AP L&C Unit 10 Flashcards
attenuate
v
to make thin or slender; to weaken or lessen in force, intensity, or value
S: dilute
A: bolster
askance
adv
with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval
S: suspiciously
benign
adj
gentle, kind, forgiving, understanding; having a favorable beneficial effect; not malignant
S: benevolent
A: malevolent
cavil
v/n
(v) to find in a petty way, carp
(n) a trivial objection or criticism
S: nitpick
Don’t find a whole bunch of unnecessary CAVILS against me when I am just trying my best.
charlatan
n
one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, impostor, or quack
S: mountebank
There is a cast difference between real intellectuals and CHARLATANS.
decimate
v
to kill or destroy a large part of
S: devastate
People use pesticides to DECIMATE pests in gardens.
foible
n
a weak point, failing, minor flaw
S: quirk
A: virtue
Even though I may have FOIBLES in my personality, so does everyone else.
forgo
v
to do without, abstain from, give up
S: renounce
A: indulge in
It is best to FORGO relationships with people who you do not feel right around.
fraught
adj
full of or loaded with: accompanied by
S: charged with
A: lacking
That metal rod is FRAUGHT with rust.
inure
v
to toughen, harden; to render used to something by long subjection or exposure
S: acclimate
The most hardened prisoners are INURED to prison’s conditions.
luminous
adj
emitting or reflecting light, glowing; illuminating
S: refulgent
A: dim
The LUMINOUS lamp shone in the night.
obsequious
adj
marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons
S: fawning
A: assertive
Nina was OBSEQUIOUS to her garden and it grew amazingly.
obtuse
adj
blunt, not coming to a point; slow or dull in understanding; measuring between 90 and 180 degrees; not causing a sharp impression
S: dull-witted
A: perceptive
If an angle is not acute or right and it is under 180 degrees, it was OBTUSE.
oscillate
v
to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver
S: vacillate
The fan OSCILLATES back and forth, spreading the air.
penitent
adj/n
(adj) regretful for one’s sins or mistakes
(n) one who is sorry for wrongdoing
S: remorseful
A: remorseless
Shane is PENITENT for the acts of wrongdoing that he has committed.
peremptory
adj
having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial, or refusal; offensively self-assured, dictational; determined, resolute
S: unconditional
A: irresolute
It is PEREMPTORY that there will be homework tonight; don’t doubt it.
rebuff
v/n
(v) to snub; to repel, drive away
(n) a curt rejection, a check
S: repulse
A: welcome
Horrible behavior will REBUFF potential friends.
reconnoiter
v
to engage in reconnaissance; to make a preliminary inspection
S: scout
I must RECONNOITER the camp before I choose to stay for a night.
shambles
n
a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of complete disorder and confusion, mess
The Holocaust resulted in hundreds of SHAMBLES in which Jews were massacred.
sporadic
adj
occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan of order
S: intermittent
A: steady
An irregular heartbeat presents SPORADIC graph readings.
