Unit 8 Flashcards
acrimonious
(adj.) stinging, bitter in temper or tone
She whirled to face me when I spoke, and her answer startled me by its ___ intensity.
Synonyms: biting, rancorous, hostile, peevish
Antonyms: gentle, warm, mild, cordial
bovine
(adj.) resembling a cow or ox; sluggish, unresponsive
After I told him what had happened, he sat there with a ___ expression and said nothing.
Synonyms: stolid, dull, slow, stupid
Antonyms: sharp, bright, keen, quick
consternation
(n.) dismay, confusion
His father looked at the mess with ___ hardly knowing what to say first.
Synonyms: shock, amazement, bewilderment, dismay
Antonyms: calm, composure, aplomb
corpulent
(adj.) fat; having a large, bulky body
Though she had grown ___ with the years, the opera singer’s voice and her way with a song were the same.
Synonyms: overweight, heavy, obese, stout, portly
Antonyms: slender, lean, spare, gaunt, emaciated
disavow
(v.) to deny responsibility for or connection with
The suspect stubbornly continued to ___ any part in the kidnapping plot.
Synonyms: disclaim, retract, abjure
Antonyms: acknowledge, admit, grant, certify
dispassionate
(adj.) impartial; calm, free from emotion
Being a neighbor but not quite a family friend, he was called in to give a ___ view of our plan.
Synonyms: unbiased, disinterested, cool, detached
Antonyms: committed, engaged, partial, biased
dissension
(n.) disagreement, sharp difference of opinion
The political party was torn by ___ and finally split into two wings.
Synonyms: strife, discord, contention
Antonyms: agreement, accord, harmony
dissipate
(v.) to cause to disappear; to scatter, dispel; to spend foolishly
As chairman he is fair and open, but he ___ his energies on trivial things.
Synonyms: disperse, strew, diffuse, waste
Antonyms: gather, collect, conserve, husband
expurgate
(v.) to remove objectionable passages or words from a written text; to cleanse, purify
According to the unwritten law of journalism, the editor alone has the right to ___ the article.
Synonyms: purge, censor, bowdlerize
gauntlet
(n.) an armored or protective glove; a challenge; two lines of men armed with weapons with which to beat a person forced to run between them; an ordeal
In the Middle Ages, a knight threw down his ___ as a challenge, and another knight picked it up only if he accepted.
Synonyms: dare, provocation, trial, punishment
hypothetical
(adj.) based on an assumption or guess; used as a provisional or tentative idea to guide or direct investigation
Science is not based on ___ assumptions, but on proven facts.
Synonyms: assumed, supposed, conditional
Antonyms: actual, real, tested, substantiated
ignoble
(adj.) mean, low, base
Most people will agree that a noble purpose does not justify ___ means.
Synonyms: inferior, unworthy, sordid
Antonyms: admirable, praiseworthy, lofty, noble
impugn
(v.) to call into question; to attack as false
You can ___ the senator’s facts, but you cannot accuse her of concealing her intentions.
Synonyms: challenge, deny, dispute, query, question
Antonyms: confirm, prove, verify, validate
intemperate
(adj.) immoderate, lacking in self-control; inclement
Experience taught her to control her ___ outburts of anger.
Synonyms: excessive, extreme, unrestrained, inordinate
Antonyms: moderate, restrained, cool and collected
odium
(n.) hatred, contempt; disgrace or infamy resulting from hateful conduct
Those eager to heap ___ on the fallen tyrant learned that he had escaped in the right.
Synonyms: abhorrence, opprobrium, shame, ignominy
Antonyms: esteem, admiration, approbation
perfidy
(n.) faithlessness, treachery
Rulers in Shakespeare’s plays often find themselves armed against enemies but not against the ___ of their friends.
Synonyms: betrayal, disloyalty, treason
Antonyms: faithfulness, loyalty, steadfastness
relegate
(v.) to place in a lower position; to assign, refer, turn over; to banish
Even if they ___ him to a mere clerical job, he is determined to make his presence felt.
Synonyms: transfer, consign, demote, exile
Antonyms: promote, elevate, advance, recall
squeamish
(adj.) inclined to nausea; easily shocked or upset; excessively fastidious or refined
If I am called ___ for disliking the horror movie, what do we call those who say that they liked it?
Synonyms: nauseated, queasy, delicate, oversensitive, priggish
subservient
(adj.) subordinate in capacity or role; submissively obedient; serving to promote some end
The officers were taught to be respectful of but not blindly ___ to their superior’s wishes.
Synonyms: secondary, servile, obsequious, useful
Antonyms: primary, principal, bossy, domineering
susceptible
(adj.) open to; easily influenced; lacking in resistance
The trouble with being ___ to flattery is that you can never be sure that the flatterer is sincere.
Synonyms: vulnerable, receptive, impressionable
Antonyms: resistant, immune
