Directions: Complete the vocab chart. VoCaB Lesson 2: Directions: Complete the vocab chart.

Adroit Def: (adj) skillful, expert in the use of the hands or mind Syn: clever, deft, dexterous, slick Ant: clumsy, inept, all thumbs Ex: Although he could sing beautifully, he was much less adroit with his violin.

Amicable Def: (adj) peacable; friendly Syn: congenial, neighborly, cordial Ant: hostile, antagonistic Ex: Despite the divorce, the couple remained amicable for the sake of their kids.

Averse Def: (adj.) having a deep-seated distaste; opposed, unwilling Syn: disinclined Ant: favorably disposed, eager, keen Ex: Although he was averse to exercise, his dad insisted that he try out for the track team.

Belligerent Def 1: (adj) given to fighting, warlike, combative, aggressive Def 2: (noun) one at war, one engaged in war Syn: assertive, truculent, pugnacious Ant: peaceful, conciliatory, placid Ex 1: The customer became belligerent when she was told that the store did not sell the bargain laptop from their advertisement. Ex 2: While the belligerent countries have not used ground forces yet, they have already bombed one another’s major territories.

Benevolent Def: (adj) kindly, charitable Syn: benign, well-meaning Ant: malicious, spiteful, malevolent Ex: Although most of his friends wanted to be zombies or vampires for Halloween, he decided to be a benevolent ghost.

Cursory Def: (adj) hasty, not thorough Syn: quick, superficial, perfunctory Ant: thorough, painstaking, careful Ex: Instead of actually reading the history chapter, he only took a few cursory glances at his notes, deciding he would wing it on the test.

Duplicity Def: (n) treachery, deceitfulness Syn: fraud, double-dealing, chicanery Ex: As it turned out, Mother was correct—my “B.F.F.” Mary was engaging in duplicity, making her a poor choice of friend.

Extol Def: (v) to praise extravagantly Syn: glorify, applaud, acclaim, hail Ant: criticize, belittle, disparage Ex: Because she hoped to improve her students’ writing ability, the teacher extolled the virtues of the complex sentence.

Feasible Def: (adj) possible, able to be done Syn: workable, practicable, viable Ant: unworkable, impractical Ex: Although he doubted that it was feasible, he came up with an intricate plan to win back his ex-girlfriend.

Grimace Def 1: (n) a wry face, facial distortion Def 2: (v) to make a wry face (Note: wry=crooked, devious) Syn: pained expression, facial contortion Ant: smile grin; beam Ex: When the uncomfortable woman was told to smile for the picture, she awkwardly plastered a grimace on het face instead.

Holocaust Def: (n) a large-scale destruction, especially by fire; a vast slaughter; a burnt offering (GENOSIDE) Syn: conflagration, devastation, annihilation Ant: deluge, inundation Ex 1: The dictators were responsible for humanitarian abuses that led to holocausts of hundreds due to starvation. Ex 2: The Holocaust in Europe during the 1940s was a systematic extermination of more than six million people on the basis of their religion, race or ethnicity. Ex 3: Half the city was destroyed in a holocaust begun by a single kitchen fire.

Impervious Def: (adj) not affected or hurt by; admitting no passage or entrance Syn: impenetrable, resistant, proof against Ant: porous, permeable, vulnerable Ex (literal): When cleaning with bleach, one ought to wear gloves impervious to the chemical. Ex (figurative): Because he was so thin- skinned, people often suggested that he become more impervious to what people think of him.

Impetus Def: (n) a moving force, impulse, stimulus Syn: impulse, incentive, spur Ant: curb, hindrance, impediment, constraint Ex: After stepping on the scale and reaching a new heavier milestone, dad now had impetus to begin another diet.

Jeopardy Def: (n) danger Syn: risk, hazard, peril Ant: safety, security Ex: Every time I cross that rickety bridge, I feel like I am putting my life in jeopardy.

Meticulous Def: (adj) extremely careful; particular about the details Syn: fastidious, painstaking, fussy Ant: careless, negligent, sloppy Ex: Although his book bag and locker were sloppy, he kept his precious video game collection in meticulous alphabetical order.

Nostalgia Def: (n) longing for the past; homesickness Ex: We felt a sense of nostalgia when we viewed the home movies from childhood.

Quintessence Def: (n) the purest essence or form of something; the most typical example Syn: paragon, exemplar Ex: Selfless desire to help others without reward is the quintessence of charity.

Retrogress Def: (v) to move backward, to return to an earlier condition Syn: revert, degenerate, decline, (regress) Ant: advance, evolve, progress Ex: Although the teens just used the playground as a shortcut to get home, they retrogressed into childhood play and took a few swings on the monkey bars.

Scrutinize Def: (v) to examine closely Syn: inspect, pore over Ant: skim, scan, glance over Ex: Before you sign any documents, make sure to scrutinize the fine print carefully!

Tepid Def: (adj) lukewarm, unenthusiastic, marked by an absence of interest Syn: insipid, halfhearted, wishy- washy Ant: heated, excited, enthusiastic Ex (literal): I had been so busy that morning that I had to rewarm my tepid coffee at ten o’clock. Ex (figurative): Although their fist date was tepid, after spending more time together they realized that they had quite a bit of romantic chemistry.