Vocabulary Workshop Level F Unit 1-9

salutary

(adj) beneficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome. SYN: salubrious, curative. ANT: detrimental, deleterious, pernicious

scathing

(adj) bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm. SYN: searing, harsh, ferocious, savage. ANT: bland, mild

intemperate

(adj) immoderate, lacking in self-control; inclement. SYN: excessive, extreme, unrestrained, inordinate. ANT: moderate, restrained, cool and collected

squeamish

(adj) inclined to nausea; easily shocked or upset; excessively fastidious or refined. SYN: nauseated, queasy, delicate, oversensitive, priggish

redoubtable

(adj) inspiring fear or awe; illustrious, eminent. SYN: formidable, fearsome, awesome, august. ANT: laughable, risible, contemptible

amnesty

(n) a general pardon for an offense against a government; in general, any act of forgiveness or absolution

avarice

(n) a greedy desire, particularly for wealth. SYN: cupidity, rapacity, acquisitiveness

propensity

(n) a natural inclination or predilection toward. SYN: natural bent, proclivity, penchant. ANT: natural incapacity or inability

precept

(n) a rule of conduct or action. SYN: principle, maxim

caveat

(n) a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior. SYN: admonition, word to the wise

gauntlet

(n) an armored or protective glove; a challenge; two lines of men armed with weapons with which to beat a person forced to run between them; an ordeal. SYN: dare, provocation, trial, punishment

consternation

(n) dismay, confusion. SYN: shock, amazement, bewilderment, dismay. ANT: clam, composure, aplomb

autonomy

(n.) self-government, political control. SYN: home rule. ANT: dependence, subjection, colonial status

debase

(v) to lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade, adulterate; to cause to deteriorate. SYN: cheapen, corrupt, demean, depreciate. ANT: elevate, uplift, improve, enhance

abate

(v) to make less in amount, degree, etc.; to subside, become less; to nullify; to deduct, omit. SYN: diminish, decrease, subside, let up. ANT: intensify, increase, magnify, wax

flout

(v) to mock, treat with contempt. SYN: scoff at, sneer at, snicker at, scorn. ANT: obey, honor, revere, uphold

resilient

(adj) able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly. SYN: springy, elastic, buoyant, bouncy. ANT: rigid. stiff, inflexible, unyielding

hypothetical

(adj) based on an assumption or guess; used as a provisional or tentative idea to guide or direct investigation. SYN: assumed, supposed, conjectural, conditional. ANT: actual, real, tested, substantiated

nebulous

(adj) cloudlike, resembling a cloud; cloudy in color, not transparent; vague, confused, indistinct. SYN: hazy, fuzzy, cloudy, vague, murky, opague, indeterminate

crass

(adj) coarse, unfeeling; stupid. SYN: crude, vulgar, tasteless, oafish, obtuse. ANT: refined, elegant, tasteful, polished, brilliant

scurrilous

(adj) coarsely abusive, vulgar or low (especially in language), foul-mouthed. SYN: obscene, filthy, abusive, vituperative. ANT: decorous, seemly, tasteful, dignified

egregious

(adj) conspicuous, standing out from the mass. SYN: glaring, flagrant, blatant. ANT: unnoticeable, paltry, piddling

affable

(adj) courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to. SYN: genial, amicable, agreeable, cordial. ANT: surly, cantankerous, dour, inhospitable

culpable

(adj) deserving blame, worthy of condemnation. SYN: guilty, delinquent, peccant, blameworthy. ANT: blameless, innocent, laudable, meritorious

vapid

(adj) dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force. SYN: insipid, lifeless, colorless. ANT: zesty, spicy, savory, colorful, lively

straitlaced

(adj) extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish, puritanical. SYN: highly conventional, overly strict, stuffy. ANT: lax, loose, indulgent, permissive, dissolute

equitable

(adj) fair, just, embodying principles of justice. SYN: right, reasonable, evenhanded. ANT: unjust, unfair, one-sided, disproportionate

corpulent

(adj) fat; having a large, bulky body. SYN: overweight, heavy, obese, stout, portly. ANT: slender, lean, spare, gaunt, emaciated

sepulchral

(adj) funereal, typical of the tomb; extremely gloomy or dismal. SYN: doleful, lugubrious, mortuary

grandiose

(adj) grand in an impressive or stately way, marked by pompous affectation or grandeur, absurdly exaggerated. SYN: majestic, bombastic, highfalutin. ANT: simple, modest, unaffected, humble

dispassionate

(adj) impartial; calm, free from emotion. SYN: unbiased, disinterested, cool, detached. ANT: committed, engaged, partial biased

torpid

(adj) inactive, sluggish, dull. SYN: sluggish, lethargic, otiose, languid. ANT: energetic, dynamic, vigorous

transient

(adj) lasting only a short time, fleeting; (n) one who stays only a short time. SYN: impermanent, ephemeral, evanescent. ANT: permanent, imperishable, immortal

unwieldy

(adj) not easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity. SYN: cumbersome, bulky, clumsy, impractical. ANT: manageable, easy to handle

vulnerable

(adj) open to attack; capable of being wounded or damaged; unprotected. SYN: defenseless, exposed, unguarded. ANT: invincible, protected, safe, secure

susceptible

(adj) open to; easily influenced; lacking in resistance. SYN: vulnerable, receptive, impressionable. ANT: resistant, immune

erudite

(adj) scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic. SYN: profoundly educated, well-read. ANT: ignorant, uneducated, illiterate

axiomatic

(adj) self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle or rule. SYN: taken for granted. ANT: questionable, dubious, controversial

austere

(adj) severe or stern in manner; without adornment or luxury, simple, plain; harsh or sour in flavor. SYN: forbidding, rigorous, puritanical, ascetic, unadorned, subdued. ANT: mild, indulgent, luxurious, flamboyant

amorphous

(adj) shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion. SYN: formless, unstructured, nebulous, inchoate. ANT: definite, well-defined, clear-cut

astute

(adj) shrewd, crafty, showing practical wisdom. SYN: shrewd, acute, sagacious, judicious, wily. ANT: obtuse, doltish, empty-headed, dumb

acrimonious

(adj) stinging, bitter in temper or tone. SYN: biting, caustic, rancorous, hostile, peevish. ANT: gentle, warm, mild, friendly, cordial

stalwart

(adj) strong and sturdy; brave; resolute; (n) a brave, strong person; a strong supporter; one who takes an uncompromising position. SYN: sturdy, stout, intrepid, valiant, mainstay. ANT: weak, infirm, irresolute, vacillating

subservient

(adj) subordinate in capacity or role; submissively obedient; serving to promote some end. SYN: secondary, servile, obsequious, useful. ANT: primary, principal, bossy, domineering

fractious

(adj) tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable. SYN: refractory, recalcitrant, peevish. ANT: docile, tractable, cooperative

soporific

(adj) tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy; (n) something that induces sleep. SYN: narcotic, anesthetic

dilatory

(adj) tending to delay or procrastinate, not prompt; intended to delay or postpone. SYN: stalling, slow, tardy, laggard. ANT: prompt, punctual, speedy, expeditious

sleazy

(adj) thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethically low, mean, or disreputable. SYN: inferior, cheesy, tawdry, tatty. ANT: superior, first-rate, quality, sturdy

gossamer

(adj) thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; (n) a very thin, light cloth. SYN: flimsy, diaphanous, sheer, airy, feathery, gauzy. ANT: thick, dense, solid, massive

irresolute

(adj) unable to make up one's mind, hesitating. SYN: indecisive, vacillating, wavering. ANT: determined, decisive, unwavering

slovenly

(adj) untidy, dirty, careless. SYN: unkempt, slatternly, slipshod, lax. ANT: neat, tidy, careful, meticulous

evanescent

(adj) vanishing, soon passing away; light and airy. SYN: ephemeral, transient, transitory. ANT: everlasting, immortal, imperishable

punctilious

(adj) very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety. SYN: precise, scrupulous, exacting, fussy, finicky. ANT: careless, negligent, lax, perfunctory

anathema

(n) an object of intense dislike; A curse or strong denunciation (often used adjectivally without the article). SYN: malediction, imprecation, abomination. ANT: benediction, blessing

dissension

(n) disagreement, sharp difference of opinion. SYN: strife, discord, contention. ANT: agreement, accord, harmony

penury

(n) extreme poverty; barrenness, insufficiency. SYN: destitution, want, indigence. ANT: affluence, abundance, luxury, opulence

perfidy

(n) faithlessness, treachery. SYN: betrayal, disloyalty, treason, duplicity. ANT: faithfulness, loyalty, steadfastness

odium

(n) hatred, contempt; disgrace or infamy resulting from hateful conduct. SYN: abhorrence, opprobrium, shame, ignominy. ANT: esteem, admiration, approbation

contraband

(n) illegal traffic, smuggled goods; (adj) illegal, prohibited. SYN: illicit, bootleg, unlawful. ANT: legal, lawful, licit

novice

(n) one who is just a beginner at some activity requiring skill and experience (also used adjectivally). SYN: neophyte, tyro, trainee, apprentice. ANT: veteran, past master, pro, expert

adulation

(n) praise or flattery that is excessive. SYN: adoration, idolization, hero-worship. ANT: ridicule, derision, scorn, odium

supposition

(n) something that is assumed or taken for granted without conclusive evidence. SYN: assumption, presumption, hypothesis

aura

(n) that which surrounds (as an atmosphere); a distinctive air or personal quality. SYN: ambience, atmosphere

restitution

(n) the act of restoring someone or something to the rightful owner or to a former state or position; making good on a loss or damage. SYN: compensation, reimbursement, redress, restoration

relegate

(v) to place in a lower position; to assign, refer, turn over; to banish. SYN: transfer, consign, demote, exile. ANT: promote, elevate, advance, recall

concoct

(v) to prepare by combining ingredients, make up (as a dish); to devise, invent, fabricate. SYN: create, fashion, rustle up

reverberate

(v) to re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly. SYN: rumble, thunder, boom, echo

expurgate

(v) to remove objectionable passages or words from a written text; to cleanse, purify. SYN: purge, censor, bowdlerize

recapitulate

(v) to review a series of facts; to sum up. SYN: review, summarize, sum up, go over

resuscitate

(v) to revive, bring back to consciousness or existence. SYN: revitalize, reanimate, restore, reactivate

pillage

(v) to rob of goods by open force (as in war), plunder; (n) the act of looting; booty. SYN: ravage, sack, loot, booty

equivocate

(v) to speak or act in a way that allows for more than one interpretation; to be deliberately vague or ambiguous. SYN: to talk out of both sides of one's mouth, palter, hedge. ANT: to speak one's mind plainly

filch

(v) to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts. SYN: pilfer, purloin, swipe

prate

(v) to talk a great deal in a foolish or aimless fashion. SYN: chatter, prattle, blab, blabber, palaver. ANT: come to the point, not waste words

scourge

(v) to whip, punish severely; (n) a cause of affliction or suffering; a source of severe punishment or criticism. SYN: flog, beat, bane, plague, pestilence. ANT: godsend, boon, blessing

blazon

(v) to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely. SYN: broadcast, trumpet. ANT: hide, conceal, cover up, bury

remonstrate

(v) to argue or plead with someone against something, protest against, object to. SYN: reason against, expostulate

impugn

(v) to call into question; to attack as false. SYN: challenge, deny, dispute, query, question. ANT: confirm, prove, verify, validate

dissipate

(v) to cause to disappear; to scatter, dispel; to spend foolishly, squander; to be extravagant in pursuit of pleasure. SYN: disperse, strew, diffuse, waste. ANT: gather, collect, conserve, husband

desecrate

(v) to commit sacrilege upon, treat irreverently; to contaminate, pollute. SYN: profane, defile, violate. ANT: revere, honor, venerate, consecrate

disconcert

(v) to confuse; to disturb the composure of. SYN: upset, rattle, ruffle, faze, perturb. ANT: relax, calm, put at ease

disavow

(v) to deny responsibility for or connection with. SYN: disown, disclaim, retract, abjure. ANT: acknowledge, admit, grant, certify

repudiate

(v) to disown, reject, or deny the validity of. SYN: disavow, abjure, renounce. ANT: avow, affirm, aver, avouch

reprove

(v) to find fault with, scold, rebuke. SYN: chide, chastise, upbraid, reproach. ANT: praise, commend, laud, pat on the back

infer

(v) to find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the basis of thought; to hint, suggest, imply. SYN: gather, deduce, presume, guess, speculate

extricate

(v) to free from entanglements or difficulties; to remove with effort. SYN: disentangle, extract, disengage. ANT: enmesh, entangle, involve

aggrandize

(v) to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater. SYN: augment, amplify, enhance, exalt. ANT: reduce, decrease, diminish

mitigate

(v) to make milder or softer, to moderate in force or intensity. SYN: lessen, relieve, alleviate, diminish. ANT: aggravate, intensify, irritate, exacerbate

irrevocable

(adj) incapable of being changed or called back. SYN: irreversible, unrecallable, unalterable. ANT: reversible, changeable

inscrutable

(adj) incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically. SYN: impenetrable, incomprehensible, enigmatic. ANT: comprehensible, intelligible, penetrable

ignoble

(adj) mean, low, base. SYN: inferior, unworthy, dishonorable, sordid. ANT: admirable, praiseworthy, lofty, noble

cadaverous

(adj) pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse. SYN: corpselike, wasted, haggard, emaciated, ghastly. ANT: robust, portly, rosy, the picture of health

querulous

(adj) peevish, complaining, fretful. SYN: petulant, touchy, cranky, irritable. ANT: uncomplaining, stoical, serene, placid

beneficent

(adj) performing acts of kindness or charity; conferring benefits, doing good. SYN: humanitarian, magnanimous, charitable. ANT: selfish, cruel, harmful, deleterious

sedulous

(adj) persistent, showing industry and determination. SYN: assiduous, tireless, indefatigable. ANT: lackadaisical, listless, indolent, otiose

pretentious

(adj) pretending to be important, intelligent or cultured. SYN: inflated, ostentatious, affected. ANT: unassuming, unaffected, modest

insular

(adj) relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience. SYN: narrow-minded, parochial, provincial. ANT: catholic, cosmopolitan, liberal

bovine

(adj) resembling a cow or ox; sluggish, unresponsive. SYN: stolid, dull, slow, stupid. ANT: alert, sharp, bright, keen, quick

inconsequential

(adj) trifling, unimportant. SYN: trivial, negligible, petty, paltry. ANT: important, essential, crucial, vital

infraction

(n) a breaking of a law or obligation. SYN: violation, transgression, breach, offense