Sadlier Oxford Level H Unit 15

Didactic

(adj.) intended to instruct, especially morally; inclined to moralize too much Synonyms: educational, instructional, moralistic

Disingenuous

(adj.) lacking in sincerity or candor Synonyms: artful, sly, two-faced, insincere

Unconscionable

(adj.) not guided or restrained by conscience, prudence, or reason; unscrupulous; immoderate Synonyms: unjustifiable, indefensible, unforgivable

Contumacious

(adj.) obstinately or willfully disobedient; openly rebellious Synonyms: impudent, unruly, defiant, refractory

Ascetic

(adj.) practicing strict self-denial for the sake of personal or spiritual discipline; (n.) one who leads a life of self-discipline, especially to express religious devotion Synonyms: (adj.) austere, spartan; (n.) celibate

Faux pas

(n.) a slip in manners or conduct; a social blunder Synonyms: indiscretion, gaffe

Bauble

(n.) a small, showy ornament of little value or use Synonyms: trifle, gewgaw, knickknack, bagatelle

Jeremaid

(n.) an elaborate or prolonged lamentation; any tale of woe

Curmudgeon

(n.) an irascible, churlish person Synonyms: grouch, crank, sorehead, churl

Hauteur

(n.) haughtiness of bearing or attitude Synonyms: conceit, superciliousness, snobbishness

Fustian

(n.) inflated or pretentious language in speech or writing; a cloth made of cotton and flax Synonyms: rant, claptrap, bombast, grandiloquence

Opportunist

(n.) one who makes a practice of taking advantage of circumstances to further his or her own self-interest, regardless of principles or ultimate consequences Synonyms: self-seeker, exploiter

Complement

(n.) something the completes a whole; the quantity or number needed to make up a whole; the full number or allowance; (v.) to complete Synonyms: (n.) balance; (v.) round out

Apotheosis

(n.) the elevation of a person to a divine rank or status; the glorification of a person as an ideal; a glorified ideal Synonyms: deification

Exculpate

(v.) to clear of guilt or blame Synonyms: absolve, exonerate, acquit

Fulminate

(v.) to denounce or condemn vehemently; to explode, detonate Synonyms: rail, inveigh

Beguile

(v.) to mislead or deceive; to cheat; to divert; to cause to vanish unnoticed Synonyms: delude, dupe, lure, while away

Adumbrate

(v.) to outline or sketch broadly; to foreshadow or prefigure; to disclose partially Synonyms: indicate

Burgeon

(v.) to put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; to develop rapidly or suddenly Synonyms: sprout, blossom, bloom, flourish

Inhibit

(v.) to restrain or hold back; to hinder or arrest; to prohibit Synonyms: repress, check, suppress