9th Grade Vocabulary - Unit 12

autocratic

(adj) absolute in power or authority. Sentence: For many years, the island was under the ___________ control of a dictator. Synonyms: domineering, dictatorial, tyrannical, bossy. Antonyms: democratic, egalitarian, lenient, permissive, indulgent.

lithe

(adj) bending easily, limber. Sentence: The burly linebacker was as _____________ as a ballet dancer. synonyms: flexible, pliant, lissome. antonyms: rigid, inflexible

irreverent

(adj) disrespectful. Sentence: The student's ___________ comments show a lack of respect for people in authority. synonyms: profane, impious, sacrilegious. antonyms: awed, respectful, devout, pious, deferential

subversive

(adj) intended to undermine or overthrow. Sentence: The underground movement circulated __________ pamphlets that criticized the government. synonyms: traitorous antonyms: patriotic, loyal, true-blue. (n) one who advocates or attempts to undermine a political system. Sentence: The Alien and Sedition Acts enacted in 1798 gave the U.S. president the power to deport any noncitizen deemed a ______________. synonyms: a revolutionary

humane

(adj) kind, merciful. Sentence: The ____________ legal code of Hammurabi, king of Babylonia, was ahead of its time in seeking justice for the weak and the oppressed. synonyms: sympathetic, compassionate, kindhearted. antonyms: cruel, merciless, unfeeling, brutal, heartless

synthetic

(adj) made or put together by people. Sentence: Sometimes only a jeweler can detect the difference between an expensive ____________ gem and a natural stone. synonyms: artificial, ersatz antonyms: natural, genuine. (n) something artificial. Sentence: Nylon, rayon, and polyester are all __________ that have revolutionized the textile industry.

temperate

(adj) mild, moderate. Sentence: It's impossible to have a _____________ discussion with a hotheaded person. synonyms: composed, balanced, mellow, fair. antonyms: immoderate, extreme, excessive, harsh

laborious

(adj) not easy, requiring hard work, hardworking. Sentence: After cleaning the gutters, we moved on to the ______________ task of raking and bagging the leaves. synonyms: arduous, difficult, strenuous, wearisome. antonyms: easy, effortless, facile

concerted

(adj) planned or performed in cooperation with others. Sentence: Teenagers and adult, northerners and southerners alike, participated in a ________________ drive to register new voters. synonyms: cooperative, combined, consolidated. antonyms: unorganized, unilateral, diffused

venomous

(adj) poisonous; spiteful, mean. Sentence: Only after we had rushed the child to the emergency room did we learn that he's been bitten by a ___________ spider. synonyms: nasty, malicious, virulent, malevolent. antonyms: harmless, innocuous, benign

wily

(adj) sly, shrewd, cunning. Sentence: The fur trappers of colonial North America were known to be ____________ traders. Synonyms: tricky, artful, foxy, cagey. Antonyms: dull-witted, dense, straightforward

brawny

(adj) strong, muscular. Sentence: In Arthurian legend, one ____________ knight after another tries to pull the sword Excalibar from the stone, but none succeed. synonyms: broad-shouldered, strapping, burly. antonyms: slight, frail, puny

appreciable

(adj) sufficient to be noticed or measured. Sentence: The injured woman lost an ___________ amount of blood before the paramedics arrived. Synonyms: detectable, considerable. Antonyms: slight, trivial, inconsequential, negligible

intolerable

(adj) unbearable. Sentence: To a perfectionist, mediocrity is more than unacceptable; it is simply ________________. synonyms: insufferable, outrageous. antonyms: pleasant, pleasing

illustrious

(adj) very famous, distinguished. Sentence: As a student of world politics, I would be thrilled to meet an ____________ member of Parliament. synonyms: eminent, renowned, prominent, celebrated. antonyms: unknown, obscure, nameless, anonymous

blasphemy

(n) an act, utterance, or writing showing contempt for something sacred. Sentence: Galileo was accused of _________ for asserting that the sun, and not the earth, is the center of the universe. synonyms: curse, profanity, imprecation antonyms: veneration, devotion, respect

maltreat

(v) to abuse, use roughly or crudely. Sentence: The candidate pledged to shut down any factory or manufacturing plant found to ___________ workers. synonyms: misuse, mistreat, harm. antonyms: coddle, pamper, indulge

ponder

(v) to consider carefully, reflect on. Sentence: I need time to ____________ all of my options before deciding how to spend the summer. synonyms: ruminate, contemplate

contend

(v) to fight, struggle; to compete; to argue. Sentence: I enjoy watching the four major tennis tournaments in which brilliant players _____________ for the "grand slam" titles. synonyms: battle, vie, maintain, assert. antonyms: yield, acquiesce, submit, relinquish

blanch

(v) to remove the color from; to make or turn pale; to parboil. Sentence: Even the veteran rescue worker ______________upon seeing the crash sight. synonyms: bleach, drain, wash out, go white. antonyms: color, dye, infuse, blush, flush