unit 14 Flashcards
annex (verb) (noun)
(v.) to add to, attach; to incorporate
The two nations protested when their militant neighbor ______ the disputed territory.
SYNONYMS: join, acquire, procure
(n.) an attachment or addition
All back issues of magazines are kept next door on the second floor of the new library ______.
cordial (adjective) (noun)
(adj.) in a friendly manner, hearty; cheery
Our aunt’s ______ welcome made us all feel right at home in her huge, drafty Victorian house.
SYNONYMS: hospitable, affable, warm, convivial
ANTONYMS: gruff, unfriendly, unsociable
(n.) a liqueur
Grasshopper pie is made not with grasshoppers but with crème de menthe, a _______.
debacle (noun)
an overwhelming defeat, rout; a complete collapse or failure
After the _______ of their crushing loss in the World Series, the team vowed to return next year.
SYNONYMS: disaster, calamity
ANTONYMS: success, victory, coup
embroil (verb)
to involve in a conflict or difficulty; to throw into confusion
The last thing I want is to ______ myself in a dispute between two of my best friends.
SYNONYMS: entangle, ensnarl
ANTONYMS: disentangle, separate, disconnect
haphazard (adjective)
by chance, not planned; lacking order
The ______ arrangement of facts in his presentation left his listeners completely confused.
SYNONYMS: random, slapdash
ANTONYMS: deliberate, purposeful, orderly
improvise (verb)
to compose or perform without preparation; to construct from available materials
After the earthquake, stunned villagers were forced to ______ shelters from the debris.
SYNONYMS: ad-lib, play it by ear, wing it, extemporize
ANTONYMS: plan, rehearse
pallor (noun)
an extreme or unnatural paleness
“A ghost!” the girl gasped, her ______ making her look much like a ghost herself as she ran away.
SYNONYMS: wanness, lividness, bloodlessness
ANTONYMS: flush, blush, rosiness, bloom
profuse (adjective)
very abundant; given or flowing freely
How can I stay upset with him when he is so sincere and ______ with his apologies?
SYNONYMS: extravagant, lavish, bounteous, plenteous
ANTONYMS: sparse, scanty, meager, insufficient
reconcile (verb)
to restore to friendship; to settle; to resign (oneself)
After so many years of feuding, it will be difficult for the brothers to ______ and begin anew.
SYNONYMS: conciliate, mend fences
ANTONYMS: antagonize, alienate, drive a wedge between
shackle (verb) (noun, usually plural)
(v.) to put into chains
The guards attempted to ______ the prisoner before allowing him to board the waiting airplane.
SYNONYMS: manacle, enslave
ANTONYMS: free, unfetter, emancipate, liberate
(n.) a chain, fetter
His wicked plot discovered, the prince was bound in _____ and taken to the dank dungeon.
SYNONYMS: handcuffs, bonds, irons
cleave (verb)
to cut or split open; to cling to
It is possible to ______ a ripe coconut neatly in two with just one swing of a machete.
SYNONYMS: sever, halve, adhere, clasp
cornerstone (noun)
the starting point of a building; a fundamental principle or element
The ______ of the American judicial system is the presumption of innocence.
SYNONYMS: base, underpinning, support
devitalize (verb)
to make weak or lifeless
The long, dark winter, with its cold rain and gloomy skies, ______ her usually buoyant spirit.
SYNONYMS: sap, enervate
ANTONYMS: enliven, stimulate, excite
exonerate (verb)
to clear from a charge or accusation
The prisoner was set free after ten years, thanks to new evidence
that ______ him of all charges.
SYNONYMS: absolve, acquit, vindicate
ANTONYMS: incriminate, inculpate
glib (adjective)
ready and fluent in speech; thoughtless, insincere
The salesman had such ______ answers to every objection that I grew extremely skeptical of his claims.
SYNONYMS: superficial, pat, oily, unctuous
ANTONYMS: halting, tongue-tied, speechless
