Unit 5 Vocabulary Flashcards
amnesty
(n) a general pardon for an offense against a government; in general, any act of forgiveness or absolution
sentence: Many political prisoners were freed under the amnesty granted by the new regime.
synonym: reprieve
autonomy
(n) self-government, political control
sentence: After colonies gained autonomy from England, many Americans still clung to England.
synonym: home rule
antonym: dependence
axiomatic
(adj) self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle
sentence: One should not accept the idea that the camera never lies as an axiomatic truth.
synonym: taken for granted
antonyms: questionable, dubious
blazon
(v) to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely
They will blazon the results of the election across the Internet and every television set in the land.
synonyms: broadcast, trumpet
antonyms: hide, conceal, bury
caveat
(n) a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior
The well-known Latin phrase “caveat emptor” means, “Let the buyer beware.”
Synonyms: admonition, word to the wise
equitable
(adj) fair, just, embodying principles of justice
He did more work, so a sixty-forty split of the profits seemed an equitable arrangement.
Synonyms: right, reasonable, evenhanded
Antonyms: unjust, unfair, one-sided
extricate
(v) to free from entanglements or difficulties; to remove with effort
The ring must have slid off my finger as I was trying to extricate the fish from the net.
synonyms: disentangle, extract
antonyms: enmesh, entangle
filch
(v) to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts
If you filch pennies from the cash drawer, you will be tempted to steal larger amounts one day.
synonyms: pilfer, purloin, swipe
flout
(v) to mock, treat with contempt
She chose to ignore my advice, not because she wanted to flout my beliefs, but because she had strong opinions of her own.
synonyms: steer at, snicker at, scorn
antonyms: obey, honor
fractious
(adj) tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable
It seems as if even the smoothest-running organizations contain one or two fractious elements.
synonyms: refractory, peevish
antonyms: docile, tractable, cooperative
precept
(n) a rule of conduct or action
Many philosophies follow the precept that it is important to treat others as you would like to be treated.
salutary
(adj) beneficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome
The cute new puppy had a salutary effect on her health.
Synonyms: curative
antonyms: detrimental
scathing
(adj) bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm
Sometimes a reasoned discussion does more to change people’s minds than a scathing attack.
synonyms: searing, harsh, savage
antonyms: bland, mild
scourge
(v) to whip, punish severely; (n) a cause of affliction or suffering; a source of severe punishment or criticism
Jonathan Swift used wit to scourge the British government for its cruel treatment of Ireland.
Competing teams consider my daughter the scourge of the soccer field.
synonyms: (v) flog, beat; (n) bane, plague, pestilence
antonyms: (n) godsend, boon, blessing
sepulchral
(adj) funereal, typical of the tomb; extremely gloomy or dismal
In a severe and sepulchral tone of voice, my sister announced that they were out of cookies.
synonyms: lugubrious, mortuary
soporific
(adj) tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy; (n) something that induces sleep
He claimed that the musical was soporific and that he had slept through the entire second act.
Shakespeare’s Juliet drinks a soporific so as to appear to be dead–a trick she is soon to regret.
synonyms: (n) narcotic, anesthetic
antonyms: (adj) stimulating; (n) stimulant, stimulus
straitlaced
(adj) extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish, puritanical
Travelers may find people overseas straitlaced in some ways but surprisingly free in others.
Synonyms: highly conventional, overly strict, stuffy
Antonyms: lax, loose, indulgent, permissive, dissolute
transient
(adj) lasting only a short time, fleeting; (n) one who stays only a short time
His bad mood was transient, and by the time he’d finished his breakfast, he was smiling.
Many farm hands lived the lives of transients during the Great Depression.
synonyms: (adj) impermanent, ephemeral, evanescent
antonyms: (adj) permanent, imperishable, immortal
unwieldly
(adj) not easily carried, handed, or managed because of size or complexity
We loaded the truck with the chairs and the coffee table, but the grand piano was too unwieldly.
synonyms: bulky, clumsy, impractical
antonyms: manageable, easy to handle
vapid
(adj) dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force
While critics called the movie vapid, I thought the performers were very compelling.
synonyms: lifeless, colorless
antonyms: zesty, spicy, colorful
