showeet.com Vocabulary Unit 2

Your footer comes here 2 Ameliorate (v): to improve, make better; correct a flaw or shortcoming. A kind word can ameliorate a bad day. Syn: amend, better, assuage Ant: worsen, aggravate, exacerbate* *This is a VERY common word!

Your footer comes here 3 Aplomb (n): poise, self-confidence She accepted the award with aplomb. He managed the difficult situation with aplomb, and never got angry. Syn: composure, self-possession, levelheadedness Ant: confusion, embarrassment, abashment

Your footer comes here 4 Bombastic (adj): pompous or overblown in language; full of high- sounding words that conceal a lack of ideas. His bombastic speech sounded nice, but he didn't actually say anything at all. Mr. Bean dances to Mr. Bombastic Syn: inflated, highfalutin', high-flown, pretentious Ant: unadorned, simple, plain, austere

Your footer comes here 5 Callow (adj): without experience, unsophisticated, immature Today's callow young people do not understand real hardship. Syn: green, raw, unfledged, inexperienced, immature Ant: mature, grown-up, polished, sophisticated

Your footer comes here 6 Drivel (n): foolish or aimless speech; nonsense (v): to speak or think foolishly I can't stand listening to any more of his bombastic drivel! Syn: balderdash, hogwash, tommyrot Ant: common sense Something that is written or said that does not mean anything.

Your footer comes here 7 Epitome (n): the perfect example of something He is the epitome of the perfect doctor—compassionate and smart. Alt Form: epitomize (v) She epitomizes the perfect students. Her homework is always done on time and she never fails to pay attention

Your footer comes here 8 Exhort (v): to urge strongly, advise earnestly A good teacher exhorts her students to study hard. Alt. Form: exhortation (n) Her constant exhortations to improve made the child very unhappy. Syn: entreat, implore, beg, encourage Ant: discourage, advise against, deprecate

Your footer comes here 9 Ex officio (adj, adv): by virtue of holding a certain office The CEO of the company was ex officio a member of the board of directors as well. Students at ESLI are ex officio students at TAMUCC, allowed the same use of facilities and resources as any other student.

Your footer comes here 10 Infringe (v): to violate, trespass Some argue that the national health care mandate infringes on our freedom of religion by requiring companies to provide access to birth control. Back up, please. You're infringing on my personal space! Syn: encroach, intrude, impinge, poach Ant: stay in bounds

Your footer comes here 11 Ingratiate (v): to try to get someone's good opinion by doing things you think they will like. Trying to ingratiate yourself with the boss will only make people dislike you. Alt forms: ingratiating (adj) Idiom: to suck up to Syn: cozy up to, curry favor with Ant: alienate, humiliate oneself, mortify oneself

Your footer comes here 12 Interloper (n): one who goes where he or she is not wanted; an intruder Conversation died when everyone noticed the interloper trying to listen in. No one liked the ingratiating, unctuous interloper always following the boss around. Syn: trespasser, meddler, buttinsky

Your footer comes here 13 Intrinsic (adj): being part of the basic nature or character of something. My daughter's paintings have an intrinsic value to me that has nothing to do with how much they are actually worth in money. Idiom: sentimental value, in and of itself Syn: immanent, organic Ant: extrinsic, external, outward

Your footer comes here 14 Inveigh (v): to attack violently with words; to express strong disapproval Don't inveigh against your fellow student unless you actually know and understand her. Idiom: to curse out, to chew out Syn: rail, harangue, fulminate, remonstrate Ant: acclaim, glorify, extol, praise

Your footer comes here 15 Lassitude (n): weariness of mind or body On Friday, students' lassitude can only be assuaged by the end of the school day. Syn: fatigue, lethargy, torpor, languor Ant: energy, vitality, animation, liveliness

Your footer comes here 16 Millenium (n): A period of a thousand years The new millenium started on January 1, Plural: millennia Alt form: millennial (adj)

Your footer comes here 17 Occult (adj): mysterious, magical, supernatural; secret, hidden from view (n): matters related to the supernatural Many religions teach that dabbling in occult knowledge is dangerous. Her interest in the occult got her attacked by zombies. Syn: supernatural, esoteric, arcane Ant: mundane, common, public

Your footer comes here 18 Permeate (v): to spread through, penetrate, soak through The bad smell permeated the entire room. It rained so hard yesterday that the damp permeated everything.

Your footer comes here 19 Precipitate (v): to rain; to cause or make happen suddenly (adj): Characterized by haste; cursory (n): moisture (more correct: precipitation) It precipitated all yesterday morning. Your precipitate speech was cruel and unwelcome. Puddles are leftover precipitate. Syn: (v) provoke or produce (adj) reckless, impetuous Ant: wary, cautious, circumspect

Your footer comes here 20 Stringent (adj): strict, severe; having a sharp or bitter taste Her stringent cleanliness kept everyone healthy. Stringent laws keep the public safe. Syn: stern, rigorous, tough, urgent, imperative Ant: lenient, mild, lax, permissive

Your footer comes here 21 Surmise (v): to think or believe without much evidence; to guess (n): likely idea that lacks definite proof I don't know for sure, but I surmise the truth is something bad. My surmise is that she doesn't like me. Syn: (v) infer, gather (n) inference, presumption