English Vocab 9 Flashcards
bystander
one who looks on or observes, a person present but not taking part
syn: observer, spectator, onlooker
ant: active participant
accelerate
to speed up, cause to move faster; to bring out more quickly
syn: step up, quicken, hasten
ant: slow down, retard, decelerate
canvass
to go through an area in order to procure votes, sales or opinions; to go over in detail, to discuss
syn: poll, survey, solicit
casual
happening by chance or on an irregular basis; showing little concern; informal
syn: accidental, haphazard, offhand
ant: formal, serious, premeditated, intentional
downtrodden
treated unfairly and cruelly, oppressed
syn: mistreated, ground underfoot
ant: uplifted, liberated
entice
to attract, tempt
syn: lure, beguile
ant: nauseate, sicken, revolt, repel
erode
to wear away gradually, eat away
syn: corrode, abrade
ant: nurture, promote, encourage
flounder
to thrash about in a clumsy or ineffective way
syn: wallow, struggle
graphic
lifelike, vivid; relating to the pictorial arts
syn: lively, colorful, descriptive
ant: dull, boring, unrealistic, colorless
gruesome
horrible, revolting, ghastly
syn: gory, hideous, grisly
ant: pleasant, delightful, appealing
melancholy
sad, gloomy, unhappy; sadness, gloominess
syn: depressed, dejected
ant: merry, happy. cheerful, joy, elation
ordeal
a difficult or painful experience, a trial
syn: test, hardship
ant: pleasure, cinch
parch
to make dry and thirsty, to shrivel with heat
syn: dry up, dehydrate, desiccate
ant: soak, drench, saturate, waterlog
persist
to continue steadily in a course of action, refuse to stop or be changed; to last, remain
syn: persevere, keep at it, endure
ant: give up, discontinue
puny
of less than normal strength or size; of no importance
syn: undersized, pint-size, small, weak
ant: robust, brawny, mammoth, gigantic
quibble
to evade or belittle a point by twisting words or raising minor objections; a petty objection
syn: nitpick, split hairs, cavil, squabble
ratify
to approve, give formal approval to, confirm
syn: endorse, sanction, uphold
ant: cancel, repeal, annul, veto
regal
royal, kinglike; fit for a king
syn: majestic, stately, princely, august
ant: lowly, humble, abject, servile
stifle
to smother, prevent from breathing; to hold back or choke off
syn: strangle, suppress, snuff
ant: nurture, promote, encourage
vital
having life, living; necessary to life, essential; key, crucial
syn: indispensable, fundamental
ant: nonessential, unnecessary
Despite stern warnings from their doctor, the brothers _____ in their bad habits.
persist
The wrestler let out a coarse burst of laughter when his ___ opponent entered the ring.
puny
The legislatures of three fourths of the states must ____ an amendment to the US Constitution.
ratify
Unable to ____ her anger, the sculptor lashed out at her harshest critic.
stifle
Let’s not ___ over details.
quibble
The two families pooled their resources to give the bride and groom a truly ___ wedding.
regal
The treaty is of ____ importance to the security of our nation.
vital
The buyer’s ____ notwithstanding, the parties soon came to an arrangment.
quibble
Storms and mud slides ____ the road so that eventually it became impassible.
eroded
A witness gave the reporter a ___ account of the destruction caused by the tornado.
graphic
If you were spending your own money, rather than mine, you would be more inclined to ____ over the price of the repairs.
quibble
After suffering much damage in the storm, the small craft was left to ____ about helplessly.
flounder
The ___ crime rocked the ordinarily quiet neighborhood.
gruesome
The climbers were exhausted by the ____.
ordeal
It must have been the gloom of the house and the steady rain that made me feel so _____.
melancholy
The fields of Oklahoma were ____ by drought in the 1930s.
parched
The tune of the lyrics of the song were filled with ____.
melancholy
The hikers needed to ___ their pace once it became clear that it would soon rain.
accelerate
The students volunteered to ____ the neighborhood for our candidate.
canvass
Most of the immigrants at Ellis Island represented the ____ masses yearning to be free.
downtrodden
The ___ who had witnessed the collision gave his statement to the police.
bystander
A ___ remark made by the mayor was taken out of context and used against him by the press.
casual
To ___ shoppers into the store, salespersons were giving away coupons for free gifts.
entice
A group of reporters from the local TV station ___ our district for reactions to the proposed changes in the law.
canvassed
