Vocabulary Study Guide for Unit 7
Vocabulary Study Guide for Unit 7
1. Abeyance
Pronunciation: (ǝ bä' ǝns)
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: A state of being temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside.
Illustrative Sentence: The administrators and staff reluctantly agreed to hold the matter in abeyance.
Synonyms: deferment, postponement, suspension
2. Ambivalent
Pronunciation: (am biv' ǝ lǝnt)
Part of Speech: Adjective
Definition: Having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something.
Illustrative Sentence: Despite their deeply ambivalent attitudes, the scientists went ahead with the program.
Synonyms: equivocal, ambiguous, of two minds
Antonyms: unequivocal, unambiguous, clear-cut
3. Beleaguer
Pronunciation: (bi lē' gǝr)
Part of Speech: Verb
Definition: To set upon from all sides; to surround with an army; to trouble, harass.
Illustrative Sentence: Sherman's division arrived by train, then positioned itself to beleaguer the city's fortress.
Synonyms: besiege, encircle, pester
4. Carte Blanche
Pronunciation: (kärt' blänsh')
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: Full freedom or authority to act at one's own discretion.
Illustrative Sentence: The boss gave us carte blanche in the matter of how we were going to approach the client.
Synonyms: blank check, free rein
5. Cataclysm
Pronunciation: (kat' ǝ kliz ǝm)
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: A sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge.
Illustrative Sentence: Diplomacy could not stop the cataclysm of World War I.
Synonyms: disaster, catastrophe
6. Debauch
Pronunciation: (di bôch')
Part of Speech: Verb/Noun
Definition: To corrupt morally, seduce; to indulge in dissipation; (noun) an act or occasion of dissipation or vice.
Illustrative Sentence: Those who would debauch the innocent deserve our wrath.
Synonyms (verb): carouse
Synonyms (noun): spree, orgy
Antonyms (verb): elevate, uplift, inspire, purify
7. Éclat
Pronunciation: (ā klä')
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: Dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance (of performance or achievement).
Illustrative Sentence: Dazzled by the éclat of the performance, critics heaped praise on the troupe.
Synonym: celebrity
Antonyms: dullness, insipidity, mediocrity
8. Fastidious
Pronunciation: (fa stid' ē ǝs)
Part of Speech: Adjective
Definition: Overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted.
Illustrative Sentence: Known for her fastidious taste, the decorator was always in great demand.
Synonyms: precise, meticulous, exacting, finicky
Antonyms: careless, sloppy, messy, untidy, slovenly
9. Gambol
Pronunciation: (gam' bǝl)
Part of Speech: Verb
Definition: To jump or skip about playfully.
Illustrative Sentence: The children began to gambol like fawns in a meadow.
Synonyms: frolic, romp, cavort, caper
Antonyms: lumber, trudge, plod
10. Imbue
Pronunciation: (im byü')
Part of Speech: Verb
Definition: To soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind.
Illustrative Sentence: The celebrated teacher strove to imbue her students with the desire to succeed.
Synonyms: infuse, instill, inculcate
Antonyms: remove, expunge, eradicate, erase
11. Inchoate
Pronunciation: (in kō' it)
Part of Speech: Adjective
Definition: Just beginning; not fully shaped or formed.
Illustrative Sentence: At first a molten and inchoate mass, it soon grew, picked up speed, and destroyed all in its path.
Synonyms: incipient, embryonic, rudimentary
Antonyms: mature, developed, complete
12. Lampoon
Pronunciation: (lam pün')
Part of Speech: Noun/Verb
Definition: A malicious satire; (verb) to satirize, ridicule.
Illustrative Sentence: Their lampoon of his speech did not amuse the dictator.
Synonyms (noun): burlesque
Synonyms (verb): parody
Antonyms (noun): compliment, flattery, homage
13. Malleable
Pronunciation: (mal' ē ǝ bal)
Part of Speech: Adjective
Definition: Capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced.
Illustrative Sentence: The malleable minds of the young students were at the mercy of the charismatic professor.
Synonyms: pliable, impressionable, adaptable
Antonyms: rigid, inflexible, unyielding, intractable
14. Nemesis
Pronunciation: (nem' ǝ sis)
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: An agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival.
Illustrative Sentence: Calculus proved to be my nemesis.
Synonyms: comeuppance, avenger
Antonyms: guardian angel, ally, patron
15. Opt
Pronunciation: (opt)
Part of Speech: Verb
Definition: To make a choice or decision.
Illustrative Sentence: We decided to opt for the cheaper model.
Synonyms: choose, select, decide
16. Philistine
Pronunciation: (fil' i stēn)
Part of Speech: Adjective/Noun
Definition: Lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements; such a person.
Illustrative Sentence: Their philistine contempt for art is something the curator simply cannot abide.
Synonyms: (adj.) boorish, lowbrow; (n.) yahoo
Antonyms: (adj.) refined, cultivated; (n.) esthete, highbrow
17. Picaresque
Pronunciation: (pik ǝ resk')
Part of Speech: Adjective
Definition: Involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers.
Illustrative Sentence: Reviewers cited the picaresque element in the novel as its best feature.
Synonyms: roguish, rascally, rakish
18. Queasy
Pronunciation: (kwē' zē)
Part of Speech: Adjective
Definition: Nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness; troubled.
Illustrative Sentence: The remarks gave me a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Synonym: unsettled
Antonyms: calm, untroubled, confident
19. Refractory
Pronunciation: (ri frak' tǝ rē)
Part of Speech: Adjective
Definition: Stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure.
Illustrative Sentence: Caring for the refractory patient left us exhausted and drained.
Synonyms: unruly, disobedient, willful, mulish
Antonyms: docile, tractable, dutiful, obedient
20. Savoir-Faire
Pronunciation: (sav wär fär')
Part of Speech: Noun
Definition: The ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence.
Illustrative Sentence: The experienced and wily ambassador handled the delicate affair with her usual savoir-faire.
Synonyms: tact, finesse, suavity, sophistication
Antonyms: tactlessness, gaucherie, boorishness