English Vocab 3
Impute
v. to attribute or ascribe Syn. accredit, accuse, adduce, ascribe, censure, insinuate, Ant. defend, guard, protect
Impugn
v. to challenge as false; to assail a person by words or arguments; to attack a person physically Syn. assail, contradict, contravene, dispute, question, vilify Ant. flatter, praise
Wheedle
v. to endeavor to influence by smooth, flattering or beguiling words or acts, to persuade a person by such words or acts, to obtain something by artful persuasions Syn. banter, blandish, butter up, cajole, entice, inveigle, persuade
Altruistic
adj. Unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others Syn. benevolent, magnanimous, philanthropic Ant. selfish, unsacrificing
Poignant
adj. keenly distressing to the feelings; keen or strong in mental appeal; affecting or moving the emotions; pungent to the smell Syn. agitating, disturbing, heartbreaking, pathetic, perturbing, piteous, sentimental Ant. calm, numb, pleasant.
Internecine
adj. of or pertaining to conflict or struggle within a group; mutually destructive Syn. civil, domestic, fratricidal
Ostensible
adj. outwardly appearing as such; professed pretended; apparent, evident, or conspicuous Syn. avowed, illusive, plausible, superficial Ant. improbable, obscure, vague
Eclectic
adj. selecting or choosing from various sources; made up of what is selected from difference sources; not following any one system, as of philosophy, medicine, etc., but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems Syn. assorted, heterogeneous, mixed Ant. in comprehensive, specific, particular
Progenitor
n. a biologically related ancestor; a person or thing that first indicates a direction, originates something ,or serves as a model, predecessor, precursor. Syn. ancestor, begetter, parent, predecessor Ant. successor.
Shibboleth
n. a peculiarity or pronunciation, behavior, mode of dress, etc., that distinguishes a particular class or set of persons; a slogan; catchword; a common saying or belief with little current meaning or truth. Syn. catchword, custom, party cry, phrase, practice
Philistine
n. a person who is lacking in or hostile or smugly indifferent to cultural values, intellectual pursuits, aesthetic refinement, or is contentedly commonplace in ideas Syn. barbarian, boorish, brutish, crass, improper Ant. civilized, cultured
Dilettante
n. a person who takes up an art, activity, or subject merely for amusement, especially in a desultory or superficial way; a lover of art or science, especially of a fine art. Syn. dabbling, half-baked, rookie, unskilled Ant. Professional
Philologist
n. lover of linguistics, words, and literature Syn. grammatists, rhetorician
Temerity
n. reckless boldness; rashness Syn. assurance, effrontery, imprudence, impudence, indiscretion, presumption. Ant. care, caution, cowardice, forethought
Chicanery
n. trickery or deception by quibbling or sophistry; A quibble or subterfuge used to trick, deceive, or evade Syn. artifice, chicane, duplicity, gambit, stratagem Ant. forthrightness, honesty, truthfulness