VOCAB UNIT 22 SYNS AND ANTS AND PHRASES

soldier of fortune

someone who fights for anyone who will pay, not only for their own country
syn mercenary

condottiere

a leader of a band of mercenaries common in Europe
syn mercenary

avaricious

having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material things
syn mercenary

acquisitive

excessively interested in acquiring money or material things
syn mercenary

rapacious

aggressively greedy or grasping
syn mercenary

altruistic

showing a disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others; unselfish
ant mercenary

broach

raise (a sensitive or difficult subject) for discussion
syn moot

pose

present or constitute (a problem, danger, or difficulty)
syn moot

put forward

submit a plan, proposal, or theory for consideration
syn moot

incontrovertible

not able to be denied or disputed
ant moot

irrefutable

impossible to deny or disprove
ant moot

a moot question

something having no practical relevance; a question not up for debate

a moot court

a mock court at which law students argue imaginary cases for practice

a gordian knot

an extremely difficult or involved problem

a foregone conclusion

a result that can be predicted with certainty

marsh

an area of low-lying land which is flooded in wet seasons or at high tide, and typically remains waterlogged at all times
syn morass

fen

a low and marshy or frequently flooded area of land
syn morass

quagmire

a soft boggy area of land that gives way underfoot
syn morass

polychrome

painted, printed, or decorated in several colors
syn motley

piebald

(of a horse) having irregular patches of two colors, typically black and white
syn motley

variegated

exhibiting different colors, especially as irregular patches or streaks
syn motley

heterogeneous

diverse in character or content
syn motley

miscellaneous

(of items or people gathered or considered together) of various types or from different sources
syn motley

monolithic

formed by a single large block of stone; large and characterless
ant motley

homogeneous

of the same kind; alike
ant motley

a pluralistic society

a situation in which people of different social classes, religions, races, etc. are together in a society but continue to have their different traditions and interests
syn motley

a diversified economy

process of shifting an economy away from a single income source toward multiple sources from a growing range of sectors and markets
syn motley

a checkered career

a background that includes many changes, especially of employment
syn motley

earthly

relating to the earth or human life on earth
syn mundane

terrestrial

of, on, or relating to the earth as opposed to heaven
syn mundane

secular

denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis
syn mundane

temporal

relating to worldly as opposed to spiritual affairs
syn mundane

prosaic

having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beaut
syn mundane

banal

so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring
syn mundane

celestial

belonging or relating to heaven
ant mundane

heavenly

of heaven; divine
ant mundane

cosmic

relating to the universe or cosmos, especially as distinct from the earth
ant mundane

unworldly

not seeming to belong to this planet; strange
ant mundane

metaphysical

based on abstract reasoning; transcending physical matter or the laws of nature
ant mundane

trascendental

relating to a spiritual or nonphysical realm
ant mundane

extraordinary

very unusual or remarkable
ant mundane

unique

being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else
ant mundane

man of the world

a person who is experienced in the way or sophisticated society
syn mundane

multitudinous

very numerous
syn myriad

multifarious

many and of various types
syn myriad

manifold

many and various
syn myriad

finite

having limits or bounds
ant myriad

myriad as a noun

a vast number; a great multitude

egomaniacal

someone who considers themselves to be very important and able to do anything they want
syn narcissistic

conceited

excessively proud of oneself; vain
syn narcissistic

vain

having or showing an excessively high opinion of one’s appearance, abilities, or worth
syn narcissistic

self-deprecating

modest about or critical of oneself, especially humorously so
ant narcissistic

amour propre

a sense of one’s own worth; self-respect
syn narcissistic

amorphous

without a clearly define shape or form
syn nebulous

opaque

not able to be seen through; not transparent
syn nebulous

unambiguous

not open to more than one interpretation
ant nebulous

piddling

pathetically trivial; trifling
syn negligible

trifling

unimportant or trivial
syn negligible

nugatory

of no value or importance
syn negligible

pivotal

of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something else
ant negligible

telling

having a striking or revealing effect; significant
ant negligible

small potatoes

something insignificant or unimportant
syn negligible

trivia

details, considerations, or pieces of information of little importance or value
syn negligible

partisanship

prejudice in favor of a particular cause; bias
syn nepotism

patronage

the support given by a patron; the power to control appointments to office or the right to privileges
syn nepotism

a client state

a person or organization using the services of a lawyer or other professional person or company
syn nepotism

the spoils system

the practice of a successful political party given public office to its supporters
syn nepotism

the merit system

a system by which appointments and promotions in the civil service are based on competence
ant nepotism

itinerant

traveling from place to place
syn nomadic

peripatetic

traveling from place to place, in particular working or based in various places for relatively short periods
syn nomadic

footloose and fancy-free

not married or in a long-term relationship, and have very few responsibilities
syn nomadic

a fly-by-night operation

not reliable or responsible, especially in business
syn nomadic

a roving reporter

a reporter who travels around, rather than staying in a fixed place
syn nomadic

a peripatetic philosopher

the philosophical school of Aristotle, name arose from Aristotle’s habit of walking about with his students
syn nomadic

a migrant farmworkers

a seasonal farmworker who has to travel to do the farm work and is unable to return to his or her permanent home within the same day
syn nomadic

wanderlust

a strong desire to travel
syn nomadic

titular

holding or constituting a purely formal position or title without any real authority
syn nominal

token

a thing serving as a visible or tangible representation of a fact, quality, feeling, etc
syn nominal

trifling

unimportant or trivial
syn nominal

exorbitant

(of a price or amount charged) unreasonably high
ant nominal

a puppet ruler

someone who has a title indicating possession of political power, but who, in reality, is either loyal to or controlled by outside individuals or forces

nominal Christian

church-goers or otherwise religious people whose “faith” does not go beyond being identified with a church

nominal representation on the board

very little representation

pining

suffer a mental and physical decline, especially because of a broken heart; to miss and long for the return of
syn nostalgia

hankering

a strong desire to have or do something
syn nostalgia

wistfulness

feeling vague or regretful longing
syn nostalgia

sentimentality

excessive tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia
syn nostalgia

lonesomeness

the state of being solitary or lonely
syn nostalgia

postulant

a candidate, especially one seeking admission into a religious order
syn novice

neophyte

a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief
syn novice

tyro

a beginner or novice
syn novice

probationer

a person who is serving a probationary or trial period in a job or position to which they are newly appointed
syn novice

greenhorn

a person who is new to or inexperienced at a particular activity
syn novice

tenderfoot

a newcomer or novice, especially a person unaccustomed to the hardships of pioneer life
syn novice

old hand

a person with a lot of experience in something
ant novice

past master

a person who is particularly skilled at a specified activity or art
ant novice

virtuoso

a person highly skilled in music or another artistic pursuit
ant novice

still wet behind the ears

lacking experience; immature
syn novice

a babe in the woods

an innocent or naive person, especially one in an unfamiliar or dangerous environment
syn novice

a freshman senator

an inexperienced person in the US senate
syn novice