ACT vocab 4, ACT vocab 5, ACT vocab 6

anomaly

a deviation from the norm; an off or peculiar occurrence synonym: eccentricity; irregularity; oddity The sailor immediately notified the captain when he saw an ___ on the sonar screen.

imbroglio

a difficult and embarrassing situation synonym: predicament antonym: peace; serenity His infatuation with a married co-worker led to an ___ at the office picnic.

compendium

a list or collection of items synonym: compilation; index; anthology Jen perused a ___ of antique toys to find the value of an old doll.

preamble

a preliminary statement; an introduction synonym: prologue; preface; opening antonym: epilogue; finale After reciting a long-winded ____, the lawyer finally presented some pertinent facts.

catharsis

a release of emotional tension synonym: purgation The movie lacked a ____ because the villain received no punishment.

scullion

a servant for menial tasks synonym: peon; toiler antonym: patrician; aristocrat ____ scrubbed the castle floors for hours prior to the king's feast.

coterie

a small group of people who share interests and meet frequently synonym: circle; clique; society Virginia Woolf was a member of the Bloomsbury Group, a ___ of English authors respected for its talent, but ridiculed for its arrogance.

kudos

acclaim or praise synonym: honor; distinction antonym: disapproval; rejection The director of the successful new musical won ___ from most critics.

consternation

alarming dismay or concern synonym: bewilderment; shock; trepidation antonym: composure; tranquility The announcement of a pop quiz cause ____ among the students.

accoutrement

an accessory item of dress or equipment synonym: device; gear Various ___ dangled from the workbelt of the telephone repairman.

maxim

an established principle; a truth or rule of conduct synonym: axiom: apothegm; proverb The coach frequently spoke the ___, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link."

plethora

an overabundance; excess synonym: surplus antonym: deficiency; shortage The library has a ____ of information about most any subject imaginable.

haughty

condescendingly proud; arrogant synonym: conceited; snobbish; supercilious antonym: humble; modest The ___ boy thought that his family's wealth made him better than other students.

flippancy

disrespect synonym: irreverence; rudeness; impertinence antonym: respect; reverence His ___ in class often got him sent to the office.

efficacious

effective; producing the desired outcome synonym: productive: useful antonym: ineffective The shot of adrenaline was ____ in restarting the victim's heart.

quotidian

everyday; commonplace synonym: ordinary; routine antonym: rare; uncommon Earthquakes were ___ events for people living near the volcano.

antediluvian

extremely old; antiquated synonym: ancient; archaic antonym: modern; new Especially tall structures were rare in the ancient world because ____ architecture could not withstand the enormous forces.

innocuous

harmless synonym: inoffensive; innocent antonym: injurious The assassin wore a disguise and a smile to make himself look like an ___ old man.

vitriolic

harsh in tone; bitterly critical synonym: caustic; offensive; scathing antonym: flattering; genial The critic's ___ review of the new film prompted thousands of letters praising the movie.

incongruous

incompatible; unsuitable for the situation synonym: discordant; improper antonym: compatible; fitting Ed's ___ joke about policemen ensured he would get a speeding ticket.

sybaritic

marked by luxury or pleasure synonym: luxurious; ostentatious; grandiose antonym: modest; simple; plain Ice sculptures, massive chandeliers, and live entertainment were commonplace at Loren's ____ parties.

internecine

mutually destructive antonym: constructive; beneficial The ___ battle resulted in thousands of casualties, but neither side gained new land.

sectarian

narrowly confined to a particular group synonym: insular; dogmatic antonym: tolerant Members of the ___ cult gave no thought to the beliefs of outsiders.

platitude

obvious remark; a cliche synonym: maxim; truism; banality The two candidates offered plenty of ___, but no practical solutions.

intrinsic

of or relation to a thing's basic nature; inherent synonym: basic; elemental; inborn antonym: extrinsic Humans have an ____ desire to be loved.

apocryohal

of questionable authenticity, but widely believed synonym: dubious; equivocal; spurious antonym: genuine; authentic Modern historians dismiss the ___ story that George Washington cut down a cherry tree.

hubris

overbearing pride; arrogance synonym: conceit; smugness; pompousness antonym: humility; modesty ___ is the character flaw found in many tragic heroes.

eidetic

pertaining to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall synonym: vivid antonym: vague The author attempted to describe the ___ scene in his head.

crepuscular

pertaining to twilight That species of trout has ____ feeding habits, so you'll catch the most as daybreak or sunset.

risible

relating to laughter; laughable synonym: comical; jocular; jocund antonym: grave; solemn The ____ statement made by the gentleman in the front row was completely ridiculous, but it was amusing.

stringent

restrictive; imposing demanding standards synonym: severe; rigid; inflexible antonym: lenient; flexible The dynamite factory imposed ____ safety rules to prevent any catastrophe.

putrid

rotten and foul smelling synonym: fetid; rancid; malodorous antonym: aromatic; fragrant We rolled up the car windows to escape the ____ smell of a dead skunk on the road.

sanctimonious

showing false piety or righteousness synonym: hypocritical; specious antonym: humble; modest The ____ landlord made public contributions to charities, but threatened his tenants with eviction if the did not pay on time.

servile

submissive; slavish synonym: subservient; ignoble antonym: haughty; domineering The ____ dog cowered before its intimidating master.

estrange

to alienate synonym: disaffect; antagonize antonym: unite, endear Jill's overbearing mother-in-law ___ Jill from her husband

disconcert

to frustrate; confuse synonym: agitate; fluster; perplex antonym: enlighten; comfort; encourage The lengthy calculus problem on the quiz ___ Nancy.

comprise

to include or consist of; contain synonym: constitute; encompass; incorporate antonym: exclude; lack Canada ___ ten provinces and three territories.

expiate

to make amends for synonym: atone; correct; rectify Jonny mowed the neighbors' lawn free of charge all summer to ___ the guilt he felt for breaking their front window with a baseball.

inundate

to overwhelm; to full beyond capacity synonym: flood; overwhelm Callers ____ the radio station with requests for the popular new song.

foist

to pass off as genuine or valuable synonym: fob The secret service arrested the man who ___ counterfeit $20 bills off on the unsuspecting country.

contrive

to plan cleverly; to devise synonym: concoct; design; engineer After four days in captivity, Steve ___ an escape plan that could not fail.

prognosticate

to predict synonym: forecast; foreshadow Meteorologist are attempting to ___ the path of the hurricane.

revere

to regard with respect, awe, or adoration synonym: venerate; respect; honor antonym: revile Alexander the Great's soldier ___ their leader because he led the troops into every battle.

venerate

to respect of revere synonym: glorify; treasure antonym: abhor; despise Young scholars often ___ the ideas of the great philosophers.

peregrination

travel by walking synonym: trekking; exploration Vince planned a summer of ____ throughout Europe.