Vocabulary Unit 8 Building your understanding of vocabulary words will help you better understand a word’s meaning when reading.

Word Analysis Learning Goal: Identify the part of speech, definition, synonyms, and antonyms in order to use the word correctly in context.

affluence Part of speech: noun Definition: wealth, riches, prosperity; great abundance, plenty Synonyms: opulence (great wealth/luxuriousness) Antonyms: poverty, want, destitution (extreme poverty), scarcity Education, hard work, and a very strong desire to succeed can raise a person from poverty to affluence.

arrears Part of speech: noun Definition: unpaid or overdue debts; an unfinished duty Synonyms: in default, in the red, late, overdue Bad spending habits and unexpected expenses left my aunt in arrears.

cascade Part of speech: noun and verb Definition: a steep, narrow waterfall; something falling or rushing forth in quantity; (v) to flow downward (like a waterfall) Synonyms: plunge, rush, tumble Antonym: dribble, drop (v) trickle, ooze We were thrilled when we hit the jackpot, which produced a cascade of loudly jangling coins. I watched the clear, sparkling water cascade down the mountainside.

cringe Part of speech: verb Definition: to shrink back or hide in fear or submissiveness Synonyms: flinch, duck, fawn Antonyms: strut, swagger My father told me to be brave and not to cringe when the doctor vaccinated me.

crotchety Part of speech: adjective Definition: cranky, ill-tempered; full of odd whims Synonyms: grumpy, grouchy, crabby, disagreeable Antonyms: sociable, friendly, agreeable, amiable It is unfortunate that the teacher asked me to work with the most crotchety partner in the class.

immobile Part of speech: adjective Definition: not movable; not moving Synonyms: fixed, unmoving Antonym: movable, nimble, agile (able to move quickly and easily) Models must remain immobile for a long time in order for an artist to draw or paint them accurately.

impassable Part of speech: adjective Definition: blocked so that nothing can go through Synonyms: closed, impenetrable (impossible to pass through) Antonyms: unblocked, clear Fallen trees formed an impassable barrier across the highway after the storm.

innovation Part of speech: noun Definition: something new, a change; the act of introducing a new method, idea, device Synonyms: novelty, modernization, new wrinkle (a novel idea or technique; trick) Our furnace has an energy-saving innovation that turns the heat on and off at certain intervals.

jovial Part of speech: adjective Definition: good-humored, in high spirits; merry Synonyms: jolly, cheerful, festive Antonyms: gloomy, morose (ill-tempered), melancholy (sad), cheerless My jovial friend is very entertaining and is always the life of the party.

manacle Part of speech: noun and verb Definition: a handcuff, anything that chains or confines; (v) to chain or restrain (as with handcuffs) Synonyms: put in chains, fetter (chains to restrain the ankles) Antonyms: unchain, set free, emancipate, release The kidnappers clamped manacles on their frightened hostages. The guards manacled the uncooperative prisoner to the chair.

martial Part of speech: adjective Definition: warlike, found of fighting, relating to war, the army, or military life Synonyms: hostile, bellicose (demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight) Antonyms: peace-loving, pacific, unwarlike The army band plays martial music as the troops formally march past the visiting general.

minimum Part of speech: noun and adjective Definition: the smallest possible amount; (adj) the lowest permissible or possible Synonyms: least Antonyms: maximum, highest, most I need to sleep a minimum of seven hours every night. The minimum age to get a driver’s license in this state is sixteen.

nimble Part of speech: adjective Definition: quick and skillful in movement, agile; clever Synonyms: lively, keen (clear thinking), flexible Antonyms: awkward, clumsy, stiff, inflexible As the nimble climber scaled Mount Everest, it looked as if she was barely exerting any energy at all.

onset Part of speech: noun Definition: the beginning, start (especially of something violent and destructive); an attack, assault Synonyms: outset, commencement Antonyms: conclusion, close, end At the onset of the heavy storm, frightened people ran to find shelter.

partition Part of speech: noun and verb Definition: something that divides (such as a wall); the act of dividing something into parts or sections; (v) to divide or subdivide into parts or shares Synonyms: divider, separation Antonyms: join, combine, consolidate, merge A cloth partition in the study gave each of us some privacy. If you like, we can easily partition the backyard into four separate play areas.

perishable Part of speech: adjective Definition: likely to spoil or decay Synonym: short-lived, fleeting (lasting a very short time) Antonym: long-lasting, undying, permanent You must keep perishable food chilled or they will spoil.

retrieve Part of speech: verb Definition: to find and bring back; get back; to put right, make good Synonyms: regain, fetch, remedy, rectify I don’t relish having to retrieve the tennis balls every time you hit them over the fence!

sinister Part of speech: adjective Definition: appearing evil or dangerous; threatening evil or harm Synonyms: frightening, ominous Antonyms: cheering, encouraging, reassuring, benign A sinister message left on our voicemail made us suspect the caller had the wrong number.

taut Part of speech: adjective Definition: tightly drawn, tense; neat, in good order Synonyms: tight, strained, orderly, shipshape Antonyms: loose, slack, drooping, messy, sloppy A taut chain kept the curious dog away from the swimming pool.

template Part of speech: noun Definition: a pattern, typically in the form of metal, wood, or plastic; something that is used as a model to imitate Synonyms: mock-up, stencil, guide, shape, mold The carpenter created a wooden template for a stair step so that he could easily construct the staircase.