vocabulary level f unit 7. austere (adj.) severe or stern in manner; without adornment or luxury,...
Post on 16-Jan-2016
220 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Vocabulary
Level F Unit 7
austere• (adj.) severe or stern in
manner; without adornment or luxury, simple, plain; harsh or sour in flavor
• SYN: forbidding, rigorous, puritanical, ascetic, unadorned, subdued
• ANT: mild, indulgent, luxurious, flamboyant
The Puritans dressed in an austere manner.
beneficent• (adj.) performing acts of
kindness or charity; conferring benefits, doing good
• SYN: humanitarian, magnanimous, charitable
• ANT: selfish, cruel, harmful, deleterious
Bill Gates is known as a beneficent humanitarian.
cadaverous• (adj.) pale, gaunt,
resembling a corpse
• SYN: corpselike, wasted, haggard, emaciated, ghastly
• ANT: robust, portly, rosy, the picture of health
Pictures of the cadaverous Holocaust victims shocked the world during World War II.
concoct• (v.) to prepare by
combining ingredients, make up (as a dish); to devise, invent, fabricate
• SYN: create, fashion, rustle up
Paula Deen has made a fortune by concocting delicious dishes for her television show.
crass
• (adj.) coarse, unfeeling; stupid
• SYN: crude, vulgar, tasteless, oafish, obtuse
• ANT: refined, elegant, tasteful, polished, brilliant
The crass nature of the press today is enough to discourage anyone from running for office.
debase• (v.) to lower in
character, quality, or value; to degrade, adulterate; to cause to deteriorate
• SYN: cheapen, corrupt, demean, depreciate
• ANT: elevate, uplift, improve, enhance
Don’t debase your character by associating with undesirable people.
desecrate• (v.) to commit
sacrilege upon, treat irreverently; to contaminate, pollute
• SYN: profane, defile, violate
• ANT: revere, honor, venerate, consecrate
Vandals desecrated tombstones that were over 100 years old.
disconcert• (v.) to confuse; to
disturb the composure of
• SYN: upset, rattle, ruffle, faze, perturb
• ANT: relax, calm, put at ease
Political guests often find Bill O’Reilly’s questions disconcerting.
grandiose
Many country western singers have grandiose dreams of making it big in Nashville.
• (adj.)grand in an impressive or stately way; marked by pompous affection or grandeur, absurdly exaggerated
• SYN: majestic, bombastic, highfalutin
• ANT: simple, modest, unaffected, humble
inconsequential• (adj.) trifling,
unimportant
• SYN: trivial, negligible, petty, paltry
• ANT: important, essential, crucial, vital
Many of the details you included in the report were inconsequential and unimportant.
infraction• (n.) a breaking of
a law or obligation
• SYN: violation, transgression, breach, offense It is rare that the referees
will catch every infraction on the court.
mitigate• (v.) to make milder or
softer, to moderate in force or intensity
• SYN: lessen, relieve, alleviate, diminish
• ANT: aggravate, intensify, irritate, exacerbate
The judge decided to mitigate her sentence because she had shown good behavior.
pillage• (v.) to rob of goods
by open force (as in war), plunder; (n.) the act of looting; booty
• SYN: (v.) ravage, sack, loot; (n.) booty After the riots, looters
began to pillage the town.
prate• (v.) to talk a great
deal in a foolish or aimless fashion
• SYN: chatter, prattle, blab, blabber, palaver
• ANT: come to the point, not waste words
After she got home from school, she did nothing but prate on the phone for hours.
punctilious• (adj.) very careful and
exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety
• SYN: precise, scrupulous, exacting, fussy, finicky
• ANT: careless, negligent, lax, perfunctory The soldier’s job required
exact attention to detail.
redoubtable
The people felt as if it was time for their redoubtable leader to step down.
• (adj.) inspiring fear or awe; illustrious, eminent
• SYN: formidable, fearsome, awesome, august
• ANT: laughable, risible, contemptible
reprove• (v.) to find fault with,
scold, rebuke
• SYN: chide, chastise, upbraid, reproach
• ANT: praise, commend, laud, pat on the back
The teacher reproved her students for misbehaving.
restitution• (n.) the act of
restoring someone or something to the rightful owner or to a former state or position; making good on a loss or damage
• SYN: compensation, reimbursement, redress, restoration
The teen was ordered by the judge to provide restitution for the property that he destroyed.
stalwart• (adj.) strong and sturdy;
brave; resolute; (n.) a brave, strong person; a strong supporter; one who takes an uncompromising position
• SYN: (adj.) sturdy, stout, intrepid, valiant; (n.) mainstay
• ANT: (adj.) weak, infirm, irresolute, vacillating
She will be a stalwart addition to our committee based on her past voting record.
vulnerable• (adj.) open to attack;
capable of being wounded or damaged; unprotected
• SYN: defenseless, exposed, unguarded
• ANT: invincible, protected, safe, secure
With so many homes built close to the water, the town was vulnerable to hurricanes.
top related