English 4 Vocab Unit 7

1. abeyance

Noun

–A state of being temporarily inactive, suspended or set aside

Syn: deferment, postponement, suspension

2. ambivalent

Adj

–Having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something

Syn: equivocal, ambiguous, of two minds

Ant: unequivocal, unambiguous, clear-cut

3. beleaguer

Verb

–To set upon from all sides

–To surround with an army

Syn: besiege, pester, encircle

4. carte blanche

Noun

–Full freedom or authority to act at one’s own discretion

Syn: free rein, blank check

5. cataclysm

Noun

–A sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval

Syn: disaster, catastrophe

6. debauch

Verb—Tocorrupt morally, seduce;

Noun—an act or occasion of dissipation or vice

Syn: (v.) carouse, (n) spree, orgy

Ant: (v.) elevate, uplift, purify, inspire

7. éclat( a kla’)

Noun

–Dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim

Syn: celebrity

Ant: dullness

8. fastidious

Adj

–Overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted

Syn: meticulous, finicky, precise, exacting, finicky

Ant: untidy, slovenly, careless, sloppy, messy

9. gambol

Verb

–To jump or skip about playfully

Syn: romp, caper, frolic, cavort

Ant: trudge, plod, lumber

10. imbue

Verb

–To soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind

Syn: infuse, inculcate, instill

Ant: expunge, erase, remove, eradicate, erase

11. inchoate

Adj

–Just beginning; not fully shaped or formed

Syn: embryonic, rudimentary, incipient

Ant: mature, developed, complete

12. lampoon

Noun: A malicious satire

Verb: to satirize, ridicule

–Syn: (n) burlesque; (v) parody

--Ant: (n) compliment, flattery, homage

13. malleable

Adj

–Capable of being formed into different shapes

Syn: pliable, impressionable, adaptable

Ant: rigid, intractable, unyielding, inflexible

14. nemesis

Noun

–An agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival

Syn: avenger, comeuppance

Ant: ally, patron, guardian angel

15. opt

Verb

–To make a choice or decision

Syn: choose, select, decide

16. philistine

Adj: Lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements

Noun: such a person

Syn: (adj.) boorish, lowbrow (n) yahoo

Ant: (adj) refined, cultivated (n) esthete, highbrow

17. picaresque

Adj

–Involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers

Syn: rakish, roguish, rascally

18. queasy

Adj

–Nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness; troubled

Syn: unsettled

Ant: calm, untroubled, confident

19. refractory

Adj

–Stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure

Syn: unruly, disobedient, willful, mulish

Ant: docile, tractable, dutiful, obedient

20. savoir-faire

Noun

–The ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence

Syn: tact, finesse, suavity, sophistication

Ant: tactlessness, gaucherie, boorishness

Vocab 8

Word / Part of Speech / Definition
aberration / n / A departure from what is proper, right, expected, or normal; a lapse from a sound mental state
Syn: deviation, anomaly, irregularity
Ad hoc / Adj
Adv / For this specific purpose; improvised
With respect to this
Syn: (adj) makeshift
Ant: (adj) permanent, long-standing
bane / n / The source or cause of fatal injury, death, destruction, or ruin; death or ruin itself; poison
Syn: spoiler
Ant: blessing, comfort, solace, balm
bathos / n / The intrusion of commonplace or trite material into a context whose tone is lofty or elevated; grossly insincere or exaggerated sentimentality; the lowest phase, nadir, anticlimax, comedown
Syn: mawkishness, mush, schmaltz
cantankerous / adj / Ill-tempered; quarrelsome; difficult to get along or deal with
Syn: cranky, testy, peevish, irascible, ornery
Ant: good-natured, sweet-tempered, genial
casuistry / n / The determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by the application of general ethical principles; specious argument
Syn: sophistry, quibbling
De facto / Adj
Adv / Actually existing or in effect, although not legally required or sanctioned
In reality or actually
Syn: in actuality, in point of fact
Ant: de jure, by right
depredation / n / The act of preying upon or plundering
Syn: looting, pillage, outrage
empathy / n / A sympathetic understanding of or identification with the feelings, thought, or attitudes of someone of something else
Syn: sympathy, compassion
Ant: insensitivity, callousness, detachment
harbinger / N
V / A forerunner, herald
To herald the approach of
Syn: (n) precursor; (v) to herald the approach of
hedonism / n / The belief that the attainment of pleasure is life’s chief aim; devotion to or pursuit of pleasure
Syn: pleasure seeking, sensuality, sybaritism
Ant: asceticism, Puritanism, self-denial
lackluster / adj / Lacking brilliance or vitality; dull
Syn: vapid, insipid, drab, flat
Ant: brilliant, radiant, dazzling
malcontent / Adj
n / Discontent with or in open defiance of prevailing conditions
Such a person who is discontent with the situation
Syn: (adj) dissatisfied, disgruntled; (n) grumbler
Ant: (adj) satisfied, contented, complacent, smug
mellifluous / adj / Flowing sweetly or smoothly; honeyed
Syn: euphonious, musical
Ant: shrill, strident, harsh, grating
nepotism / n / Undue favoritism to or excessive patronage of one’s relatives
pander / V
n / To cater to or provide satisfaction for the low tastes or vices of others
A person who caters or provides satisfaction for other’s low tastes or vices
Syn: (v) indulge (n) pimp, procurer
peccadillo / n / A minor sin or offense; a trifling fault or shortcoming
Syn: indiscretion
Ant: felony, mortal sin, enormity, atrocity
Piece de resistance / n / The principal dish of a meal; the principal event, incident, or item; an outstanding accomplishment
Syn: centerpiece, chef d’oeuvre
Ant: preliminary, hors d’oeuvre
remand / v / To send or order back; in law, to rend back to jail or to a lower court
Syn: remit, return
Ant: forward to, send on, release
syndrome / n / A group of symptoms or signs that collectively characterize or indicate a disease, disorder, abnormality
Syn: complex, pattern

English 4 Vocab. Unit 9

beautitude / (n.) A state of perfect happiness or blessedness
Syn.: bliss, rapture
Ant.: misery, despair
bete noire / (n.) Someone or something that one especially dislikes, dreads, or avoids
Syn.: pet peeve, bugbear, nemesis
Ant.: pet, idol
bode / (v.) To be an omen of; to indicate by signs
Syn.: presage, augur, foreshadow
dank / (adj.) unpleasantly damp or wet
Syn.: clammy, moist, soggy
Ant.: dry, arid, parched, desiccated
ecumenical / (adj.) worldwide or universal in influence or application
Syn.: general, comprehensive
Ant.: parochial, regional, insular
fervid / (adj.) burning with enthusiasm or zeal; extremely heated
Syn.: ardent, zealous, fervent, earnest
Ant.: apathetic, indifferent, cool, blasé
fetid / (adj.) having an unpleasant or offensive odor
Syn.: smell, putrid, noisome, foul, malodorous
Ant.: fragrant, aromatic, perfumed, sweet
gargantuan / (adj.) of immense size, volume, or capacity; enormous
Syn.: huge, colossal, mammoth, gigantic
Ant.: tiny, minuscule, infinitesimal, dwarfish
heyday / (n.) the period of greatest power, vigor, success, or influence; the prime years
Syn.: golden age
Ant.: formative years, twilight years, decline
incubus / (n.) a demon or evil spirit supposed to haunt human beings in their bedrooms at night; anything that oppresses or weighs upon one, like a nightmare
Syn.: hobgoblin, millstone, burden
infrastructure / (n.) a basic foundation or framework; a system of public works; the resources and facilities required for an activity; permanent military installation
Syn.: base, basis, underpinning
Ant.: superstructure
inveigle / (v.) to entice, lure, or snare by flattery or artful inducements; to obtain or acquire by artifice
Syn.: induce, beguile, cajole, wheedle
kudos / (n.) the acclaim, prestige, or renown that comes as a result of some action or achievement
Syn.: glory, praise, accolades
Ant.: boos, disapproval, condemnation
lagniappe / (n.) an extra or unexpected gift or gratuity
Syn.: bonus
prolix / (adj.) long-winded and wordy; tending to speak or write in such a way
Syn.: verbose, garrulous
Ant.: terse, laconic, succinct, pithy
protégé / (n.) someone whose welfare, training, or career is under the patronage or an influential person; someone under the jurisdiction of a foreign country or government
Syn.: ward, charge, disciple, trainee
Ant.: sponsor, mentor, benefactor
prototype / (n.) an original pattern or model; a primitive or ancestral form
Syn.: archetype
Ant.: copy, imitation
sychophant / (n.) someone who attempts to win favors or advance himself or herself by flattery or servile behavior; a slanderer, defamer
Syn.: yes-man, toady, flunky, bootlicker (“kiss-up”, “brown-noser”)
tautology / (n.) needless repetition or an idea by using different but equivalent words; a redundancy (i.e. the traumatic experience was traumatizing; or “wet water”)
Syn.: pleonasm
truckle / (v.) to yield or submit tamely or submissively
Syn.: kowtow, stoop, grovel
Ant.: resist, defy, stand up to