English 1111-Sadlier Units 4-6

affable

(adj.) courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to S: genial amicable, agreeable, cordial A: surly cantankerous, dour, inhospitable

aggrandize

(v.) to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater S: augment, amplify, enhance, exalt A: reduce, decrease, diminish

amorphous

(adj.) shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion S: formless, unstructured, nebulous, inchoate A: definite, well-defined, clear-cut

archetype

(n.) an original model on which something was patterned or replicated; the ideal example of a particular type of person or thing S: model, prototype, epitome

aura

(n.) that which surrounds (as an atmosphere); a distinctive air or personal quality S: ambience, atmosphere

contraband

(n.) illegal traffic, smuggled goods; (adj.) illegal, prohibited S: (adj.) illicit, bootleg, unlawful A: (adj.) legal, lawful, licit

erudite

(adj.) schoalary, learned, bookish, pedantic S: profoundly educated, well-read A: ignorant, uneducated, illeterate

gossamer

(adj.) thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; (n.) a very thin, light cloth S: (adj.) filmy, diaphanous, sheer, airy, feathery, gauzy A: (adj.) thick, dense, solid, massive

inscrutable

(adj.) incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically S: impenetrable, incomprehensible, enigmatic A: comprehensible, intelligible, penetrable

insular

(adj.) relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience S: narrow-minded, parochial, provincial A: catholic, cosmopolitan, liberal

irrevocable

(adj.) incapable of being changed or called back S: irreversible, unrecallable, unalterable A: reversible, changeable

propensity

(n.) a natural inclination or predilection toward S: natural bent, proclivity, penchant A: natural incapacity or inability

querulous

(adj.) peevish, complaining, fretful S: petulant, touchy, cranky, irritable A: uncomplaining, stoical, serene, placid

remonstrate

(v.) to argue or plead with someone against something, protest against, object to S: reason against, expostulate

repudiate

(v.) to disown, reject, or deny the validity of S: disavow, abjure, renounce A: avow affirm, aver, avouch

resilient

(adj.) able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly S: springy, elastic, buoyant, bouncy A: rigid, stiff, inflexible, unyielding

reverberate

(v.) to re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly S: rumble, thunder, boom echo

scurrilous

(adj.) coarsely abusive, vulgar or low (especially in language), foul-mouthed S: obscene, filthy, abusive, vituperative A: decorous, seemly, tasteful, dignified

sedulous

(adj.) persistent, showing industry and determination S: assiduous, tireless, indefatigable A: lackadaisical, listless, indolent, otiose

sleazy

(adj.) thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethically low, mean, or disreputable S: inferior, cheesy, tawdry, tatty A: superior, first-rate, quality, sturdy

anomalous

(adj.) abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual S: exceptional, atypical, unusual, aberrant A: normal, regular, customary, typical, ordinary

aspersion

(n.) a damaging or derogatory statement, the act of slandering or defaming S: innuendo, calumny, denigration A: endorsement, testimonial, praise

bizarre

(adj.) extremely strange, unusual, atypical S: grotesque, fantastic, outlandish A: normal, typical, ordinary, expected

brusque

(adj.) abrupt, blunt, with no formalities S: curt, tactless, ungracious, gruff, rough A: gracious, tactful, courteous, diplomatic

cajole

(v.) to coax, persuade through flattery or artifice, to deceive with soothing thoughts or false promises S: wheedle, inveigle, soft-soap, sweet-talk A: coerce, force, strong-arm

castigate

(v.) to punish severely, to criticize severely S: chastise, rebuke, censure, upbraid A: reward, honor, praise, laud

contrive

(v.) to plan with ingenuity, invent, to bring about as the result of a scheme or plan S: think up, devise, concoct, fabricate

demagogue

(n.) a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power S: rabble-rouser, firebrand

disabuse

(v.) to free from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking S: undeceive, enlighten, set straight A: deceive, delude, pull wool over one's eyes

ennui

(n.) weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest, boredom S: languor, world-weariness, listlessness A: enthusiasm, liveliness, excitement, intensity

fetter

(n.) a chain or shackle placed on the feet (often used in plural) anything that confines or restrains; (v.) to chain or shackle, to render helpless or important S: (n.) bond, restraint; (v.) blind, hamper A: (v.) free, liberate, emancipate

heinous

(adj.) very wicked, offensive, hateful S: evil, odious, abominable, outrageous A: excellent, wonderful, splendid

immutable

(adj.) not subject to change, constant S: unchangeable, unalterable, fixed, invariable A: changeable, inconstant, variable, fickle

insurgent

(n.) one who rebels or rises against authority; (adj.) rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority, surging or rushing in or on S: (adj.) revolutionary, rebellious, mutinous A: (adj.) loyalist, loyal, faithful

megalomania

(n.) a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, talent, etc. far in excess of reality S: delusion or grandeur A: humility, modesty, self-abasement

sinecure

(n.) a position requiring little or no work, an easy job S: "no show" job, cushy job, "plum"

surreptitious

(adj.) stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation, made or accomplished by fraud S: furtive, covert, clandestine, concealed A: open, frank, aboveboard, overt

transgress

(v.) to go beyond a limit or boundary, to sin, violate a law S: overstep, exceed, trespass, err A: obey, toe the line

transmute

(v.) to change from one nature, substance, or form to another S: transform, convert, translate, metamorphose A: maintain unchanged, preserve

vicarious

(adj. performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another S: surrogate, substitute, imagined, secondhand A: real, actual, firsthand

amnesty

(n.) a general pardon for an offense against the government; in general, any act of forgiveness or absolution

autonomy

(n.) self-government, political control S: home rule A: dependent, subjection, colonial

axiomatic

(adj.) self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle or rule S: taken for granted A: questionable, dubious, controversial

blazon

(v.) to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely S: broadcast, trumpet A:hide, conceal, cover up, bury

caveat

(n.) a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior S: admonition, word to the wise

equitable

(adj.) fair, just, embodying principles of justice S: right, reasonable, evenhanded A: unjust, unfair, one-sided, disproportionate

extricate

(v.) to free from entanglements or difficulties, to remove with effort S: disentangle, extract, disengage A: enmesh, entangle, involve

filch

(v.) to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts S: pilfer, purloin, swipe

flout

(v.) to mock, treat with contempt S: scoff at, sneer at, snicker at, scorn A: obey, honor, revere, uphold

fractious

(adj.) tending to be troublesome, unruly, quarrelsome, contrary, unpredictable S: refractory, recalcitrant, peevish A: docile, tractable, cooperative

precept

(n.) a rule of conduct or action S: principle, maxim

salutary

(adj.) beneficial, helpful, healthful, wholesome S: salubrious, curative A: detrimental, deleterious, pernicious

scathing

(adj.) bitterly severe, withering, causing great harm S: searing, harsh, ferocious, savage A: bland, mild

scourge

(v.) to whip, punish severely; (n.) a cause of affliction or suffering, a source of severe punishment or criticism S: (v.) flog, beat; (n.) bane, plague, pestilence A: (n.) godsend, boon, blessing

sepulchral

(adj.) funereal, typical of the tomb, extremely gloomy or dismal S: doleful, lugubrious, mortuary

soporific

(adj.) tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargic (n.) something that induces sleep S: (n.) narcotic, anesthetic A: (adj.) stimulating (n.) stimulant, stimulus

straitlaced

(adj.) extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct, prudish, puritanical S: highly conventional, overly strict, stuffy A: lax, loose, indulgent, permissive, dissolute

transient

(adj.) lasting only a short time; fleeting; (n.) one who stays only a short time S: (adj.) impermanent, ephemeral, evanescent A: (adj.) permanent, imperishable, immortal

unwieldy

(adj.) not easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity S: cumbersome, bulky, clumsy, impractical A: manageable, easy to handle

vapid

(adj.) dull, uninteresting, tiresome, lacking in sharpness, liveliness, or force S: insipid, lifeless, colorless A: zesty, spicy, savory, colorful, lively