Honors English II - Unit One Vocabulary

adulterate

(Verb) To corrupt, make worse by the addition of something of lesser value.

adulterates

Hospitals take strict precautions to assure that nothing _____________________ the blood supply.

adulterate

Synonyms: Contaminate, pollute, sully

adulterate

Antonyms: Purify, purge, expurgate

ambidextrous

(Adjective) To be able to use both hands equally well; very skillful; deceitful, hypocritical.

ambidextrous

Occasionally a teacher will come across a child who displays ________________ abilities when taught to write.

ambidextrous

Synonyms: Versatile, flexible

ambidextrous

Antonyms: Clumsy, all thumbs

augment

(Verb) To make larger, increase

augment

Many couples have to _________________ their income in order to pay the mortgage on a new home.

augment

Synonyms: Supplement, amplify

augment

Antonyms: Decrease, diminish

Bereft

(Adjective, part.) Deprived of; made unhappy through a loss.

bereft

Individuals who live to be very old may eventually find themselves completely ________________ of friends and family.

bereft

Synonyms: Bereaved

bereft

Antonyms: Replete, well provided

Deploy

(Verb) to position or arrange; to utilize; to form up.

deploy

A bugle call is a signal used to __________ troops for inspection, parade, or battle.

deploy

Synonyms: Station, organize

dour

(Adjective) Stern, unyielding, gloomy, ill-humored.

dour

Dickens’s Mr. Gradgrind in the novel Hard Times is an example of a character with a _____________ and sullen disposition.

dour

Synonyms: harsh, bleak, forbidding, saturnine

dour

Antonyms: cheery, inviting, genial

fortitude

(Noun) Courage in facing difficulties.

fortitude

The residents of Mississippi delta showed remarkable ________________ fortitude during and after the flood that destroyed their homes and businesses.

fortitude

Synonyms: Resolve, steadfastness, mettle.

fortitude

Antonyms: fearfulness. faintheartedness

gape

(Verb) To stare with an open mouth; to open the mouth wide; to open wide.

gape

First-time visitors to Niagara Falls can be expected to __________ at the spectacular sights nature has provided for them.

gape

Synonym: ogle

gibe

(Verb) To utter taunting words

gibe

(Noun) an expression of scorn.

gibe

The recruits rushed into battle so that no one could __________ at them for cowardice.

gibe

Voters may reject a candidate who resorts to personal _____________ instead of discussing the issues.

gibe

(Verb) Synonyms: Ridicule, mock, deride, jeer

gibe

(Noun) Antonyms: Compliment, Praise

guise

(Noun) an external appearance, cover, mask.

guise

The thieves gained entry to the home by presenting themselves in the _____________ of police officers.

guise

Synonyms: Costume, semblance, pretense

insidious

(Adjective) Intended to deceive or entrap; sly, treacherous.

insidious

The investigators uncovered an __________________ scheme to rob people if their life savings.

insidious

Synonyms: Cunning, dastardly, perfidious

insidious

Antonyms: Frank, ingenuous, aboveboard

intimation

(Noun) a hint, indirect suggestion.

intimation

They were too proud to give any ____________________ of their financial difficulties.

intimation

Synonyms: Clue, inkling

Opulent

(Adjective) Wealthy, luxurious; ample; grandiose

opulent

The tour guide showed us the _______________ living quarters of the royal family.

opulent

Synonyms: rich, plentiful, abundant

opulent

Antonyms: poverty-stricken, wretched, destitute

pliable

(Adjective) easily bent, flexible; easily influenced

pliable

Spools of ___________________ copper wire are standard equipment for many kids of maintenance workers, including electricians.

pliable

Synonyms: adaptable, resilient

pliable

Antonyms: inflexible, recalcitrant

reiterate

(Verb) to say again, repeat

reiterate

Effective speakers often ________________ an important statement for emphasis.

reiterate

Synonyms: restate, recapitulate

stolid

(Adjective) Not easily moved mentally or emotionally; dull, unresponsive

stolid

________________ people can generally be expected to take most things in stride.

stolid

Synonyms: impassive, phlegmatic

stolid

Antonyms: emotional, oversensitive

tentative

(Adjective) Experimental in nature; uncertain, hesitant

tentative

Negotiators have come up with a ___________________ agreement that will keep both sides at the bargaining table past the strike deadline.

tentative

Synonyms: provisional, inconclusive

tentative

Antonyms: Conclusive, confirmed

unkempt

(Adjective) not combed; untidy; not properly maintained; unpolished, rude.

unkempt

According to my parents, the latest fashions make me and my friends look __________________.

unkempt

Synonyms: sloppy, disordered, rough

unkempt

Antonyms: well-groomed, tidy

verbatim

(Adjective + Adverb) word for word; exactly as written or spoken.

verbatim

Newspapers often publish the ________________ text of an important political speech.

verbatim

At the swearing-in ceremony, the Chief Justice reads each line of the Oath of Office, and the new President repeats the oath ____________________.

verbatim

(Adjective) Synonym: exact

verbatim

(Adverb) Synonym: precisely

verbatim

Antonym: paraphrased

warily

(Adjective) Cautiously, with great care.

warily

The hikers made their way ________________ up the steep and rock trail.

warily

Synonyms: prudently, gingerly

warily

Antonyms: Recklessly, heedlessly, incautiously

insidious

Cassius, Brutus, and the other conspirators against Julius Caesar had developed a(n) _______________ plot to assassinate the Roman dictator on the Senate floor.

tentative

Because the situation is changing so rapidly, any plans we make to deal with the emergency can be no more than _____________.

bereft

I must have been __________ of my senses when I bought that old car!

deployed

The speaker ____________ all the facts and figures at her command to buttress her argument.

verbatim

I soon found out that my supposed friend had taken it upon himself to repeat _____________ every word I said about Frieda’s party.

reiterated

How annoying to hear the same silly advertising slogans ____________ endlessly on television!

augment

By studying the reactions of simple life forms, researchers have greatly __________________ our knowledge of human behavior.

adulterated

Do you believe that the curriculum has been ___________________ by the inclusion of courses on aspects of popular culture?

intimations

A sort of heaviness in the air and an eerie silence were the first real ____________________ of the approaching cyclone.

ambidextrous

Have you heard the joke about the _________________ loafer who was equally adept at not working with either hand?

unkempt

One of the chief reasons for your dateless weekends is undoubtedly your ______________ appearance.

guise

Do you expect me to listen to a lot of tired old ideas dressed up in the ___________ of brilliant new insights?

pliable

What they call their “___________ outlook on life” seems to be simply a lack of any firm moral standards.

fortitude

Recruits who complain of the cold should try to show a little more ____________ in facing the elements.

gaping

There we were at the very edge of the cliff, with out front wheels about to plunge into a(n) ______________ ravine!

gibes

Let us not forget that the early fighters for women’s rights were greeted with the ____________ of the unthinking mob.

opulent

The young prince, who must preferred blue jeans, had to dress in ______________ robes designed for the coronation.

insidious

Because of my inexperience, I did not recognize at first his _________________ attempts to undermine our employer’s confidence in me.

warily

The ticking grew louder as the bomb squad _____________ opened the package found on the grounds of the governor’s residence.

stolid

In this scene of wild jubilations, my _____________ roommate continued to eat his peanut butter sandwich as through nothing had happened.

augment

The librarian hoped to ____________ the rare book collection by purchasing a first edition of Walt Whitman’s book of poetry, The Leaves of Grass.