unit 10 vocabulary

Question 1

askance

Answer 1

(adv.) with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval

SYNONYMS: distrustfully, suspiciously

Question 2

attenuate

Answer 2

(v.) to make thin or slender; to weaken or lessen in force, intensity, or value

SYNONYMS: thin out, dilute, water down
ANTONYMS: thicken, strengthen, bolster

Question 3

benign

Answer 3

(adj.) gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect; not malignant

SYNONYMS: benevolent, salubrious, harmless
ANTONYMS: malevolent, deleterious

Question 4

cavil

Answer 4

(v.) to find fault in a petty way, carp; (n.) a trivial objection or criticism

SYNONYM: (v.) nitpick

Question 5

charlatan

Answer 5

(n.) one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, imposter, or quack

SYNONYM: mountebank

Question 6

decimate

Answer 6

(v.) to kill or destroy a large part of

SYNONYM: devastate

Question 7

foible

Answer 7

(n.) a weak point, failing, minor flaw

SYNONYMS: shortcoming, quirk
ANTONYMS: forte, virtue

Question 8

forgo

Answer 8

(v.) to do without, abstain from, give up

SYNONYMS: refrain from, renounce
ANTONYMS: indulge in, partake of

Question 9

fraught

Answer 9

(adj.) full of or loaded with; accompanied by

SYNONYM: charged with
ANTONYMS: devoid of, lacking, deficient in

Question 10

inure

Answer 10

(v.) to toughen, harden; to render used to something by long subjection or exposure

SYNONYMS: accustom, acclimate

Question 11

luminous

Answer 11

(adj.) emitting or reflecting light, glowing; illuminating

SYNONYMS: bright, refulgent, lustrous
ANTONYMS: dark, opaque, dim, murky

Question 12

obsequious

Answer 12

(adj.) marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons

SYNONYMS: fawning, servile, sycophantic, mealymouthed
ANTONYMS: assertive, bumptious, candid, frank, independent

Question 13

obtuse

Answer 13

(adj.) blunt, not coming to a point; slow or dull in understanding; measuring between 90º and 180º; not causing a sharp impression

SYNONYMS: thick, mild
ANTONYMS: perceptive, quick-witted

Question 14

oscillate

Answer 14

(v.) to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver

SYNONYM: vibrate

Question 15

penitent

Answer 15

(adj.) regretful for one’s sins or mistakes; (n.) one who is sorry for wrongdoing

SYNONYMS: (adj.) remorseful, regretful, rueful
ANTONYM: (adj.) remorseless

Question 16

peremptory

Answer 16

(adj.) having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial, or refusal; offensively self-assured, dictatorial; determined, resolute

SYNONYM: unconditional
ANTONYMS: irresolute, mild, unassuming

Question 17

rebuff

Answer 17

(v.) to snub; to repel, drive away; (n.) a curt rejection, a check

SYNONYMS: (v.) repulse, reject; (n.) setback
ANTONYMS: (v.) accept, welcome

Question 18

reconnoiter

Answer 18

(v.) to engage in reconnaissance; to make a preliminary inspection

SYNONYM: scout

Question 19

shambles

Answer 19

(n.) a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of complete disorder and confusion, mess

Question 20

sporadic

Answer 20

(adj.) occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order

SYNONYMS: intermittent, spasmodic
ANTONYMS: steady, continuous, uninterrupted