Level G Vocabulary Unit 1

acquisitive Connotation + or - Definition: (adj.) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property Synonyms: greedy, grasping Antonyms: altruistic More information: our increasingly competitive and acquisitive [=greedy] society

arrogate Definition: (v.) to claim or take without right Connotation + or - Definition: (v.) to claim or take without right Synonyms: expropriate, surp Antonyms: relinquish, abandon More: to take or claim (something, such as a right or a privilege) in a way that is not fair or legal She arrogated the leadership role to herself. Etymology:Latin arrogatus, past participle of arrogare, from ad- + rogare to ask

banal Definition: (adj.) hackneyed, trite, commonplace Connotation + or - Definition: (adj.) hackneyed, trite, commonplace Synonyms: stale, insipid Antonyms: fresh, novel, original, new More information: boring or ordinary: not interesting ▪He made some banal remarks about the weather. ▪ The writing was banal but the story was good. Etymology: French, from Middle French, of compulsory feudal service, possessed in common, commonplace, from ban

belabor Connotation + or - Definition: (v.) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly, to repeat over and over Synonyms: overwork More information: to talk About (something) for too long: to repeat or stress (something) too much or too often ▪ Please don't belabor the point.

carping Connotation + or - Definition: (adj.) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty Synonyms: nit-picking, critical Antonyms: approving, uncritical Has anyone ever spoken to you in a carping manner? How?

coherent Connotation + or - Definition: (adj.) holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; meaningful Synonyms: unified, consistent Antonyms: muddled, chaotic More: logical and well-organized : easy to understand; co = together a coherent argument/essay The drunk man was not coherent. [=understandable] They are able to function as a coherent group/team.

congeal Connotation + or - Definition: (v.) to change from liquid to solid, thicken, to make inflexible Synonyms: harden, jell, coagulate Antonyms: melt, liquefy More: of a liquid: to become thick or solid; co = together The gravy began to congeal in the pan. Congeal = jello Etymology: Middle English congelen, from Middle French congeler, from Latin congelare, from com- + gelare to freeze

emulate Connotation + or - Definition: (v.) to imitate (rhymes with emulate) with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model Synonyms: copy, mimic, measure up to More information: to try to be like (someone or something you admire) She grew up emulating her sports heroes. Etomology: Latin aemulatus, from aemulus rivaling

encomium Connotation + or - Definition: (n.) a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute Synonyms: eulogy, commendation Antonyms: castigation, criticism More information: glowing and warmly enthusiastic praise Etymology: Latin, from Greek enkōmion, from en in + kōmos revel, celebration When might you give an encomium?

eschew Definition: (v.) to avoid, shun, keep away from Connotation + or - Definition: (v.) to avoid, shun, keep away from Synonyms: abstain from, forgo Antonyms: embrace, adopt More information: to avoid (something) especially because you do not think it is right, proper They now eschew the violence of their past. Etymology: of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German sciuhen to frighten off

germane Definition: (adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting Connotation + or - germane Definition: (adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting Synonyms: pertinent Antonyms: irrelevant, extraneous More: relating to a subject in an appropriate way : relevant Her comments were not germane (to the discussion). Etymology: Middle English germain, literally, having the same parents, from Anglo-French

insatiable Definition: (adj.) so great or Connotation + or - Definition: (adj.) so great or demanding as not to be satisfied Synonyms: unquenchable, ravenous More: Her desire for knowledge was insatiable. Etymology: from Latin insatiabilis, from in- + satiare to satisfy

intransigent Definition: (adj.) refusing to compromise, irreconcilable Connotation + or - Definition: (adj.) refusing to compromise, irreconcilable Synonyms: uncompromising, unyielding Antonyms: lukewarm, halfhearted More: completely unwilling to change, very stubborn Etymology: Spanish intransigente, from in- + transigente, to compromise, from Latin transigere to come to an agreement

invidious Connotation + or - Definition: (adj.) offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment Synonyms: malicious, spiteful Antonyms: complimentary, flattering More: unpleasant and likely to cause bad feelings in other people ▪ invidious remarks ▪ an invidious comparison/choice Etymology: Latin invidiosus envious, invidious, from invidia envy

largesse Connotation + or - Definition: (n.) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions Synonyms: liberality, bounty Antonyms: stinginess, miserliness More: He relied on the largesse of friends after he lost his job. ▪ a philanthropist known for his largesse Origin: Middle English largesse, from Anglo-French, from large

Connotation + or - reconnaissance Definition: (n.) a survey made for military purposes, any kind of preliminary inspection or examination Synonyms: scouting expedition More: military activity in which soldiers, airplanes, etc., are sent to find out information about an enemy ▪ There are two helicopters available for reconnaissance. ▪ reconnaissance missions/aircraft ▪ They did/conducted a reconnaissance of the enemy's position. Origin: French, literally, recognition, from Middle French reconoissance, from Old French reconoistre to recognize

substantiate Connotation + or - Definition: (v.) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to Synonyms: verify, confirm, validate Antonyms: refute, disprove, invalidate More: to prove the truth of (something) ▪ He offered no evidence to substantiate [=support] his claim.

taciturn Connotation + or - Definition: (adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little Synonyms: tight-lipped, laconic Antonyms: garrulous, loquacious, verbose More: tending to be quiet : not speaking frequently ▪ a somewhat taciturn young man Origin: French taciturne, from Latin taciturnus, from tacitus = silent

temporize Connotation + or - Definition: (v.) to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision Synonyms: hedge, dillydally, procrastinate More: to avoid making a decision or giving a definite answer in order to have more time ▪ Pressured by voters on both sides of the issue, the Congressmen temporized. Origin: from Medieval Latin temporizare to pass the time, from Latin tempor-, tempus

tenable Definition: (adj.) capable of being held or defended Connotation + or - tenable Definition: (adj.) capable of being held or defended Synonyms: defensible, maintainable Antonyms: indefensible, unjustifiable More: ▪ The theory is no longer tenable. [=defensible] ▪ a tenable argument. Origin: from Old French, from tenir to hold, from Latin tenēre