Sadlier Level G, Unit 1-12 (copy)

acquisitive

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

arrogate

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

banal

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

belabor

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

carping

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

coherent

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

congeal

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

emulate

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

encomium

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

eschew

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

germane

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

insatiable

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

intransigent

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

invidious

(adj) offensive, hateful, tending to cause bitterness and resentment
syn: malicious, spiteful, prejudicial, pejorative
ant: complimentary, flattering, ameliorative

largesse

(n) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions
syn: liberality, munificence, niggardliness

reconnaissance

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

substantiate

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

taciturn

(adj) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little
syn: tight-lipped, uncommunicative, laconic
ant: 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
syn; hedge, dillydally, procrastinate

tenable

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

accost

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

animadversion

(n) a comment indication strong criticism or disapproval
syn: rebuke, reproof
ant: praise, compliment

avid

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

brackish

(adj) having a salty taste and unpleasing to drink
syn: briny, saline
ant: fresh, clear, sweet

celerity

(n) swiftness, rapidity of motion and action
syn: promptness, alacrity, speed
ant: slowness, sluggishness, dilatoriness

devious

(adj) straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhand way
syn: roundabout, indirect, tricky, sly, artful
ant: direct, straightforward, open, aboveabord

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
syn: ploy, stratagem, ruse, maneuver

halcyon

(n) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj) of or relating to the hacyon; calm, peaceful, happy, golden, prosperous, affluent
syn: tranquil, serene, placid, palmy
ant: turbulent, chaotic, tumultuous

histrionic

(adj) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial, melodramatic
syn: affected, stagy
ant: low-keyed, 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
syn: inflammatory, provocative (n) firebrand
ant: soothing, quieting (n) peacemaker

maelstrom

(n) a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation
syn: vortex, chaos, turbulence, tumult

myopic

(adj) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment
syn: shortsighted
ant: farsighted

overt

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

pejorative

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

propriety

(n) the state of being proper, appropriateness; standards of what is proper or socially acceptable
syn: fitness, correctness, decorum
ant: unseemliness, inappropriateness

sacrilege

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

summarily

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

suppliant

(adj) asking humbly and earnestly (n) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, 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
syn: ripple, fluctuate, rise and fall

articulate

(v) to pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; to connect by a joint or joints (adj) expressed clearly and forcefully; able to employ language clearly and forcefully; jointed
syn: pronounce, elucidate, eloquent
ant: mumble, slur, tongue-tied, halting

cavort

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

credence

(n) belief, mental acceptance
syn: credit, trust, confidence
ant: disbelief, skepticism, incredulity

decry

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

dissemble

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

distraught

(v) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression
syn: frantic, distracted
ant: calm, composed, collected

eulogy

(n) a formal statement of commendation; high praise
syn: panegyric, encomium, tribute, testimonial
ant: philippic, diatribe, invective

evince

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

exhume

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

feckless

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

murky

(adj) dark and gloomy, obscure, lacking in clarity and perception
syn: dim, cloudy, unclear
ant: clear, transparent, lucid limpid

nefarious

(adj) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards
syn: iniquitous, reprehensible
ant: virtuous, honorable, praiseworthy, meritorious

piquant

(adj) stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent, appealingly, provocative
syn: tangy, zestful
ant: 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
syn: original, primeval, primal

propinquity

(n) nearness in place or time; kinship
syn: proximity, similarity
ant: remoteness, distance

unwonted

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

utopian

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

verbiage

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

verdant

(adj) green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgment
syn: artless, naive
ant: scorched, sere, barren, arid

viscous

(adj) having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity
syn: gummy, sticky, thick
ant: runny, watery, aqueous

atrophy

(n) the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure, to waste away
syn: degeneration, deterioration, wither
ant: growth, development, mature, develop

bastion

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

concord

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

consummate

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

disarray

(n) disorder, confusion (v) to throw into disorder
syn: disorganization, dishevel, mess up
ant: organization, order, tidiness

exigency

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

flotsam

(n) floating debris; homeless, impoverished people
syn: floating wreckage

frenetic

(adj) frenzied, highly agitated
syn: frantic, overwrought
ant: calm, controlled, relaxed, leisurely

glean

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

grouse

(n) a type of game bird, a complaint, to complain, grumble
syn: gripe, kvetch, bellyache

incarcerate

(v) to imprison, confine, jail
syn: intern, immure
ant: liberate, release, free

incumbent

(adj) obligatory, required; (n) one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of
syn: mandatory, necessary
ant: optional, unecessary

jocular

(adj) humorous, jesting, jolly, joking
syn: waggish, facetious, droll, witty
ant: humorless, solemn, grave, earnest, grim

ludicrous

(adj) ridiculous, laughable, absurd
syn: risible, preposterous
ant: heartrending, poignant, pathetic

mordant

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

nettle

(n) a prickly or stinging plant; to arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex or irritate severly
syn: peeve, annoy, incense, gall, irk
ant: please, delight, soothe, pacify

pecuniary

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

pusillanimous

(adj) contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited
syn: craven, lily-livered
ant: stouthearted, courageous, daring

recumbent

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

stratagem

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

acuity

(n) sharpness (particularity of the mind or senses)
syn: keenness, acuteness
ant: dullness, obtuseness

delineate

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

depraved

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

enervate

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

esoteric

(adj) intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret
syn: occult, cryptic, arcane, recondite
ant: accessible, comprehensible, intelligible

fecund

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

fiat

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

figment

(n) fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion
syn: creation, invention, fancy

garner

(v) to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away
syn: collect, accumulate, accrue
ant: scatter, squander, waste, dissipate

hallow

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

idiosyncrasy

(n) a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify
syn: eccentricity, quirk, mannerism

ignominy

(n) shame and disgrace
syn: dishonor, humiliation, disrepute, odium
ant: honor, glory, acclaim

mundane

(adj) earthly, worldly, relating to practical and material affairs; concerned with what is ordinary
syn: prosaic, humdrum, routine, sublunary
ant: heavenly, unworldly, spiritual, transcedental

nuance

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

overweening

(adj) conceited, presumptuous, excessive, immoderate
syn: arrogant, unbridled, inflated
ant: restrained, understated, modest, meek

penchant

(n) a strong attraction or inclination
syn: proclivity, propensity, predilection
ant: disinclination, aversion

reputed

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

sophistry

(n) reasoning that seems plausible but is actually unsound, a fallacy
syn: specious reasoning

sumptuous

(adj) costly, rich, magnificent
syn: lavish, munificent, opulent, splendid
ant: skimpy, meager, stingy, niggardly, spartan

ubiquitous

(adj) present or existing everywhere
syn: omnipresent, pervasive, universal
ant: restricted, limited, rare, scarce