Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop Level G Unit 8

macabre

(adj.) grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject (syn.) grotesque, grim, ghoulish

irrefutable

(adj.) impossible to disprove; beyond argument (syn.) indisputable, incontrovertible, undeniable (ant.) disputable, indefensible, untenable

lackadaisical

(adj.) lacking spirit or interest, halfhearted (syn.) listless, indolent, indifferent, lax (ant.) energetic, vigorous, wholehearted

saturnine

(adj.) of a gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood (syn.) sullen, morose (ant.) lighthearted, cheerful, vivacious

fatuous

(adj.) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way (syn.) silly, vapid, inane, doltish, vacuous (ant.) sensible, intelligent, perceptive, bright

arrant

(adj.) thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant (syn.) egregious, unmitigated

juggernaut

(n.) a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path

litany

(n.) a prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternating with responses from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list (syn.) rigmarole, catalog, megillah

paucity

(n.) an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth (syn.) lack (ant.) abundance, glut, plenitude, deluge

badinage

(n.) light and playful conversation (syn.) banter, persiflage, repartee (ant.) sermon

echelon

(n.) one of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a step-like formation or arrangement (syn.) level, rank

allege

(v.) to assert without proof or confirmation (syn.) claim, contend (ant.) prove, deny

countermand

(v.) to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first (syn.) recall, revoke (ant.) reaffirm, reassert

slough

(v.) to cast off, discard; to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud; (n.) a mire; a state of depression (syn.) shed, slog (ant.) take on, acquire, assume

portend

(v.) to indicate beforehand that something is about to happen; to give advance warning of (syn.) bode, foretell, foreshadow, suggest

exacerbate

(v.) to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful (syn.) aggravate, intensify, worsen (ant.) alleviate, mitigate, ameliorate

conciliate

(v.) to overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease, pacify; to reconcile, make consistent (syn.) placate, mollify, propitiate (ant.) antagonize, alienate, estrange

saturate

(v.) to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity; to satisfy fully (syn.) permeate, drench, flood, imbue (ant.) drain

raze

(v.) to tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out (syn.) pull down, demolish, shave off (ant.) build, construct, raise, erect

recant

(v.) to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract (syn.) repudiate, disavow (ant.) reaffirm, reassert