Focus on the goal. Voc. Unit 7 Ms. B. Wulchak

By Regina Hull c/o 2009 Revised 2010 Vocab. Unit 7 By Regina Hull c/o 2009 Revised 2010

Allay I took two aspirin to allay the pain. Verb to calm or pacify, set to rest: to lessen or relieve Syn.- reduce, alleviate, moderate Ant.- aggravate, exacerbate, intensify I took two aspirin to allay the pain. The doctor tried to allay his patient’s fears.

Bestial Adjective beastlike: beastly, brutal: subhuman in intelligence and sensibility Syn.- animalistic, depraved, loathsome Ant.- human, humane, clement, virtuous, upright. The bestial murderers showed no mercy toward the innocent family.

Convivial Adjective festive, sociable, having fun together, genial Syn.- fun-loving, jovial, merry Ant.- dour, grim, sullen, unsociable Everyone had a convivial time at the festive gathering.

Coterie Noun a circle of acquaintances; a close knit, often exclusive, group of people with a common interest. Syn.- clique, set A coterie of students met each week at Barnes and Noble to discuss class notes before the test.

Counterpart Noun a person or thing closely resembling or corresponding to another: a complement. Syn.- match In 2010, President Obama’s counterpart in Mexico was President Calderone and in the U.K and Canada were Prime Ministers Cameron, and Harper. Felipe Calderone, Mexico David Cameron, UK Steven Harper, Canada

Demur Verb and Noun to object or take exception to; to hesitate an objection Syn.- protest, object to Ant.- assent to, consent to, accept, agree to I decided to demur making my decision until I had more facts.

Effrontery Noun shameless boldness, impudence Syn.- gall, chutzpah, nerve, impertinence, cheek Ant.- shyness, diffidence, timidity She has the effrontery to tell her boss to get his work done.

Embellish Verb to decorate, adorn, touch up; to improve by adding details Syn.- ornament, garnish, embroider Ant.- strip, mar, disfigure Gossip involves embellishing stories beyond the original ideas.

Ephemeral Adjective lasting only a short time, short-lived Syn.- fleeting, transient, evanescent, transitory Ant.- durable, long-lasting, permanent, perpetual Fame and power can be ephemeral; here today, gone tomorrow.

Felicitous Adjective appropriate, apt, well chosen; marked by well-being or good fortune, happy Syn.- fortunate, well-put Ant.- inappropriate, inept Her speech had well-chosen words and felicitous phrases. A felicitous occasion

Furtive Adjective done slyly or stealthily, sneaky, secret, shifty; stolen Syn.- clandestine, covert, surreptitious Ant.-forthright, aboveboard, open Her furtive manner of looking around led me to watch her during the test.

Garish Adjective glaring; tastelessly showy or over decorated in a vulgar or offensive way Syn.- gaudy, flashy, tawdry Ant.- subdued, muted, understated, quiet Meretricious, garish ladies hang out along Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando.

Illusory Adjective misleading, deceptive; lacking in or not based on reality Syn.- specious, spurious, fanciful, imaginary Ant.- actual, real, factual, objective Hopes of getting something for nothing are illusory and unrealistic.

Indigent Adjective needy, impoverished Syn.- penniless, poverty-stricken, destitute Ant.- wealthy, affluent, prosperous Some indigent, destitute people would rather be on the streets than move into a group home with regulations.

Inordinate Adjective far too great, exceeding reasonable limits, excessive Syn.- exorbitant, extravagant Ant.- moderate, reasonable, equitable Driving at an inordinate rate of speed will get you a ticket. He’s on a diet to control his inordinate appetite.

Jettison Verb to cast overboard, get rid of as unnecessary or burdensome Syn.- cast off, discard, dump, junk, abandon Ant.- conserve, retain, hold on to, keep With his ship rapidly sinking, the captain ordered the crew to jettison much of its cargo.

Misanthrope Noun someone who hates or despises people Syn.- people-hater His negative experiences have turned him into a misanthrope. Uncle Scrooge McDuck Ebeneezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street

Pertinacious Adjective very persistent; holding firmly to a course of action or a set of beliefs; hard to get rid of, refusing to be put off or denied Syn.- Stubborn, dogged, determined, tenacious In a quiet, but pertinacious way, the lawyer hammered the suspect until the crook confessed.

Picayune Adjective of little value or importance, paltry, measly; concerned with trifling matters, small-minded Syn.- inconsequential, piddling, trifling Ant.- important, significant, huge, gigantic The proofreader found many picayune flaws in grammar and punctuation in the essay.

Raiment Noun kingly clothing, formal attire Syn.- apparel, garments Even when the king laid aside his royal raiment, he still had the personality of a leader.

Threshold (add-on) Noun verge, brink; doorsill; maximum limit After the man waited in line for thirty minutes, he finally reached his threshold and screamed. Students who have jobs may reach their threshold of endurance when work requires too many hours.

Wraith (add-on) Noun an apparition, a ghost A woman swore she had seen a wraith in the creepy old house. Tolkein’s 9 ring wraiths Casper the friendly wraith