restrained, cool and collected

odium

(noun) hatred, contempt; disgrace or infamy resulting from hateful conduct

s:abhorrence, opprobrium, shame, ignominy

a: esteem, admiration, approbation

perfidy

(noun) faithlessness, treachery

s: betrayal, disloyalty, treason, duplicity

a: faithfulness, loyalty, steadfastness

relegate

(verb) to place in a lower position; to banish; surrender, to assign, turn over

s: transfer, consign, demote, exile

a: promote, elevate, advance, recall

squeamish

(adj.) inclined to nausea; easily shocked or upset; excessively fastidious or refined

s: nauseated, queasy, delicate, oversensitve, priggish

subservient

(adj.) subordinate in capacity or role; serving to promote some end; submissively obedient, serving to promote some end

s: secondary, servile, obsequious, useful

a: primary, principal, bossy, domineering

susceptible

(adj.) open to; easily influenced; lacking in resistance

s: vulnerable, receptive, impressionable

a: resistant, immune