vocab final

acquisitive

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

banal

(adj) hackneyed, trite, commonplace; SYNONYMS: stale, insipid; ANTONYMS: fresh, original, new

arrogate

(v) to claim or take without right; SYNONYMS: expropriate, usurp, commandeer; ANTONYMS: renounce, abdicate, abandon

belabor

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

carping

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

coherent

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

congeal

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

emulate

(v) to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model; SYNONYMS: copy, mimic, rival, match, measure up to

encomium

(n) a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute; SYNONYMS: panegyric, eulogy; ANTONYMS: condemnation, castigation, criticism

eschew

(v) to avoid, shun, keep away from; SYNONYMS: abstain from, steer clear of, forgo; ANTONYMS: embrace, adopt

germane

(adj) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting; SYNONYM: pertinent; ANTONYMS: irrelevant, extraneous, inappropriate

insatiable

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

intransigent

(adj) refusing to compromise, irreconcilable; SYNONYMS: uncompromising, unyielding, obdurate; ANTONYMS: lukewarm, halfhearted, yielding

invidious

(adj) offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment; SYNONYMS: malicious, spiteful, prejudicial, pejorative; ANTONYMS: flattering, ameliorative

largesse

(n) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions; SYNONYMS: liberality, bounty, munificence; ANTONYMS: stinginess, miserliness, niggardliness

reconnaissance

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

substantiate

(v) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to; SYNONYMS: confirm, validate, authenticate; ANTONYMS: refute, disprove, invalidate

taciturn

(adj) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little; SYNONYMS: tight-lipped, uncommunicative, laconic; ANTONYMS: garrulous, loquacious, prolix, verbose

temporize

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

tenable

(adj) capable of being held or defended; SYNONYMS: defensible, justifiable, maintainable; ANTONYMS: indefensible, unjustifiable

accost

(v) to approach and speak to first; confront in a challenging or aggressive way; SYNONYMS: buttonhole, approach; ANTONYMS: avoid, shun

animadversion

(n) a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval; SYNONYMS: rebuke, reproof; ANTONYMS: praise, compliment

avid

(adj) desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager; SYNONYMS: keen, enthusiastic, grasping; ANTONYMS: reluctant, indifferent, unenthusiastic

brackish

(adj) having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink; SYNONYM: saline; ANTONYMS: clear, sweet

celerity

(n) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action; SYNONYMS: promptness, speed, alacrity; ANTONYMS: slowness, sluggishness, dilatoriness

devious

(adj) straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shify or underhanded way; SYNONYMS: roundabout, indirect, tricky, sly, artful; ANTONYMS: direct, straightforward, open, aboveboard

gambit

(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; SYNONYMS: ploy, ruse, maneuver

halcyon

(n) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent; SYNONYMS: (adj) tranquil, placid, palmy; ANTONYMS: (adj) turbulent, tumultuous

histrionic

(adj) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic; SYNONYMS: affected, stagy; ANTONYMS: muted, untheatrical, subdued

incendiary

(adj) deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; (n) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife; SYNONYMS: inflammatory, provocative; (n) firebrand; ANTONYMS: (adj) soothing, quieting; (n) peacemaker

maelstrom

(n) a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction; SYNONYMS: chaos, turbulence, tumult

myopic

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

overt

(adj) open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized; SYNONYMS: clear, obvious, manifest, patent; ANTONYMS: clandestine, covert, concealed

pejorative

(adj) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling; ANTONYMS: complimentary, ameliorative

propriety

(n) the state of being proper, appropriateness; (pl) standards of what is proper or socially acceptable; SYNONYMS: fitness, correctness; ANTONYMS: unseemliness, inappropriateness

sacrilege

(n) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred; SYNONYMS: desecration, profanation, defilement

summarily

(adv) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely; SYNONYMS: promptly peremptorily

suppliant

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

talisman

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

undulate

(v) to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form; SYNONYMS: fluctuate, rise and fall

cavort

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

credence

(n) belief, mental acceptance; SYNONYMS: credit, trust, confidence; ANTONYMS: disbelief, skepticism, incredulity

decry

(v) to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate; SYNONYMS: denounce, censure, devalue; ANTONYMS: tout, commend, extol, laud, praise

dissemble

(v) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression; SYNONYMS: dissimulate, mask, feign

distraught

(adj) very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict; SYNONYM: distracted; ANTONYMS: calm, collected

eulogy

(n) a formal statement of commendation; high praise; SYNONYMS: panegyric, encomium, tribute; ANTONYMS: philippic, invective

evince

(v) to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke; SYNONYMS: exhibit, manifest, occasion

exhume

(v) to remove from a grave; to bring to light; SYNONYMS: disinter, unearth, uncover; ANTONYMS: bury, inter

feckless

(adj) lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable; SYNONYMS: feeble, incompetent, ineffectual; ANTONYMS: competent, capable, effective

murky

(adj) dark and gloomy, obscure; lacking in clarity and precision; SYNONYMS: dim, cloudy; ANTONYMS: clear, transparent, lucid, limpid

nefarious

(adj) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards; SYNONYMS: iniquitous, reprehensible; ANTONYMS: virtuous, honorable, praiseworthy, meritorious

piquant

(adj) stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative; SYNONYMS: zestful, tangy; ANTONYMS: bland, insipid, tasteless, mild

primordial

(adj) developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest stage; fundamental, basic; SYNONYMS: original, primal

propinquity

(n) nearness in place or time; kinship; SYNONYM: similarity; ANTONYMS: remoteness, distance

substantive

(adj) real, having a solid basis; considerable in number or amount; meaningful and on topic; SYNONYMS: firm, substantial, meaty; ANTONYMS: imaginary, unreal, meaningless

unwonted

(adj) not usual or expected; not in character; SYNONYMS: unusual, uncommon, unexpected, atypical; ANTONYMS: usual, customary, typical

utopian

(adj) founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical; SYNONYM: idealistic; ANTONYMS: realistic, pragmatic

verbiage

(n) language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness; a manner of expression; SYNONYMS: prolixity, diction, jargon

verdant

(adj) green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgment; SYNONYMS: artless, naïve; ANTONYMS: scorched, sere, barren

viscous

(adj) having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity; SYNONYMS: sticky, thick; ANTONYMS: watery, aqueous

atrophy

(n) the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; (v) to waste away; SYNONYMS: (n) degeneration, deterioration; (v) wither; ANTONYMS: (n) growth; (v) mature

bastion

(n) a fortified place, stronghold; SYNONYMS: citadel, bulwark, rampart, parapet

concord

(n) a state of agreement, harmony, unanimity; a treaty, pact, covenant; ANTONYMS: disagreement, strife, discord

consummate

(adj) complete or perfect in the highest degree; (v) to bring to a state of completion or perfection; SYNONYMS: (adj) masterful; (v) clinch, conclude; ANTONYMS: (v) launch, initiate, begin, kick off

disarray

(n) disorder, confusion; (v) to throw into disorder; SYNONYMS: (n) disorganization; (v) dishevel, mess up; ANTONYMS: (n) organization, order, tidiness

exigency

(n, often pl) urgency, pressure; urgent demand, pressing need; an emergency; SYNONYMS: requirement, crisis

flotsam

(n) floating debris; unimportant or discarded material; SYNONYMS: floating wreckage, rubbish

frenetic

(adj) frenzied, highly agitated; SYNONYMS: frantic, overwrought; ANTONYMS: calm, controlled, relaxed, leisurely

glean

(v) to gather bit by bit; to gather small quantities of grain left in a field by the reapers; SYNONYMS: cull, pick up

grouse

(n) a type of game bird; a complaint; (v) to complain, grumble; SYNONYMS: (v) kvetch, bellyache

incarcerate

(v) to imprison, confine, jail; SYNONYM: intern; ANTONYMS: liberate, free

incumbent

(adj) obligatory, required; (n) one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of; SYNONYMS: (adj) mandatory, necessary; ANTONYMS: (adj) optional, unnecessary

jocular

(adj) humorous, jesting, jolly, joking; SYNONYMS: waggish, facetious, droll; ANTONYMS: solemn, grave, earnest, grim

ludicrous

(adj) ridiculous, laughable, absurd; SYNONYMS: risible, preposterous; ANTONYMS: heartrending, poignant, pathetic

mordant

(adj) biting or caustic in thought, manner, or style; sharply or bitterly harsh; SYNONYMS: acrimonious, acidulous, sardonic, scathing; ANTONYMS: bland, mild, gentle, soothing

nettle

(n) a prickly or stinging plant; (v) to arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex or irritate severely; SYNONYMS: (v) peeve, annoy, incense, gall; ANTONYMS: (v) please, delight, soothe, pacify

pecuniary

(adj) consisting of or measured in money, of or related to money; SYNONYM: monetary

pusillanimous

(adj) contemptible cowardly or mean-spirited; SYNONYM: lily-livered, craven; ANTONYMS: stouthearted, courageous

recumbent

(adj) in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting; SYNONYMS: prone, supine, inactive; ANTONYMS: erect, energetic, dynamic

stratagem

(n) a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end; SYNONYMS: trick, ploy, subterfuge

acuity

(n) sharpness (particularly of the mind or senses); SYNONYMS: acuteness; ANTONYMS: dullness, obtuseness

delineate

(v) to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially; SYNONYMS: picture, render

depraved

(adj) marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principles; SYNONYMS: perverted, degenerate, vicious, corrupt; ANTONYMS: moral, virtuous, upright, uncorrupted

enervate

(v) to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring; SYNONYMS: impair, cripple, paralyze; ANTONYMS: invigorate, strengthen, buttress

esoteric

(adj) intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret; SYNONYMS: cryptic, arcane, recondite; ANTONYMS: accessible, comprehensible, intelligible

fecund

(adj) fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive; SYNONYMS: fertile, teeming, prolific; ANTONYMS: infertile, barren, unproductive

fiat

(n) an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of will or consciousness; SYNONYMS: dictum, ukase

figment

(n) a fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion; SYNONYMS: invention, fancy

garner

(v) to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use; SYNONYMS: collect, accumulate, accrue; ANTONYMS: scatter, squander, waste, dissipate

hallow

(v) to set apart as holy or sacred, sanctify, consecrate; to honor greatly, revere; SYNONYMS: venerate, bless, defile, profane

idiosyncrasy

(n) a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify; SYNONYMS: quirk, mannerism

ignominy

(n) shame and disgrace; SYNONYMS: humiliation, disrepute, odium; ANTONYMS: honor, acclaim

mundane

(adj) earthly, worldly, relating to practical and material affairs; concerned with what is ordinary; SYNONYMS: prosaic, humdrum, routine, sublunary; ANTONYMS: heavenly, spiritual transcendental

nuance

(n) a subtle or slight variation (as in color, meaning, quality), delicate gradation or shade of difference; SYNONYMS: shade, nicety, refinement

overweening

(adj) conceited, presumptuous; excessive, immoderate; SYNONYMS: arrogant, unbridled, inflated; ANTONYMS: restrained, understated, meek

penchant

(n) a strong attraction or inclination; SYNONYMS: proclivity, predilection; ANTONYMS: disinclination, aversion

reputed

(adj) according to reputation or general belief; having widespread acceptance and good reputation; (part) alleged; SYNONYMS: putative, reputable; ANTONYMS: proven, corroborated, authenticated

sophistry

(n) reasoning that seems plausible but is actually unsound; a fallacy; SYNONYMS: specious reasoning

sumptuous

(adj) costly, rich, magnificent; SYNONYMS: lavish, munificent, opulent, splendid; ANTONYMS: skimpy, stingy, niggardly, spartan

ubiquitous

(adj) present or existing everywhere; SYNONYMS: pervasive, universal; ANTONYMS: restricted, limited, rare, scarce