1. ACT Power Plus Vocabulary Lesson Four

2. celibate (adj.) – abstaining from intercourse; unmarried In that religion, the priests take vows to remain impoverished and celibate.

3. fortuitous (adj.) – happening by chance or accident My father said meeting my mother was fortuitous; my mother said it was fate. Synonyms accidental unexpected Antonyms premeditated intentional

4. recapitulate (verb) – to summarize; to repeat briefly Television newsmen always recapitulate presidential news conferences, as if the audience were incapable of understanding what had been said.

5. perfunctory (adj.) – done without care; in a routine fashion She greeted her guests in a perfunctory manner. Synonyms indifferent offhand Antonyms diligent attentive

6. baroque (adj.) – overly decorated The new dance club had a great light show; the baroque furnishings seemed right in place. ornate SynonymsAntonyms simple

7. hedonism (noun) – pursuit of pleasure, especially of the senses John favors hedonism over self-sacrifice.

8. obloquy (noun) strong disapproval; a bad reputation resulting from public opinion His behavior brought shame to his family and obloquy on himself. Synonyms censure rebuke acclaim praise Antonyms

9. debacle (noun) – a complete failure; a total collapse After reading the reviews, the actors knew the play was a debacle and would close in one night. SynonymsAntonyms calamity catastrophe success triumph

10. quasi- (adj.) – resembling; seeming; half Grandfather was only in quasi-retirement because he couldn’t give up control of the business.

11. besmirch (verb) – to make dirty; to stain My ex-best friend tried to besmirch my reputation with her vicious gossip. Synonyms soil sully smear Antonyms cleanse

12. imperative (adj.) – extremely necessary; vitally important It is imperative that you leave immediately.

13. sacrosanct (adj.) – extremely holy The detective’s orders were to investigate everyone; no person was so sacrosanct that he or she was above suspicion. divine angelic Synonyms

14. sadistic (adj.) – deriving pleasure from inflicting pain on others Donna took sadistic pleasure in tormenting her little sister. SynonymsAntonyms barbarous perverse civilized humane

15. demeanor (noun)– behavior, manner of conducting oneself Believe me, his shy demeanor is just an act; he is really quite wild. Synonyms deportment

16. facetious (adj.) – comical; jocular; flippant Her facetious comments were beginning to get tiresome. Synonyms joking witty jocose solemn serious Antonyms