Unit 1 Vocabulary Notes
Vocabulary Definitions A-E
1. Approbation (n.)
Pronunciation: (ap rǝ ba' shan)
Definition(s): The expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval.
Illustrative Sentence: My broad hint that I had paid for the lessons myself brought approbation from all the judges at the piano recital.
Synonyms: sanction, commendation
Antonyms: disapproval, condemnation, censure
2. Assuage (v.)
Pronunciation: (ǝ swāj')
Definition(s): To make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench.
Illustrative Sentence: Her eyes told me that more than a few well-chosen words would be needed to assuage her hurt feelings.
Synonyms: mitigate, slake, allay
Antonyms: intensify, aggravate, exacerbate
3. Coalition (n.)
Pronunciation: (kō ǝ lish' ǝn)
Definition(s): A combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose.
Illustrative Sentence: The various community organizations formed a coalition to lobby against parking laws.
Synonyms: alliance, league, federation, combine
Antonym: splinter group
4. Decadence (n.)
Pronunciation: (de' kǝ dǝns)
Definition(s): Decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence.
Illustrative Sentence: Some viewed her love of chocolate as decadence because she ate two candy bars a day.
Synonyms: degeneration, corruption
Antonyms: rise, growth, maturation
5. Elicit (v.)
Pronunciation: (ē lis' it)
Definition(s): To draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person).
Illustrative Sentence: My attempt to elicit information over the phone was met with a barrage of irrelevant recordings.
Synonyms: evoke, extract, educe
Antonyms: repress, quash, squelch, stifle
6. Expostulate (v.)
Pronunciation: (ik späs' chǝ lāt)
Definition(s): To attempt to dissuade someone from some course or decision by earnest reasoning.
Illustrative Sentence: Shakespeare's Hamlet finds it useless to expostulate with his mother for siding with his stepfather.
Synonyms: protest, remonstrate, complain
Vocabulary Definitions H-M
7. Hackneyed (adj.)
Pronunciation: (hak' ned)
Definition(s): Used so often as to lack freshness or originality.
Illustrative Sentence: The Great Gatsby tells a universal story without being marred by hackneyed prose.
Synonyms: banal, trite, commonplace, corny
Antonyms: new, fresh, novel, original
8. Hiatus (n.)
Pronunciation: (hi a' tǝs)
Definition(s): A gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing).
Illustrative Sentence: I was awakened not by a sudden sound but by a hiatus in the din of traffic.
Synonyms: pause, lacuna
Antonyms: continuity, continuation
9. Innuendo (n.)
Pronunciation: (in yü en' dō)
Definition(s): A hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense).
Illustrative Sentence: Those lacking the facts or afraid of reprisals often tarnish an enemy's reputation by use of innuendo.
Synonyms: insinuation, intimation
Antonym: direct statement
10. Intercede (v.)
Pronunciation: (in tǝr sēd')
Definition(s): To plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement.
Illustrative Sentence: She will intercede in the dispute between the two children, and soon they will be playing happily again.
Synonyms: intervene, mediate
11. Jaded (adj.)
Pronunciation: (jä' did)
Definition(s): Wearied, worn-out, dulled (in the sense of being satiated by excessive indulgence).
Illustrative Sentence: The wilted handclasp and the fast-melting smile mark the jaded refugee from too many parties.
Synonyms: sated, surfeited, cloyed
Antonyms: unspoiled, uncloyed
12. Lurid (adj.)
Pronunciation: (lür' ǝd)
Definition(s): Causing shock, horror, or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow in color; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restraint.
Illustrative Sentence: Bright, sensational, and often lurid, some old-time movie posters make today's newspaper ads look tame.
Synonyms: gruesome, gory, grisly, baleful, ghastly
Antonyms: pleasant, attractive, appealing, wholesome
13. Meritorious (adj.)
Pronunciation: (mer i tôr' è ǝs)
Definition(s): Worthy, deserving recognition and praise.
Illustrative Sentence: Many years of meritorious service could not dissuade him from feeling that he had not chosen work that he liked.
Synonyms: praiseworthy, laudable, commendable
Antonyms: blameworthy, reprehensible
Vocabulary Definitions P-U
14. Petulant (adj.)
Pronunciation: (pech' ǝ lǝnt)
Definition(s): Peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset.
Illustrative Sentence: An overworked parent may be unlikely to indulge the complaints of a petulant child.
Synonyms: irritable, testy, waspish
Antonyms: amiable, placid
15. Prerogative (n.)
Pronunciation: (pre räg' ǝ tiv)
Definition(s): A special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence.
Illustrative Sentence: She seemed to feel that a snooze at her desk was not an annoying habit but the prerogative of a veteran employee.
Synonyms: perquisite, perk
16. Provincial (adj./n.)
Pronunciation: (prǝ vin' shǝl)
Definition(s): Pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; a simple, plain design that originated in the countryside (adj.); a person with a narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area; a soldier from a province or colony (n.).
Illustrative Sentences:
The banjo, once thought to be a provincial product of the Southern hills, actually came here from Africa.
At first, a provincial may do well in the city using charm alone, but charm, like novelty, wears thin.
Synonyms: (adj.) narrow-minded, parochial, insular, naive
Antonyms: (adj.) cosmopolitan, broad-minded
17. Simulate (v.)
Pronunciation: (sim' yǝ lāt)
Definition(s): To make a pretense of, imitate; to show the outer signs of.
Illustrative Sentence: Some skilled actors can simulate emotions they might never have felt in life.
Synonyms: pretend, affect
18. Transcend (v.)
Pronunciation: (tran send')
Definition(s): To rise above or beyond, exceed.
Illustrative Sentence: A great work of art may be said to transcend time, and it is remembered for decades, or even centuries.
Synonyms: surpass, outstrip
19. Umbrage (n.)
Pronunciation: (em' brǝj)
Definition(s): Shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion.
Illustrative Sentence: She hesitated to offer her opinion, fearing that they would take umbrage at her criticism.
Synonyms: irritation, pique
Antonyms: pleasure, delight, satisfaction
20. Unctuous (adj.)
Pronunciation: (ǝŋk' chü ǝs)
Definition(s): Excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable.
Illustrative Sentence: Her constant inquiring about the health of my family at first seemed friendly, later merely unctuous.
Synonyms: mealymouthed, fawning, greasy
Antonyms: gruff, blunt
Unit 1 Vocabulary Questions
Exercise: Choosing the Correct Word
If you try to intercede in a friends' quarrel, you will only make things worse.
Synonyms: Choosing the Word of Similar Meaning
a lifestyle of intemperance: decadence
an implication not supported by fact: innuendo
depleted by too much networking: jaded
impolite and snappish attitude: petulant
a benefit of her rank: prerogative
exploding in annoyance: petulant
unceasing and servile modesty: obsequious
feign a reconciliation: simulate
alleviate his worst fears: assuage
seeking the boss's commendation: approbation
Antonyms: Choosing the Word of Opposite Meaning
living a life of sacrifice and self-denial: decadence
genuinely express joy over a coworker's promotion: simulate
such a sedate and self-controlled child: petulant
a record of discreditable actions: meritorious
a lawyer who offers incontestable proof: innuendo (This is the most plausible fit from Unit 1 words, suggesting the opposite of incontrovertible truth could be an indirect, often negative, suggestion lacking direct proof.)
Completing the Sentence
In an age when the United States has truly global responsibilities, we cannot afford to have leaders with parochialpoints of view.
I take no umbrage at your personal remarks, but I feel you would have been better advised not to make them.
Forever humbling himself and flattering others, Dickens's Uriah Heep is famously obsequious.
During the brief hiatus in the music, someone's ringing cell phone split the air.
If you cannot meet the college's entrance requirements, it will be futile to have someone intercede on your behalf.
Weakened militarily, and with a large part of the population living on free "bread and circuses," the once mighty Roman Empire now entered a period of decadence.
The midnight fire in our apartment building cast a(n) lurid unearthly light on the faces of the firefighters struggling to put it out.
The manager expressed her unfavorable opinion of the job applicant by innuendo rather than by direct statement.
The issue of good faith that your conduct raises far transcends the specific question of whether or not you are responsible for the problem.
If you take pride in expressing yourself with force and originality, you should not use so many hackneyed phrases.
I certainly appreciate your praise, but I must say that I can see nothing so remarkably meritorious in having done what any decent person would do.
His confidence grew as he received clear signs of the approbation of his superiors.
I feel that, as an old friend, I have the prerogative of criticizing your actions without arousing resentment.
Various insects have a marvelous capacity to protect themselves by simulating the appearance of twigs and other objects in their environment.
Of course you have a right to ask the waiter for a glass of water, but is there any need to use the petulant tone of a spoiled child?
The only way to defeat the party in power is for all the reform groups to form a(n) coalition and back a single slate of candidates.
Since I don't like people who play favorites in the office, I have frequently remonstrated against such behavior with my superiors.
Although we tried to express our sympathy, we knew that mere words could do nothing to assuage her grief.
In the question-and-answer session, we tried to elicit from the candidates some definite indication of how they proposed to reduce the national debt.
Their tastes have been so jaded by luxurious living that they seem incapable of enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
Writing: Words in Action
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