Unit 14 vocabulary

Question 1

beatific

Answer 1

(adj.) blissful; rendering or making blessed

SYNONYMS: rapturous, ecstatic
ANTONYMS: disconsolate, dejected, doleful

Question 2

behemoth

Answer 2

(n.) a creature of enormous size, power, or appearance

SYNONYMS: whale, elephant, colossus
ANTONYMS: dwarf, pygmy

Question 3

blandishment

Answer 3

(n. often pl.) anything designed to flatter or coax; sweet talk, apple-polishing

SYNONYMS: allurement, cajolery
ANTONYM: intimidation

Question 4

cacophonous

Answer 4

(adj.) harsh-sounding, raucous, discordant, dissonant

ANTONYMS: harmonious, melodious, mellifluous

Question 5

chicanery

Answer 5

(n.) trickery, deceptive practices or tactics, double-dealing

ANTONYM: fair dealing

Question 6

consign

Answer 6

(v.) to give over to another’s care, charge, or control; to entrust, deliver; to set apart for a special use

SYNONYMS: remit, convey

Question 7

coup

Answer 7

(n.) a highly successful stroke, masterstroke, tour de force, act, plan, or stratagem; a sudden takeover of power or leadership

ANTONYMS: blunder, faux pas, gaffe

Question 8

euphemism

Answer 8

(n.) a mild or inoffensive expression used in place of a harsh or unpleasant one; a substitute

Question 9

febrile

Answer 9

(adj.) feverish; pertaining to or marked by fever; frenetic

ANTONYM: leisurely

Question 10

gainsay

Answer 10

(v.) to deny, contradict, controvert; to dispute, oppose

ANTONYMS: confirm, corroborate, support, admit

Question 11

imminent

Answer 11

(adj.) about to happen, threatening

SYNONYM: looming
ANTONYMS: distant, remote, faraway

Question 12

innate

Answer 12

(adj.) natural, inborn, inherent; built-in

SYNONYM: congenital
ANTONYMS: learned, acquired, extrinsic, accidental

Question 13

loath

Answer 13

(adj.) unwilling, reluctant, disinclined

SYNONYMS: averse, indisposed
ANTONYMS: eager, inclined

Question 14

manifest

Answer 14

(adj.) clear, evident to the eyes or mind; (v.) to show plainly, exhibit, evince; (n.) a list of cargo and/or passengers

SYNONYMS: (adj.) apparent; (v.) reveal, disclose
ANTONYMS: (adj.) unrevealed, hidden; (v.) hide, conceal

Question 15

minutiae

Answer 15

(pl. n.) small or trivial details, trifling matters

SYNONYM: trifles
ANTONYM: essentials

Question 16

moratorium

Answer 16

(n.) a suspension of activity; an official waiting period; an authorized period of delay

SYNONYMS: postponement, stoppage
ANTONYM: escalation

Question 17

nostrum

Answer 17

(n.) an alleged cure-all; a remedy or scheme of questionable effectiveness

SYNONYM: elixir

Question 18

pariah

Answer 18

(n.) one who is rejected by a social group or organization

SYNONYMS: untouchable, persona non grata

Question 19

visionary

Answer 19

(adj.) not practical, lacking in realism; having the nature of a fantasy or dream; (n.) one given to far-fetched ideas; a dreamer or seer characterized by vision or foresight

SYNONYMS: (adj.) utopian, idealistic, impractical
ANTONYM: (adj.) practical

Question 20

wizened

Answer 20

(adj., part.) dry, shrunken, and wrinkled (often as the result of aging)

SYNONYMS: withered, shriveled
ANTONYMS: bloated, distended