Unit 6 Level H Sadlier Oxford Vocab
something that is portentous is a. awe-inspiring b. alluring c. immense d. miniscule
a
Prior to the Wright brothers' first successful airplane flight in 1903, all of mankind's efforts to fly had been (internecine, abortive)
abortive
antonym of- successful
abortive
her (abortive, contumelious) attempt to ruin our plans was malicious but unsuccessful
abortive
synonym of- premature
abortive
the coach devised a clever strategy, but it proved to be ________ when our team failed to execute it properly
abortive
a touchstone is a(n) a. interior b. criterion c. foresight d. opening
b
antonym of- conceal
bruit
synonym of- broadcast
bruit
i certainly have no intention of turning my back on them simply because it has been _____ about town they are involved in some sort of scandal
bruited
the decline in the value of the company's stock was attributed to the fact that rumors of a contract cancellation had been widely (bruited, vitiated)
bruited
an internecine war is a. abbreviated b. interminable c. deleterious for all d. injurious to a few
c
synonym of- scurrilous
contumelious
the speaker paid no attention to the __________ remarks of a few hecklers in the crowd but went right on with her speech
contumelious
a modulated sound is a. systematic b. divided c. fortified d. adjusted
d
a result that is vitiated is not a. spoiled b. debased c. impeded d. improved
d
my plan to run in the primaries will not be diverted by the (touchstone, dicta) of so-called experts who assert that I have no chance of winning
dicta
it is one thing to offer a personal opinion; it is quite another to issue a(n) ______ as though you are the only one with any knowledge of the subject
dictum
my mother passed on her greatest wisdom with the following (prescience, dictum): treat others the way you want to be treated
dictum
antonym of- displace
ensconce
synonym of- nestled
ensconce
and such are the quirks of fate that there Maria was, after all her mishaps and blunders, firmly _________ as the persident of the firm
ensconced
the cat (ensconced, bruited) herself in the safety behind the coats
ensconced
with her elegance and remarkable feel for style is it any wonder she soon became (modulated, ensconced) as the arbiter of fashion?
ensconced
some people seem to be natural nonconformists; for them (prescience, iconoclasm) is not just a mood or an affection but a way of life
iconoclasm
as she thoroughly enjoys taking potshots at sacred cows, i'd describe her attitude as definitely _________
iconoclastic
Willy-nilly, parents often enter (in medias res, waggishly) into a quarrel between siblings, especially when lasting damage seems about to occur
in medias res
homer's iliad begins (quid pro quo, in medias res) with a dramatic argument between Agamemnon and Achilles during the Trojan War
in medias res
to gain the immediate attention of the reader, the short-story writer sometimes begins a narrative _____________, rather than at the very beginning of events
in medias res
warfare has become too (internecine, saturnalian) to risk
internecine
what we are facing in this organization is not healthy competition among the executives but a(n) ____________ struggle that will destroy the company
internecine
antonym of- skillful
maladroit
if you are so ________ in handling your own personal affairs, how can you presume to advise others how to manage their lives?
maladroit
synonym of- clumsy
maladroit
their efforts to settle the differences between the two factions were so (portentous, maladroit) that what had begun as a rift became a chasm
maladroit
in that situation, I don't know which was more distressing the callous indifference of some of my friends or the (maudlin, contumelious) sympathy of others
maudlin
synonym of- sentimental
maudlin
the deathbead scene might have been effective if it had been played with restraint, but their woefully ham-handed acting turned it into a(n) _________ tearjerker
maudlin
in spite of my extreme nervousness, i made every effort to (modulate, bruit) my voice and speak the first lines in a calm, controlled manner
modulate
while the organizations;s goal is ultimately free trade, each state must have the freedom to (modulate, vitiate) trade based on interests
modulate
though the critic still has nothing good to say about modern art, age and experience have somewhat ________ the intensity of his disapproval
modulated
i felt that i had stated my case with sincerity and conviction but my heart sank when they reacted with a (maladroit, portentous) silence
portentous
in her volume of fairy tales, the great creatures of (portentous, salubrious) size were both gentle giants and dragon
portentous
though the guests at the gala benefit tried to maintain a n air of cheer, the _________ news of the international crisis hung like a pall over the gathering
portentous
for years, churchill's warnings about hitler were dismissed as alarmism; only after the outbreak of ww2 did people appreciate his ________
prescience
synonym of- foresight
prescience
they survived the critical years due to their uncanny (prescience, touchstone) that enabled them to anticipate the moves of their enemies
prescience
The concessions that we are making are manifest but I do not perceive a reasonable (prescience, quid pro quo) from the other side
quid pro quo
how can you expect them to cooperate with us unless they receive some reasonable _______ for their efforts
quid pro quo
in our bored and depressed mood, her buoyant personality had a most _____ effect
salubrious
synonym of- beneficial
salubrious
their cool and detached skepticism now struck me as a(n) (iconoclastic, salubrious) factor in that highly emotionalized situation
salubrious
when the miners arrived with all their back pay and intent upon having fun, our town soon took on the aspect of a frontier (saturnalia, quid pro quo)
saturnalia
a group of elderly people sitting about sipping tea and discussing the weather of scarcely my idea of _______ revelry
saturnalian
a strict sense of honesty, marked by a refusal to take refuge in clever ambiguities, has been the (touchstone, dictum) of my career in politics
touchstone
more than anything else, the ability to create distinctive characters and make them come alive on the page is the ________ of a great novelsit
touchstone
Historians believe that the Civil War had a collective (traumatic, salubrious) impact, which was not healed until a new generation had grown to maturity
traumatic
i was an extremely sensitive child, and the death of my beloved mother certainly had a(n) _______ effect upon me
traumatic
All the snide rumors that have been spread about them do not (vitiate, ensconce) their solid reputation for authentic kindness and decency
vitiate
all the evidence presented at such length by their lawyers does not seriously _______ the case against the accused
vitiate
synonym of- undermine
vitiate
Although those supposedly (abortive, waggish) remarks were dressed in the guise of humor, they betrayed a strong undertone of resentment
waggish
antonym of- dour
waggish
if he would only devote more time in school to serious study and less to _____ pranks, his grades would probably improve
waggish
synonym of- jocular
waggish