1. Vocabulary Units 7 & 8

2. Abeyance
Noun
A state of being temporarily inactive, suspended, or set aside
Synonym: suspension

3. Ambivalent
Adjective
Having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something
Unsure
Synonym: Equivocal
Antonym: Unequivocal

4. Beleaguer
Verb
To set upon from all sides; to surround with an army; to trouble, harass
Synonym: Pester

5. Carte Blanche
Noun
Full freedom or authority to act at one’s own discretion
Synonym: blank check

6. Cataclysm
Noun
A sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge
Synonym: Disaster

7. Debauch Verb To corrupt morally, seduce; to indulge in dissipation
Synonym: Carouse
Antonym: Inspire

8. Éclat
Noun
Dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance (of performance or achievement)
Synonym: Celebrity
Antonym: Dullness

9. Fastidious
Adjective
Overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted
Synonym: Finicky
Antonym: Slovenly

10. Gambol
Verb
To jump or skip about playfully
Synonym: Frolic

11. Imbue Verb To soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind
Synonym: Infuse
Antonym: Erase

12. Inchoate Adjective Just beginning; not fully shaped or formed
Synonym: Embryonic
Antonym: Developed

13. Lampoon
Noun
A malicious satire
Synonym: Parody
Antonym: Flattery

14. Malleable
Adjective
Capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced
Synonym: impressionable
Antonym: inflexible

15. Nemesis
Noun
An agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival
Synonym: Comeuppance
Antonym: ally

16. Opt Verb To make a choice or decision Synonyms: choose, select, decide
**OPTION**

17. Philistine
Adjective
Lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements
Noun
Such a person
Synonym: Boorish
Antonym: Refined

18. Picaresque
Adjective
Involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventurers
Synonym: Roguish

19. Queasy
Adjective
Nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness, troubled
Synonym: Unsettled
Antonym: Calm

20. Refractory
Adjective
Stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure
Synonym: Unruly
Antonym: Docile

21. Savoir-faire
Noun
The ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence
Synonym: Sophistication
Antonym: Tactlessness

22. Aberration
Noun
A departure from what is proper, right, expected, or normal; a lapse from a sound mental state
Synonym: Deviation

23. Ad hoc Adjective For this specific purpose; improvised
Synonym: makeshift
Antonym: long-standing

24. Bane
Noun
The source or cause of fatal injury, death, destruction, or ruin; death or ruin itself; poison
Synonym: Spoiler
Antonym: Solace

25. Bathos
Noun
The intrusion of commonplace or trite material into a context whose tone is lofty or elevated; grossly insincere or exaggerated sentimentality; the lowest phase, nadir; an anticlimax, comedown
Synonym: mush

26. Cantankerous Adjective
Ill-tempered, quarrelsome; difficult to get along or deal with
Synonym: Irascible
Antonym: Good-natured

27. Casuistry
Noun
The determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by the application of general ethical principles; specious argument
Synonym: Sophistry

28. De Facto
Adjective
Actually existing or in effect, although not legally required or sanctioned
Synonym: In actuality
Antonym: De jure

29. Depredation Noun The act of preying upon or plundering
Synonym: Looting

30. Empathy
Noun
A sympathetic understanding of or identification with feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of someone or something else
Synonyms: Sympathy, compassion
Antonym: Insensitivity

31. Harbinger
Noun
A forerunner, herald
Synonym: Precursor
Antonym: Sequel

32. Hedonism
Noun
The belief that the attainment of pleasure is life’s chief aim; devotion to or pursuit of pleasure
Synonym: Pleasure seeking
Antonym: self-denial

33. Lackluster Adjective Lacking brilliance or vitality; dull
Synonym: Flat
Antonym: Dazzling

34. Malcontent
Adjective
Discontented with or in open defiance of prevailing conditions
Synonym: Dissatisfied
Antonym: Satisfied

35. Mellifluous Adjective Flowing sweetly or smoothly, honeyed
Synonym: Musical

36. Nepotism
Noun
Undue favoritism to or excessive patronage of one’s relatives

37. Pander
Verb
To cater to or provide satisfaction for the low tastes or vices of others
Synonym: Indulge

38. Peccadillo
Noun
A minor sin or offense; a trifling fault or shortcoming
Synonym: Indiscretion
Antonym: Felony

39. Pièce de résistance Noun
The principal dish of a meal; the principal event, incident, or item; an outstanding accomplishment
Synonym: Centerpiece
Antonym: Hors D’ouvre

40. Remand
Verb
To send or order back; in law, to send back to jail or to a lower court
Synonym: return
Antonym: release

41. Syndrome
Noun
A group of symptoms or signs that collectively characterize or indicate a disease, disorder, abnormality, etc.
Synonym: pattern