1. English II
Lesson Seven

2. adroit (adj) skillful; clever syn: dexterous; apt ant: clumsy; awkward
Definition
Example
(adj) skillful; clever
syn: dexterous; apt
ant: clumsy; awkward
He was not an adroit speaker, but he was a genius with numbers.

3. macroscopic (adj) visible to the naked eye ant: microscopic
Definition
Example
(adj) visible to the naked eye
ant: microscopic
On a clear night, the Milky Way appears macroscopic.

4. fatuous (adj) foolish; inane syn: silly ant: sensible; wise
Definition
Example
(adj) foolish; inane
syn: silly
ant: sensible; wise
Her fatuous simpering began to grate on our nerves.

5. bovine (adj) pertaining to cows or cattle
Definition
Example
(adj) pertaining to cows or cattle
The large animal figures in thecave drawing depicted bovine creatures.

6. ferret (v) to search or drive out
Definition
Example
(v) to search or drive out
John knew the answer was in the text, but he just couldn’t ferret it out.

7. affectation (n) a phony attitude; pose syn: insincerity; sham
Definition
Example
(n) a phony attitude; pose
syn: insincerity; sham
ant: sincerity; genuineness
Ginger could not stand the affectations of the girls in the fashion clique.

8. knell
Definition
Example
(n) a sound made by a bell, often rung slowly for a death or funeral
The knell of the church bell told the town that Gertrude had passed away.

9. dichotomy (n) a division into two parts
Definition
Example
(n) a division into two parts
Disagreements among board members created a dichotomy of the charitable organizations.

10. callow (adj) young and inexperienced syn: immature
Definition
Example
(adj) young and inexperienced
syn: immature
ant: mature; sophisticated
The callow boy left for the war, but an exhausted man returned.

11. laconic (adj) using few words; short; concise syn: pithy; taciturn
Definition
Example
(adj) using few words; short; concise
syn: pithy; taciturn
ant: verbose; loquacious
He was a laconic man who wasted few words.

12. quiddity (n) an essential quality syn: essence
Definition
Example
(n) an essential quality
syn: essence
Patience is the quiddity of a good teacher.

13. patent (adj) evident or obvious syn: indisputable; apparent
Definition
Example
(adj) evident or obvious
syn: indisputable; apparent
When the electronics store saw the patent abuse of the game system, they refused to grant a refund.

14. peccadillo (n) a minor offense; a misdeed
Definition
Example
(n) a minor offense; a misdeed
Stealing tips from tables was a peccadillo in Bill’s mind, but a major offense in the minds of the waiters.

15. sagacious (adj) wise; having keen perception and sound judgment
Definition
Example
(adj) wise; having keen perception and sound judgment
syn: shrewd; intelligent
ant: obtuse; fatuous
The sagacious old man always had the answers to moral problems.

16. rationalize (v) to make an excuse for syn: justify
Definition
Example
(v) to make an excuse for
syn: justify
The boy tried to rationalize his absence from school.