Unit 2 Vocab
1. APPROPRIATE (əˈprōprēˌāt) ☹v. to take possession of (typically without the owner’s permission); to devote (money or assets) to a special purpose
Synonyms: capture, conquer, seize, steal
Example: “Congress appropriated funds intended for farm subsidies and redistributed them to bail out Wall Street.”
2. COMPLEMENT (kämpləmənt) ± v. to add something in a way to complete or make perfect
Synonyms: balance, equilibrate
3. DEPICT (dəˈpikt) ± v. to represent or characterize; portray
Synonyms: represent, picture, illustrate, delineate, reproduce, render, limn
Example: “Youth is often depicted as a time of vitality and good health.”
4. DISPARAGE (dəˈsperij) ☹ v. to belittle, or bring reproach or discredit upon; to regard or represent as being of little worth
Synonyms: mock, ridicule, denigrate, deprecate, trivialize, undervalue, underrate
Example: “Professional boxers often disparage their opponents as they get psyched up for a big fight.”
5. INURE (əˈn(y)o͝or) ± v. to accustom to hardship or difficulty
Synonyms: harden, toughen, season, temper, condition, desensitize
Example: “Californians experience so many earthquakes that they are completely inured to the feeling of the earth rocking and rolling beneath their feet.”
6. EMBELLISH (əmˈbeliSH) 😊v. to beautify or enhance; exaggerate; elaborate; to make a statement more interesting by adding extra details, especially ones that are not true
Synonyms: decorate, adorn, fancify; exaggerate, embroider, aggrandize
Example: The knight embellished his tale of heroism in hopes of impressing the princess.”
7. EXONERATE (iɡˈzänəˌrāt) 😊 v. to clear from guilt or blame
Synonyms: absolve, pardon, forgive, acquit, exculpate
Example: “In the end, the sergeant was exonerated by an official inquiry.”
8. REPUDIATE (rəˈpyo͞odēˌāt) ☹ v. to reject as false; deny
Synonyms: disown, renounce, reject, abandon, dismiss
Example: “The congressman repudiated allegations of any human rights abuses.”
9. REMONSTRATE (rəˈmänˌstrāt) ☹ v. to say or plead in protest or disapproval; to make a forceful protest
Synonyms: challenge, argue, complain, expostulate, berate, rebuke, lambast
Example: “He was reminded of promises of just government from Rufus, and he was not afraid to remonstrate when his promises were disregarded.”
10. ERADICATE (əˈradəˌkāt) ± v. to remove or destroy completely; put an end to
Synonyms: eliminate, remove, obliterate, extinguish, decimate, annihilate, extirpate, uproot
Example: “Jonas Salk developed a vaccine that nearly eradicated polio after its introduction in 1955.
11. BURGEON (ˈbərjən) 😊 v. to begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish
Synonyms: thrive, prosper, improve, develop
Example: “In their first months, new companies usually burgeon dramatically before they level off and settle into a steady pace of growth.”
12. AUGMENT (ôɡˈment) 😊 v. to make larger or greater by adding to it
Synonyms: enlarge, amplify, supplement, increase, expand, swell, grow
Examples:
“He augmented his income during the summer by painting houses.”
13. POLARIZE (ˈpōləˌrīz) ☹ v. to divide into opposites; to cause something to acquire polarity; to restrict vibrations of a transverse wave, especially light, wholly or partially to one direction
Synonyms: none
Examples:
“The U.S. Congress is currently so polarized that they rarely achieve any productive change.”
“The electrode is polarized in aqueous solution.”
14. LAMENT (ləˈment) ☹ v. to feel or express sorrow or grief; to mourn
Synonyms: grieve, wail, weep, cry, sob, deplore, bemoan
Example: “He lamented the fact that he couldn’t find a companion worthy of his intellect.”
15. EXACERBATE (iɡˈzasərˌbāt) ☹ v. to increase in severity; aggravate
Synonyms: aggravate, worsen, exasperate, inflame, infuriate
Example: “The young toddler exacerbated her mother’s already grumpy mood by singing The Itzy-Bitzy Spider at the top of her lungs.”
16. IMPEDE (imˈpēd) ☹ v. to stop or hinder progress
Synonyms: obstruct, hamper, delay, disrupt, block
Example: “After the massive oil tanker crashed on Route 66, traffic routed both east and west was impeded by the clean-up effort.”
17. EXCORIATE (ekˈskôrēˌāt) ☹ v. to criticize or berate severely; to denounce
Synonyms: reprobate, chafe, decry, condemn
Examples: “ Jeff was excoriated by Mrs. Smith after he lied to her and cut class.”
18. SCRUTINIZE (ˈskro͞otnˌīz) ± v. to examine or inspect closely and thoroughly
Synonyms: review, analyze, study, peruse, audit
Example: “Carrie scrutinized every handsome detail of the new boy in her chemistry class.”
19. REPRESS (rəˈpres) ☹ v. to keep under control; suppress
Synonyms: subdue, quash, subjugate, stifle, smother
Example: “I am repressing the urge to fall asleep as I write this vocabulary list far too late in the evening.”
20. SUBSTANTIATE (səbˈstan(t)SHēˌāt) ± v. to establish proof or evidence; prove
Synonyms: confirm, sustain, corroborate, fortify, validate, verify
Example: “The evidence presented by the defense attorney substantiated his client’s innocence.”