Unit 3 Vocab Flashcards
Ancillary
(adj.) subordinate or supplementary
Synonyms: auxiliary, subsidiary, accessory
Antonyms: central, key, primary, principal, main
Bowdlerize
(v.) to remove material considered offensive (from a book, okay, film, etc.)
Synonyms: censor, purge expurgate
Condescend
(v.) to come down or stoop voluntarily to a lower level; to deal with people in a patronizing manner
Synonym: deign
Cozen
(v.) to trick; to cheat or swindle
Synonyms: dupe, deceive, beguile, inveigle
Enclave
(n.) an enclosed district, region, or area inhabited by a particular group of people or having a special character
Synonyms: island, subgroup
Forte
(n.) a person’s strong point; what a person does best
Synonyms: gift, aptitude, specialty
Antonyms: weakness, shortcoming, foible
Gratis
(adj.) free; (adv.) without charge
Synonyms: (adj.) on the house; (adv.) freely
Antonyms: (adv.) for a price
Icon
(n.) a representative or image of a sacred personage, often considered sacred itself; an image or picture; a symbol; a graphic symbol on a computer monitor display; an object of blind devotion
Synonyms: emblem, idol
Interstice
(n.) a small, narrow space between things or parts of things
Synonyms: gap, slot, crevice, interval, lacuna
Macrocosm
(n.) the universe considered as a whole; the entire complex structure of something
Synonyms: cosmos, entirety
Antonyms: model, miniature, microcosm
Mountebank
(n.) a trickster or swindler; a charlatan
Synonyms: imposter, quack
Antonyms: sucker, dupe, “mark,” “pigeon”
Paean
(n.) a song of praise, joy, or triumph
Synonyms: hymn, ode, anthem
Antonyms: dirge, elegy, lament, threnody
Persiflage
(n.) lighthearted joking, talk, or writing
Synonyms: banter, jesting, repartee, badinage
Plethora
(n.) over-fullness; superabundance; superfluity
Synonyms: surplus, surfeit, glut, excess
Antonyms: shortage, paucity, dearth, scarcity
Pragmatic
(adj.) concerned with practical considerations or values; dealing with actions and results rather than with abstract theory; stiff in one’s opinions
Synonyms: down to earth, businesslike
Antonyms: idealistic, impractical, visionary
Quizzical
(adj.) puzzled; mocking; odd; equivocal
Synonyms: peculiar, perplexed, mystified, derisive
Antonyms: unequivocal, crystal-clear, unambiguous
Rapacity
(n.) inordinate greed; the disposition to obtain one’s desires by force, extortion, or plunder
Synonyms: avarice, cupidity, voraciousness
Antonyms: liberality, generosity, altruism
Schism
(n.) a formal split within a religious organization; any division or separation of a group or organization i to hostile factions
Synonyms: rift, breach
Antonyms: united front; reconciliation
Therapeutic
(adj.) having the power to heal or cure; beneficial
Synonyms: curative, salutary, salubrious
Antonyms: harmful, injurious, deleterious
Virtuoso
(n.) a brilliant performer; a person with masterly skill or technique; (adj.) masterly or brilliant
Synonyms: (n.) expert, master, prodigy, maestro
Antonyms: (n.) amateur, beginner, novice; (adj.) mediocre
