Level E Unit 14 Vocabulary Words

1. Alacrity (n.) a cheerful readiness; brisk and eager action Neighbors responded with ALACRITY to the woman’s cries for help. Synonyms: promptness, willingness, dispatch, celerity Antonyms: reluctance, unwillingness, hesitancy

Synonyms: lessen, lighten, allay, mitigate, assuage 2. Alleviate (v.) to relieve, make more bearable The doctors and nurses did everything they could do to ALLEVIATE the patient’s severe pain. Synonyms: lessen, lighten, allay, mitigate, assuage

Synonyms: contrary, antipode 3. Antithesis (n.) the direct opposite, a sharp contrast Discriminatory practices may be said to constitute the very ANTITHESIS of our nation’s democratic ideals. Synonyms: contrary, antipode

4. Appall (v.) to fill with dismay or horror The assassination of President Kennedy in 1963 APPALLED the nation and the world. Synonyms: shock, stun, stupefy, horrify Antonyms: please, cheer, gladden, elate, exhilarate

5. Bellicose (adj.) warlike in manner or temperament; quarrelsome Teddy Roosevelt’s foreign policy was driven by a rather BELLICOSE brand of patriotism. Synonym: aggressive, combative, belligerent Antonyms: amicable, peaceable, conciliatory, pacific

6. Disparage (v.) to belittle, speak slightingly of; to undervalue Don’t you think voters are getting awfully tired of listening to politicians DISPARAGE their opponents? Synonyms: degrade, decry, run down, underrate Antonyms: praise, extol, laud, plug

7. Dissonant (adj.) not in harmony; disagreeing, at odds The clamor of DISSONANT voices could be heard clearly though the closed doors of the meeting room. Synonyms: grating, strident, unmelodious, irreconcilable Antonyms: harmonious, agreeing, euphonious

8. Droll (adj.) amusingly odd The hero of a popular sitcom may be surrounded by a cast of DROLL eccentrics. Synonyms: comical, humorous, whimsical, zany Antonyms: humorless, solemn, dour

Synonyms: command, decree, proclamation 9. Edict (n.) an order issued by someone in authority Only in fairy tales can human unhappiness and misery be banished forever by royal EDICT. Synonyms: command, decree, proclamation

10. Elucidate (v.) to clarify, explain The precise meaning of a passage in the Bible is sometimes hard to ELUCIDATE. Synonyms: interpret, expound, explicate Antonyms: obscure, becloud, muddy, obfuscate

11. Laud (v.) to praise At the assembly the principal LAUDED the students for their improved reading scores. Synonyms: hail, extol, glorify, exalt Antonyms: criticize, censure, belittle, disparage

Synonyms: loaf, loiter, sag, dangle 12. Loll (v.) to act in a lazy manner; to lounge; to recline, to droop There is nothing I would rather do on a hot summer day than LOLL in a hammock under the tree. Synonyms: loaf, loiter, sag, dangle

13. Loquacious (adj.) talkative, wordy; fond of talking My dinner companion was so LOQUACIOUS that our conversation quickly turned into a monologue. Synonyms: gossipy, voluble, garrulous, long-winded Antonyms: silent, reticent, closemouthed, terse, taciturn

14. Magnanimous (adj.) generous in forgiving, above small meanness The general’s victory was so decisive that he could afford to be MAGNANIMOUS toward his former enemies. Synonyms: unselfish, charitable, noble, bighearted Antonyms: petty, selfish, unforgiving, spiteful

15. Mandatory (adj.) required, obligatory A union contract may stipulate that members are to receive a MANDATORY annual cost of living increase. Synonyms: compulsory, requisite, imperative Antonyms: optional, voluntary, discretionary

16. Nondescript (adj.) ordinary, not outstanding; not easily classified Fashion critics judged the designer’s fall clothing line to be disappointingly NONDESCRIPT. Synonyms: plain, unremarkable, unimpressive Antonyms: distinctive, remarkable, vivid, prepossessing

17. Phlegmatic (adj.) slow-moving, sluggish; unemotional Sloths are such PHLEGMATIC creatures that they have earned the reputation of being the slowest animals on Earth. Synonyms: lethargic, indolent, torpid, stolid, impassive Antonyms: emotional, sensitive, think-skinned, excitable.

18. Rescind (v.) to repeal, cancel A sitting Congress sometimes RESCINDS statutes passed by its predecessors. Synonyms: withdraw, revoke, retract, annul, abrogate Antonyms: affirm, endorse, uphold, ratify

19. Vivacious (adj.) lively, sprightly, full of energy A VIVACIOUS individual will certainly never lack for companions. Synonyms: spirited, animated, ebullient Antonyms: dull, spiritless, listless, indolent, languid

20. Whet (v.) to sharpen, put an edge on; to make keen or eager In most mystery novels, the first chapter is designed to WHET your curiosity to find out “who done it.” Synonyms: hone, excite, stimulate Antonyms: dull, blunt, deaden, stifle, dampen