Vocabulary Workshop Unit 3 Level D

Abridge (v) to make shorter Synonyms: shorten condense, abbreviate Antonyms: expand, enlarge, augment An abridged “History of the World” in the graphic below condenses history into “some wars and stuff.”

Adherent (n) a follower, supporter, (adj) attached, sticking to Synonyms: (n) disciple Antonyms: (n) opponent, adversary, critic, detractor Before we could repaint the walls of our living room, we had to remove an adherent layer of wallpaper that was sticking to the wall.

Altercation (n) an angry argument Synonyms: quarrel, dispute, squabble Antonyms: agreement, accord The altercation between the two players suspended play for several minutes until the quarrel ended.

Cherubic (adj) resembling an angel portrayed as a little child with a beautiful, round, or chubby face, sweet and innocent Synonym: beatific Antonyms: impish, devilish, diabolic, fiendish How well those photographs of the twins by Anne Geddes captures the cherubic expressions on their faces, they look so sweet and innocent.

Condone (v) to pardon or overlook Synonyms: ignore, wink at, turn a blind eye to Antonyms: censure, condemn, disapprove, depreciate I cannot condone the behavior of some pet owners who abandon their pets leaving them to starve. To overlook such behavior is criminal.

Dissent (v) to disagree; (n) disagreement Synonyms: (v) differ, dispute Antonyms: (v) agree, concur; (n) unanimity, harmony He showed his dissent by pointing his thumb down in a gesture of disagreement.

Eminent (adj) famous, outstanding, distinguished; projecting Synonyms: illustrious, renowned Antonyms: nameless, unsung, lowly, humble A group of eminent scientists worked during WWII on the Manhattan Project which produced the first nuclear weapons, of those scientist Albert Einstein is probably the most famous.

Exorcise (v) to drive out by magic; to dispose of something troublesome, menacing, or oppressive Synonyms: expel, dispel Harry Potter often battles the Dementor’s and must exorcise, driving out by magic their evil spirits, to protect himself and the people he cares about.

Fabricate (v) to make, manufacture; to make up, invent Synonyms: put together, devise, contrive, concoct Antonyms: take apart, undo, destroy, demolish The welder needed to fabricate the metal frame by welding the pieces of metal together to make one complete piece.

Gluttony (n) engaging in extreme eating or drinking; greedy, over indulgence Synonyms: overeating, ravenousness, rapaciousness Antonyms: abstemiousness In the Middle Ages, gluttony was considered one of the Seven Deadly Sins, as overeating or drinking was considered to be a sin as described in the teachings of the Bible.

Irate (adj) angry Synonyms: incensed, infuriated, enraged, livid Antonyms: calm, composed, cool, unruffled Long delays at airports due to bad weather are likely to make many travelers irate, angry and infuriated.

Marauder (n) a raider, plunder Synonyms: Looter, pirate Edgar Allan Poe’s story, “The Golden Bug” concerns the treasure buried by the marauder, Captain Kidd, who was a real pirate.

Pauper (n) an extremely poor person Synonyms: destitute person Antonyms: billionaire During The Great Depression, many people were reduced to leading the desperate lives of paupers because they were extremely poor.

Pilfer (v) to steal in small quantities Synonyms: rob, swipe, purloin An employee who pilfers from the company he or she works for, is stealing and will ultimately be caught.

Rift (n) a split, break, breach Synonyms: crack, fissure, gap, cleft Antonym: reconciliation An earthquake can cause a split in the earth and the rift leaves the ground uneven and dangerous.

Semblance (n) a likeness; an outward appearance; an apparition Synonyms: appearance, air, aura, veneer, façade Antonyms: dissimilarity, contrast, total lack Some would say that the caricature of Sean Connor bears no semblance to him, where others would argue it looks frighteningly like him.

Surmount (v) to overcome, rise above Synonyms: conquer, triumph over Antonyms: to be vanquished, to be defeated, succumb to Swimmer Michael Phelps surmounted his childhood disability of Attention Deficit Disorder to win Olympic Gold Medals he was able of overcome his disability through hard work and determination.

Terminate (v) to bring to an end Synonyms: conclude, finish, discontinue Antonyms: begin, commence, initiate Before terminating a program on your computer make sure you save information because once you click on OK the program will end.

Trite (adj) commonplace, overused, stale Synonyms: banal, hackneyed, corny Antonyms: original, innovative When you write an essay or a story, be especially careful to avoid using trite expressions that might be considered clichés.

Usurp (v) to seize and hold a position by force or without right Synonyms: Seize illegally, supplant The general who lead the coup in Thailand usurped power removing the duly elected government officials.