Unit 1-6 Vocab

(adj.) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property
syn: greedy, avaricious, retentive
ant: altruistic

acquisitive

(v) to claim or take without right
syn: expropriate, commandeer
ant: renounce, abdicate, abandon

arrogate

(adj) hackneyed, trite, commonplace
syn: stale, insipid
ant: fresh, original, new

banal

(v) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly
syn: overwork

belabor

(adj) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n) petty, nagging criticism
syn: nit-picking, caviling
ant: approving, uncritical

carping

(adj) holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful
syn: connected, unified, consistent, cohesive
ant: muddled, chaotic, disjointed

coherent

(v) to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid
syn: harden, jell, solidify
ant: liquefy

congeal

(v) to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model
syn: copy, mimic, rival, match

emulate

(n) a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute
syn: panegyric, eulogy
ant: condemnation, castigation, criticism

encomium

(v) to avoid, shun, keep away from
syn: abstain from, steer clear of, forgo
ant: embrace, adopt

eschew

(adj) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting
syn: pertinent
ant: irrelevant, extraneous, inappropriate

germane

(adj) so great or demanding as not to be satisfied
syn: unquenchable, ravenous

insatiable

(adj) refusing to compromise, irreconcilable
syn: uncompromising, unyielding, obdurate
ant: lukewarm, halfhearted, yielding

intransigent

(adj) offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment
syn: malicious, spiteful
ant: flattering

invidious

(n) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions
syn: liberality, bounty
ant: stinginess

largesse

(n) a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination
syn: exploration

reconnaissance

(v) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form
syn: confirm, validate
ant: refute, disprove

substantiate

(adj) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little
syn: uncommunicative
ant: verbose, prolix

taciturn

(v) to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise
syn: procrastinate

temporize

(adj) capable of being held or defended
syn: defensible, justifiable
ant: indefensible

tenable

(v) to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way

syn: buttonhole, approach

ant: avoid, shun

accost

(n) a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval

syn: rebuke, reproof

ant: praise, compliment

animadversion

(adj) desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager

syn: keen, enthusiastic

ant: reluctant, indifferent

avid

(adj) having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink

syn: saline

ant: clear, sweet

brackish

(n) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action

syn: promptness, speed

ant: slowness, sluggishness

celerity

(adj) straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way

syn: roundabout, indirect

ant: direct, straightforward

devious

(n) in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of a minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type

syn: ploy, ruse, maneuver

gambit

(n) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj) calm, peaceful, happy, golden

syn: tranquil, placid

ant: turbulent, tumultuous

halcyon

(adj) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial, melodramatic

syn: affected, stagy

ant: muted, untheatrical

histrionic

(adj) deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; (n) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist

syn: inflammatory, provocative; (n) firebrand

ant: soothing, quieting; (n) peacemaker

incendiary

(n) a whirlpool or great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction

syn: chaos, turbulence

maelstrom

(adj) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment

syn: shortsighted

ant: farsighted

myopic

(adj) open, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized

syn: clear, obvious, patent

ant: clandestine, covert

overt

(adj) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement

ant: complimentary, ameliorative

pejorative

(n) the state of being proper, appropriateness

syn: fitness, correctness

ant: unseemliness, inappropriateness

propriety

(n) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred

syn: desecration, profanation, defilement

sacrilege

(adv) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely

syn: promptly, peremptorily

summarily

(adj) asking humbly and earnestly; (n) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a suitor

suppliant

(n) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers

talisman

(v) to move in waves or with a wavelike motion

syn: fluctuate

undulate

(v) to romp or prance around exuberantly; to make merry

syn: gambol, frolic

cavort

(n) belief, mental acceptance

syn: credit, trust, confidence

ant: disbelief, skepticism

credence

(v) to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate

syn: denounce, censure, devalue

ant: tout, commend, extol

decry

(v) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression

syn: dissimulate, mask, feign

dissemble

(adj) very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict

syn: distracted

ant: calm, collected

distraught

(n) a formal statement of commendation; high praise

syn: panegyric, encomium, tribute

ant: philippic, inventive

eulogy

(v) to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke

syn: exhibit, manifest, occasion

evince

(v) to remove from a grave, to bring to light

syn: disinter, unearth

ant: bury

exhume

(adj) lacking in spirit and strength

syn: feeble

ant: competent

feckless

(adj) dark and gloomy, obscure

syn: dim, cloudy

ant: clear, transparent

murky

(adj) wicked, depraved

syn: iniquitous, reprehensible

ant: virtuous, honorable

nefarious

(adj) stimulating to the taste or mind

syn: zestful, tangy

ant: bland, mild

piquant

(adj) developed or created at the very beginning

syn: original

primordial

(n) nearness in place or time; kinship

syn: similarity

ant: remoteness, distance

propinquity

(adj) real, having a solid basis; considerable in amount

syn: firm, substantial

ant; imaginary, meaningless

substantitive

(adj) not usual or expected

syn: unusual, uncommon

ant: usual, customary

unwonted

(adj) founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world

syn: idealistic

ant: realistic

utopian

(n) language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content

syn: prolixity, diction, jargon

verbiage

(adj) green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgement

syn: artless, naive

ant: scorched, barren

verdant

(adj) having a gelatinous or gluey quality

syn: sticky, thick

ant: watery, aqueous

viscous

(n) the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; (v) to waste away

syn: degeneration, wither

ant: growth, mature

atrophy

(n) a foritfied place

syn: rampart, parapet

bastion

(n) a state of agreement

syn: disagreement

concord

(adj) complete or perfect in the highest degree; to bring to a state of completion or perfection

syn: masterful (v) to complete

ant: launch, initiate

consummate

(n) disorder, confusion (v) to throw into disorder

syn: (n) disorganization (v) dishevel

ant: organization, order

disarray

(n) urgency, pressure

syn: requirement, crisis

exigency

(n) floating debris, unimportant material

syn: debris

flotsam

(adj) frenzied, highly agitated

syn: frantic

ant: calm, controlled

frenetic

(v) to gather bit by bit

syn: cull, pick up

glean

(n) a type of game bird; a complaint; (v) to complain

syn: (v) kvetch, bellyache

grouse

(v) to imprison

syn: intern

ant: liberate

incarcerate

(adj) obligatory, required; (n) one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of

syn: mandatory

ant: optional

incumbent

(adj) humorous, jesting

syn: waggish, droll

ant: solemn, grave

jocular

(adj) ridiculous, laughable, absurd

syn: risible, preposterous

ant: heartrending, poignant

ludicrous

(adj) biting or caustic in thought, manner or style; sharply or bitterly harsh

syn: acrimonious, scathing

ant: bland, mild

mordant

(n) a prickly or stinging plant; (v) to arouse displeasure

syn: peeve, annoy

ant: please, delight

nettle

(adj) consisting of or measured in money

syn: monetary

pecuniary

(adj) contemptibly cowardly or mean spirited

syn: lily-livered

ant: corageous

pusillanimous

(adj) in a reclining position, lying down

syn: prone, inactive

ant: erect, energetic

recumbent

(n) a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent

syn: trick, ploy

stratagem

(n) sharpness

syn: acuteness

ant: dullness

acuity

(v) to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate detail

syn: render

delineate

(adj) marked by evil and corruption

syn: degenerate, vicious

ant: moral, virtuous

depraved

(v) to weaken or lessen

syn: impair, cripple

ant: invigorate, strengthen

enervate

(adj) intended for only a select few

syn: cryptic

ant: accessible

esoteric

(adj) fruitful in offspring or vegetation

syn: fertile, teeming

ant: infertile, barren

fecund

(n) an arbitrary order or decree

syn: dictum

fiat

(n) fabrication or the mind

syn: invention, fancy

figment

(v) to acquire as a result of effort

syn: collect, accumulate

ant: scatter

garner

(v) to set apart as holy or scared

syn: bless

ant: defile

hallow

(n) a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify

syn: quirk

idiosyncrasy

(n) shame and disgrace

syn: humiliation, disrepute

ant: honor

ignominy

(adj) earthly, worldly

syn: humdrum

ant: heavenly, spiritual

mundane

(n) a subtle or slight variation

syn: refinement, shade

nuance

(adj) conceited, presumptuous

syn: arrogant

ant: restrained, meek

overweening

(n) a strong attraction or inclination

syn: proclivity

ant: disinclination, aversion

penchant

(adj) according to reputation or general belief

syn: putative

ant: proven

reputed

(n) reasoning that seems plausible but is actually unsound

syn: specious reasoning

sophistry

(adj) present or existing everywhere

syn: universal

ant: restricted

ubiquitous

(adj) costly, rich

syn: lavish, splendid

ant: skimpy, stingy

sumptuous