V OCABULARY U NIT 8 Mrs. Frazee

P ENSIVE

The child sat by herself, looking pensive. Rainy days often put her in a pensive mood.

PENSIVE Adjective meditative, solemn, musingly or dreamily thoughtful suggestive of sad thoughtfulness Synonyms: dreamy, pondering, preoccupied, reflecting, serious, thinking, withdrawn Antonyms: ignorant, shallow

P REROGATIVE

If you'd rather sell the tickets than use them, that's your prerogative. It's a writer's prerogative to decide the fate of her characters.

P REROGATIVE Noun an exclusive or special right, power, or privilege: as (1) : one belonging to an office or an official body (2) : one belonging to a person, group, or class of individuals (3) : one possessed by a nation as an attribute of sovereignty Right, Privilege Synonyms: advantage, authority, birthright, immunity, liberty, sanction, title Antonyms: Obligation, duty

C ASTE

He was from a higher caste. The King is a member of the upper caste.

CASTE Noun Social Class a division of society based on differences of wealth, inherited rank or privilege, profession, occupation, or race, the position conferred by caste standing : prestige Synonyms: cultural level, degree, grade, lineage, order, position, race, rank, social order, status

A FFLICTION

She lost her sight and is now learning to live with her affliction. He died from a mysterious affliction.

A FFLICTION Noun hurt condition; something that causes hurt the cause of persistent pain or distress great suffering Synonyms: depression, difficulty, disease, disorder, distress, grief, hardship, misery, misfortune, sickness, sorrow, suffering, torment, trial, trouble Antonyms: aid, comfort, consolation, help, relief

A PPRECIABLE

T HE INJURED WOMAN LOST AN APPRECIABLE AMOUNT OF BLOOD BEFORE THE PARAMEDICS ARRIVED.

A PPRECIABLE Adjective Sufficient to be noticed or measured Synonyms: perceptible, detectable, considerable Antonyms: slight, trivial, inconsequential

B LASPHEMY

G ALILEO WAS ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY FOR ASSERTING THAT THE SUN, AND NOT THE EARTH, IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE.

B LASPHEMY Noun An act, utterance, or writing showing contempt for something sacred Synonyms: curse, profanity, sacrilege Antonyms: reverence, devotion, respect

B RAWNY

I N A RTHURIAN LEGEND, ONE BRAWNY KNIGHT AFTER ANOTHER TRIES TO PULL THE SWORD E XCALIBUR FROM THE STONE, BUT NO ONE SUCCEEDS.

B RAWNY Adjective Strong, muscular Synonyms: broad-shouldered, strapping, husky, burly Antonyms: slight, frail, delicate, puny

W ILY

T HE FUR TRAPPERS OF COLONIAL N ORTH A MERICA WERE KNOWN TO BE WILY TRADERS.

W ILY Adjective Sly, shrewd, cunning Synonyms: clever, tricky, artful, cagey Antonyms: dull-witted, dense, straightforward

C URMUDGEON

T HE OLD MAN WHO LIVED ON THE CORNER WAS WIDELY VIEWED AS A CURMUDGEON WHO NEVER HAD ANYTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT HIS NEIGHBORS.

C URMUDGEON Noun A bad tempered or surly person Synonyms: cranky, grouch, fusser, sourpuss Antonyms: optimist, Pollyanna, happy-camper

B UOYANT

W E WERE WEARY AND ANXIOUS TO GET HOME, BUT OUR FRIEND ’ S BUOYANT SPIRITS KEPT US GOING.

B UOYANT Adjective Able to float easily; able to hold things up; cheerful, hopeful Synonyms: lighthearted, animated Antonyms: downcast, depressed, gloomy

E NRICHED E NGLISH

S YNTHETIC

S OMETIMES ONLY A JEWELER CAN DETECT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN EXPENSIVE SYNTHETIC GEM AND A NATURAL STONE. N YLON, RAYON, AND POLYESTER ARE ALL SYNTHETICS THAT HAVE REVOLUTIONIZED THE CLOTHING INDUSTRY.

S YNTHETIC Adjective Made or put together by people; Noun Something artificial Synonym: (adj.) artificial Antonyms: (adj.) natural, genuine

V INDICATE

T HOUGH THE ACCUSED WAS VINDICATED IN THE END, HIS CAREER WAS ALL BUT RUINED BY THE ALLEGATIONS.

V INDICATE Verb To clear from hint or charge of wrongdoing; to defend successfully against opposition; to justify Synonyms: advocate, exonerate, acquit Antonyms: convict, condemn

E LUSIVE

The truth may prove elusive. The giant squid is one of the ocean's most elusive inhabitants. But for all their influence, D.C. lobbyists have failed to attain one elusive goal: public respect.

E LUSIVE Adjective tending to elude: evasive, mysterious tending to evade grasp or pursuit hard to comprehend or define : hard to isolate or identify Synonyms: ambiguous, baffling, difficult to catch, imponderable, incomprehensible, intangible, misleading, puzzling, shifty, shy, slippery Antonyms: attracting, confronting, encountering, enticing, facing, inviting

R UDIMENTARY

T HOUGH SHE HAD READ SEVERAL BOOKS ON QUANTUM PHYSICS, SHE STILL HAD ONLY A RUDIMENTARY GRASP ON THE SUBJECT.

R UDIMENTARY Adjective Involving or limited to basic principles; Immature, undeveloped, or basic. Synonyms: elementary, basic, primitive, primary Antonyms: : additional, advanced, developed, extra, nonessential

S UBVERSIVE

T HE UNDERGROUND MOVEMENT CIRCULATED SUBVERSIVE PAMPHLETS THAT CRITICIZED THE GOVERNMENT. T HE A LIEN AND S EDITION A CTS ENACTED IN 1798 GAVE THE U.S. PRESIDENT THE POWER TO DEPORT ANY NONCITIZEN DEEMED SUBVERSIVE.

S UBVERSIVE Adjective Intended to undermine or overthrow Noun One who advocates or attempts to undermine a political system Synonyms: (adj.)treasonous, traitor (n.) a revolutionary Antonyms: (adj.) patriotic, loyal, true-blue