Vocab Level H Units 7-9

philistine

(adj.) lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements; (n.) such a person Synonyms: (adj.) boorish, lowbrow; (n.) yahoo Antonyms: (adj.) refined, cultivated; (n.) esthete, highbrow

prolix

(adj.) long-winded and wordy; tending to speak or write in such a way Synonyms: verbose, garrulous Antonyms: terse, laconic, succinct, pithy

queasy

(adj.) nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness; troubled Synonym: unsettled Antonyms: calm, untroubled, confident

gargantuan

(adj.) of immense size, volume, or capacity; enormous, prodigious Synonyms: huge, colossal, mammoth, gigantic Antonyms: tiny, minuscule, infinitesimal, dwarfish

fastidious

(adj.) overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted Synonyms: precise, meticulous, exacting, finicky Antonyms: careless, sloppy, messy, untidy, slovenly

refractory

(adj.) stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure Synonyms: unruly, disobedient, willful, mulish Antonyms: docile, tractable, dutiful, obedient

dank

(adj.) unpleasantly damp or wet Synonyms: clammy, moist, soggy Antonyms: dry, arid, parched, desiccated

ecumenical

(adj.) worldwide or universal in influence or application Synonyms: general, comprehensive Antonyms: parochial, regional, insular

infrastructure

(n.) a basic foundation or framework; a system of public works; the resources and facilities required for an activity; permanent military installations Synonyms: base, basis, underpinning Antonym: superstructure

incubus

(n.) a demon or evil spirit supposed to haunt human beings in their bedrooms at night; anything that oppresses or weighs upon one, like a nightmare Synonyms: hobgoblin, millstone, burden

aberration

(n.) a departure from what is proper, right, expected, or normal; a lapse from a sound mental state Synonyms: deviation, anomaly, irregularity

harbinger

(n.) a forerunner, herald; (v.) to herald the approach of Synonyms: (n.) precursor; (v.) presage Antonyms: (n.) aftermath, epilogue, sequel

syndrome

(n.) a group of symptoms or signs that collectively characterize or indicate a disease, disorder, abnormality, etc. Synonyms: complex, pattern

lampoon

(n.) a malicious satire; (v.) to satirize, ridicule Synonyms: (n.) burlesque; (v.) parody Antonyms: (n.) compliment, flattery, homage

peccadillo

(n.) a minor sin or offense; a trifling fault or shortcoming Synonym: indiscretion Antonyms: felony, mortal sin, enormity, atrocity

abeyance

(n.) a state of being temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside Synonyms: deferment, postponement, suspension

beatitude

(n.) a state of perfect happiness or blessedness; a blessing Synonyms: bliss, rapture Antonyms: misery, despair

cataclysm

(n.) a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge Synonyms: disaster, catastrophe

empathy

(n.) a sympathetic understanding of or identification with the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of someone or something else Synonyms: sympathy, compassion Antonyms: insensitivity, callousness, detachment

nemesis

(n.) an agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival Synonyms: comeuppance, avenger Antonyms: guardian angel, ally, patron

lagniappe

(n.) an extra or unexpected gift or gratuity Synonym: bonus

prototype

(n.) an original pattern or model; a primitive or ancestral form Synonym: archetype Antonyms: copy, imitation

eclat

(n.) dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance (of performance or achievement) Synonym: celebrity Antonyms: dullness, insipidity, mediocrity

carte blanche

(n.) full freedom or authority to act at ones own discretion Synonyms: blank check, free rein

bete noire

(n.) someone or something that one especially dislikes, dreads, or avoids Synonyms: pet peeve, bugbear, nemesis Antonyms: pet, idol

sycophant

(n.) someone who attempts to win favors or advance him- or herself by flattery or servile behavior; a slanderer, defamer Synonyms: yes-man, toady, flunky, bootlicker

protege

(n.) someone whose welfare, training, or career is under the patronage of an influential person; someone under the jurisdiction of a foreign country or government Synonyms: ward, charge, disciple, trainee Antonyms: sponsor, mentor, benefactor

savoir-faire

(n.) the ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence Synonyms: tact, finesse, suavity, sophistication Antonyms: tactlessness, gaucherie, boorishness

kudos

(n.) the acclaim, prestige, or renown that comes as a result of some action or achievement Synonyms: glory, praise, accolades Antonyms: boos, disapproval, condemnation

depredation

(n.) the act of preying upon or plundering Synonyms: looting, pillage, outrage

hedonism

(n.) the belief that the attainment of pleasure is life's chief aim; devotion to or pursuit of pleasure Synonyms: pleasure seeking, sensuality, sybaritism Antonyms: asceticism, puritanism, self-denial

bathos

(n.) the intrusion of commonplace or trite material into a context whose tone is lofty or elevated; grossly insincere or exaggerated sentimentality; the lowest phase, nadir; an anticlimax, comedown Synonyms: mawkishness, mush, schmaltz

heyday

(n.) the period of greatest power, vigor, success, or influence; the prime years Synonym: golden age Antonyms: formative years, twilight years, decline

piece de resistance

(n.) the principal dish of a meal; the principal event, incident, or item; an outstanding accomplishment Synonyms: centerpiece, chef d'oeuvre Antonyms: preliminary, hors d'oeuvre

bane

(n.) the source or cause of fatal injury, death, destruction, or ruin; death or ruin itself; poison Synonyms: spoiler, bete noire Antonyms: blessing, comfort, solace, balm

nepotism

(n.) undue favoritism to or excessive patronage of one's relatives

casuistry

(n.)the determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by the application of general ethical principles; specious argument Synonyms: sophistry, quibbling

bode

(v.) to be an omen of; to indicate by signs Synonyms: presage, augur, foreshadow

pander

(v.) to cater to or provide satisfaction for the low tastes or vices of others; (n.) a person who does this Synonyms: (v.) indulge; (n.) pimp, procurer

debauch

(v.) to corrupt morally, seduce; to indulge in dissipation; (n.) an act or occasion of dissipation or vice Synonyms: (v.) carouse, (n.) spree, orgy Antonyms: (v.) elevate, uplift, inspire, purify

inveigle

(v.) to entice, lure, or snare by flattery or artful inducements; to obtain or acquire by artifice Synonyms: induce, beguile, cajole, wheedle

gambol

(v.) to jump or skip about playfully Synonyms: frolic, romp, cavort, caper Antonyms: lumber, trudge, plod

beleaguer

(v.) to set upon from all sides; to surround with an army; to trouble, harass Synonyms: besiege, encircle, pester

imbue

(v.) to soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind Synonyms: infuse, instill, inculcate Antonyms: remove, expunge, eradicate, erase

truckle

(v.) to yield or submit tamely or submissively Synonyms: kowtow, stoop, grovel Antonyms: resist, defy, stand up to

tautology

(n.) needless repetition of an idea by using different but equivalent words; a redundancy Synonym: pleonasm

opt

(v.) to make a choice or decision Synonyms: choose, select, decide

remand

(v.) to send or order back; in law, to send back to jail or to a lower court Synonyms: remit, return Antonyms: forward to, send on, release

de facto

(adj.) actually existing or in effect, although not legally required or sanctioned; (adv.) in reality, actually Synonyms: in actuality, in point of fact Antonyms: de jure, by right

fervid

(adj.) burning with enthusiasm or zeal; extremely heated Synonyms: ardent, zealous, fervent, earnest Antonyms: apathetic, indifferent, cool, blase

malleable

(adj.) capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced Synonyms: pliable, impressionable, adaptable Antonyms: rigid, inflexible, unyielding, intractable

malcontent

(adj.) discontented with or in open defiance of prevailing conditions; (n.) such a person Synonyms: (adj.) dissatisfied, disgruntled; (n.) grumbler Antonyms: (adj.) satisfied, contented, complacent, smug

mellifluous

(adj.) flowing sweetly or smoothly; honeyed Synonyms: euphonious, musical Antonyms: shrill, strident, harsh, grating

ad hoc

(adj.) for this specific purpose; improvised; (adv.) with respect to this Synonym: (adj.) makeshift Antonyms: (adj.) permanent, long-standing

fetid

(adj.) having an unpleasant or offensive odor Synonyms: smelly, putrid, noisome, foul, malodorous Antonyms: fragrant, aromatic, perfumed, sweet

ambivalent

(adj.) having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something Synonyms: equivocal, ambiguous, of two minds Antonyms: unequivocal, unambiguous, clear-cut

cantankerous

(adj.) ill-tempered, quarrelsome; difficult to get along or deal with Synonyms: cranky, testy, peevish, irascible, ornery Antonyms: good-natured, sweet-tempered, genial

picaresque

(adj.) involving or characteristic of clever roues or adventurers Synonyms: roguish, rascally, rakish

inchoate

(adj.) just beginning; not fully shaped or formed Synonyms: incipient, embryonic, rudimentary Antonyms:mature, developed, complete

lackluster

(adj.) lacking brilliance or vitality; dull Synonyms: vapid, insipid, drab, flat Antonyms: brilliant, radiant, dazzling