Unit 12 Flashcards
absolve
(v.) to clear from blame, responsibility, or guilt
They assumed that their alibi would ___ them of suspicion.
Synonyms: acquit, exonerate, vindicate, excuse, pardon
Antonyms: condemn, convict, incriminate, inculpate
caricature
(n.) a representation, such as a drawing, that exaggerates a subject’s characteristic features; (v.) to present someone or something in a deliberately distorted way
What began as a hasty newspaper ___ soon turned up on coffee mugs, T-shirts, and sweatshirts.
The satirical television program ___ the movie star and made him seem clumsier than he really was.
Synonyms: (n.) cartoon, burlesque, lampoon
clangor
(n.) a loud ringing sound; (v.) to make a loud ringing noise
For more than a century, American grade schools summoned children to school with the ___ of a bell.
Synonyms: (n.) din, clamor, uproar
Antonyms: (n.) silence, stillness,peace and quiet
contiguous
(adj.) side by side, touching; near; adjacent in time
Trouble arose over who should control the weeds and bushes that rioted in the lot ___ to ours.
Synonyms: abutting, next door to
Antonyms: detached, apart, distant, remote
cupidity
(n.) an eager desire for something; greed
You say that these catalogue prices show the quality of the goods, but I say they show the seller’s ___.
Synonyms: avarice, rapacity, craving, lust
Antonyms: contentment, satiety, gratification
deleterious
(adj.) harmful, injurious
Wishing can give zest and purpose to anyone’s life, but wishful thinking can have a ___ effect.
Synonyms: detrimental, destructive, pernicious, damaging
Antonyms: helpful, beneficial, harmless, innocuous
enhance
(v.) to raise to a higher degree; to increase the value or desirability of
She sanded and varnished the old table in order to ___ its appearance and value.
Synonyms: improve, elevate
Antonyms: diminish, degrade
enthrall
(v.) to captivate, charm, hold spellbound; to enslave; to imprison
All the critics were ___ by the performance and wrote rave reviews.
Synonyms: fascinate, attract
Antonyms: bore to tears, repel
extenuate
(v.) to lessen the seriousness or magnitude of an offense by making partial excuses
“Do not ___ the circumstances!” my mom said when I explained I had been studying rather than cleaning my room.
Synonyms: moderate, mitigate, diminish, downplay
Antonyms: intensify, magnified, worsen, exacerbate
implicit
(adj.) implied or understood though unexpressed; without doubts or reservations, unquestioning; potentially contained in
She never said so, but it was ___ that she did not like conversations before her morning coffee.
Synonyms: inferred, tacit, unspoken, unconditional
Antonyms: explicit, expressed, stated, revealed
incisive
(adj.) sharp, keen, penetrating (with a suggestion of decisiveness and effectiveness)
I am truly thankful for your ___ remarks about my report.
Synonyms: acute, cutting, perceptive
inimical
(adj.) tending to cause harm or obstruct developments; being oppositional or adverse
Several ___ groups have tried to create chaos and undermine democratic principles.
Synonyms: unfriendly, hostile, antagonistic, contrary
Antonyms: friendly, hospitable, kind
ostentatious
(adj.) marked by conspicuous or pretentious display, showy
The restaurant’s interior was so ___ that the meager meal, when it came, seemed an afterthought,
Synonyms: flashy, overdone, affected, flamboyant
Antonyms: modest, plain, simple, demure, retiring
paragon
(n.) a model of excellence or perfection
I may not be a ___ of scholarship, but I do try my best.
Synonyms: ideal, paradigm, model, good example
politic
(adj.) prudent, shrewdly conceived and developed; artful, expedient
Synonyms: tactful, diplomatic, judicious, circumspect
Antonyms: unwise, injudicious, imprudent, rash
