Mrs. Williams English 9 and 9B Vocabulary Unit 4 Mrs. Williams English 9 and 9B

abscond (v.) to run off and hide Synonyms: bolt, make off, skip town EX The thieves who absconded with several of the museum’s most valuable paintings have never been found.

anarchy (n.) a lack of government and law; confusion Synonyms: chaos, disorder, turmoil, pandemonium Antonyms: law and order, peace and quiet EX In the final days of a war, civilians may find themselves living in anarchy.

arduous (adj.) hard to do, requiring much effort Synonyms: hard, difficult, laborious, fatiguing Antonyms: easy, simple, effortless EX No matter how carefully you plan for it, moving to a new home is an arduous chore.

auspicious (adj.) favorable; fortunate Synonyms: promising, encouraging, propitious Antonyms: ill-omened, ominous, sinister EX My parents describe the day that they first met as a most auspicious occasion.

daunt (v.) to overcome with fear, intimidate; to dishearten, discourage Synonyms: dismay, cow Antonyms: encourage, embolden, reassure EX Despite all its inherent dangers, space flight did not daunt the Mercury program astronauts.

disentangle (v.) to free from tangles or complications Synonyms: unravel, unwind, unscramble, unsnarl Antonyms: tangle up, ensnarl, snag EX Rescuers worked for hours to disentangle a whale from the fishing net wrapped around its jaws.

fated (adj.) determined in advance by destiny or fortune Synonyms: destined, preordained, doomed Antonyms: accidental, fortuitous, chance, random EX The tragic outcome of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is fated from the play’s very first scene.

hoodwink (v.) to mislead by a trick, deceive Synonyms: dupe, put one over on Antonyms: undeceive, disabuse, clue in EX Many sweepstakes offers hoodwink people into thinking they have already won big prizes.

inanimate (adj.) not having life; without energy or spirit Synonyms: lifeless, dead, inert, spiritless Antonyms: living, alive, energetic, vigorous, lively, sprightly EX Although fossils are inanimate, they hold many clues to life on Earth millions of years ago.

incinerate (v.) to burn to ashes Synonyms: burn up, cremate, reduce to ashes EX Because of environmental concerns, many cities and towns no longer incinerate their garbage.

pliant (adj.) bending readily; easily influenced Synonyms: supple, flexible, elastic, plastic Antonyms: rigid, stiff, inflexible, set in stone EX The pliant branches of the sapling sagged but did not break under the weight of the heavy snow.

precipice (n.) a very steep cliff; the brink or edge of disaster Synonyms: cliff, crag, bluff, promontory, ledge Antonyms: abyss, chasm, gorge EX During the Cuban missile crisis, the world hovered on the precipice of nuclear war.

prototype (n.) an original model on which later versions are patterned Synonyms: example, sample Antonyms: copy EX The assembly line managers studied the prototype of the new car for weeks before production began.

rectify (v.) to make right, correct Synonyms: remedy, set right Antonyms: mess up, botch, bungle EX The senators debated a series of measures designed to rectify the nation’s trade imbalance.

reprieve (n. ) a temporary relief or delay; (v reprieve (n.) a temporary relief or delay; (v.) to grant a postponement Synonyms: (n.) stay, respite, deferral; (v.) postpone, delay Antonyms: (v.) proceed EX A vacation is a kind of reprieve from the cares and responsibilities of everyday life. A judge may reprieve a first-time offender from jail time until sentencing.