Vocabulary Units 9 & 10

Beatitude O Noun O A state of perfect happiness or blessedness; a blessing O Synonym: Bliss O Antonym: Misery

Bête Noire O Noun O Someone or something that one especially dislikes, dreads or avoids O Antonym: Idol

Bode O Verb O To be an omen of; to indicate by signs O Synonym: Presage

Dank O Adjective O Unpleasantly damp or wet O Synonym: Clammy O Antonym: Dry

Ecumenical O Adjective O Worldwide or universal in influence or application O Synonym: Comprehensive O Antonym: Parochial

Fervid O Adjective O Burning with enthusiasm or zeal; extremely heated O Synonym: Zealous O Antonym: Cool

Fetid O Adjective O Having an unpleasant or offensive odor O Synonym: Smelly O Antonym: Fragrant

Gargantuan O Adjective O Of immense size, volume, or capacity; enormous, prodigious O Synonym: Huge O Antonym: Tiny

Heyday O Noun O The period of greatest power, vigor, success or influence; the prime years O Synonym: Golden age O Antonym: Decline

Incubus O Noun O A demon or evil spirit supposed to haunt human beings in their bedrooms at night; anything that oppresses or weighs upon one, like a nightmare O Synonym: Burden

Infrastructure O Noun O A basic foundation or framework; permanent military installations O Synonym: Base O Antonym: Superstructure

Inveigle O Verb O To entice, lure, or snare by flattery or artful inducements O Synonym: Induce

Kudos O Noun O The acclaim, prestige, or renown that comes as a result of some action or achievement O Synonym: Glory, Praise, Accolades O Antonym: Disapproval

Lagniappe O Noun O An extra or unexpected gift or gratuity O Synonym: Bonus

Prolix O Adjective O Long-winded and wordy; tending to speak or write in such a way O Synonym: Verbose O Antonym: Pithy

Protégé O Noun O Someone whose welfare, training, or career is under the patronage of an influential person O Synonym: Ward O Antonym: Mentor

Prototype O Noun O An original pattern or model; a primitive or ancestral form O Synonym: Archetype O Antonym: Imitation

Sycophant O Noun O Someone who attempts to win favors or advance him- or herself by flattery or servile behavior; a slanderer, defamer O Synonym: Flunky

Tautology O Noun O Needless repetition of an idea by using different but equivalent words O Synonym: Redundancy

Truckle O Verb O To yield or submit tamely or submissively O Synonym: Kowtow O Antonym: Resist

Acumen O Noun O Keenness of insight; quickness or accuracy of judgment O Synonym: Shrewdness O Antonym: Ignorance, stupidity

Adjudicate O Verb O To act as judge in a matter O Synonym: Mediate

Anachronism O Noun O A chronological misplacing of events, objects, customs, or persons in regard to each other O Synonym: Chronological Error

Apocryphal O Adjective O Of doubtful or questionable authenticity O Synonym: Fictitious O Antonym: Authentic

Disparity O Noun O A difference or inequality in age, rank, degree, amount or quality O Synonym: Discrepancy O Antonym: Similarity

Dissimulate O Verb O To hide or disguise one’s true thoughts, feelings, or intentions O Synonym: Misrepresent O Antonym: Reveal

Empirical O Adjective O Derived from, dependent upon, or guided by practical experience, observation, or experiment, rather than by theory O Synonym: Observed O Antonym: Theoretical

Flamboyant O Adjective O Highly elaborate or ornate; vividly colored; strikingly brilliant or bold O Synonym: Showy O Antonym: Sedate

Fulsome O Adjective O Offensively insincere or excessive; disgusting, sickening O Synonym: Repulsive O Antonym: Restrained

Immolate O Verb O To destroy or renounce for the sake of another O Synonym: Slay O Antonym: Rescue

Imperceptible O Adjective O Extremely slight; incapable of being perceived by the senses or the mind O Synonym: Minimal O Antonym: Noticeable

Lackey O Noun O A uniformed male servant; a servile follower O Synonym: Footman O Antonym: Lord

Liaison O Noun O The contact or means of communication between groups; someone acting as such a contact O Synonym: Intermediary

Monolithic O Adjective O Characterized by massiveness, solidness, and total uniformity O Synonym: Massive O Antonym: Diversified

Mot Juste O Noun O The most suitable or exact word or expression O Synonym: Right word O Antonym: Misusage

Nihilism O Noun O A total rejection of existing laws, institutions, and moral values; extreme radicalism O Antonym: Conservatism

Patrician O Noun O A member of the ruling class; a person of high or noble rank or of prominent social standing O Synonym: Aristocrat O Antonym: Peasant

Propitiate O Verb O To make someone or something favorably inclined toward oneself O Synonym: Placate O Antonym: Provoke

Sic O Adverb O Thus so; intentionally written so Where r [sic] u [sic] 2day [sic]?

Sublimate O Verb O To redirect the energy of a biological or instinctual impulse into a higher or more acceptable channel O Synonym: Rechannel