unit 9 Flashcards
cubicle (noun)
a small room or compartment
The tiniest ______ is usually assigned to the newest employee.
SYNONYM: hole-in-the-wall
ANTONYMS: vast hall, auditorium
drudgery (noun)
work that is hard and tiresome
Trade unions lobby to relieve the endless _____ of factory workers.
SYNONYMS: toil, labor, grind
ANTONYMS: play, frolic, amusement, recreation, fun
escalate (verb)
to elevate; to increase in intensity
A small dispute can ______ into a major conflict unless the opposing parties sit down and talk.
SYNONYMS: raise, ascend, mount
ANTONYMS: decrease, lessen, descend, defuse
expedient (noun) (adjective)
(n.) a means to an end
As an ______, we chose to use a rock as a makeshift hammer.
SYNONYMS: contrivance, device
(adj.) advantageous, useful
An opportunist is someone who is always ready to do whatever is most _____.
SYNONYM: serviceable
ANTONYMS: inconvenient, untimely, disadvantageous
grievous (adjective)
causing sorrow or pain; serious
Reporters should take careful notes when interviewing to avoid making _____ errors in print.
SYNONYMS: painful, heartrending, onerous, flagrant
ANTONYMS: joyful, uplifting, cheery, upbeat, comforting
horde (noun)
a vast number (as of people); a throng
When the doors opened, a ______ of shoppers headed toward the sales racks.
SYNONYMS: crowd, mass, multitude, host, swarm
ANTONYMS: few, handful
impel (verb)
to force, drive forward
Hunger often ______ people to leave their homes in search of food.
SYNONYMS: urge, push, spur, propel, incite
ANTONYMS: discourage, check, restrain, curb
incredulous (adjective)
disbelieving, skeptical
When the testimony of a witness contradicts the evidence, you
can expect ______ stares from the jury.
SYNONYMS: mistrustful, doubting
ANTONYMS: believing, trustful
prognosis (noun)
a forecast of the probable course and outcome of a disease or situation
Doctors are particularly happy to deliver a ______ of a speedy recovery.
SYNONYM: projection
repugnant (adjective)
offensive, disagreeable, distasteful
Despite their ______ lack of cleanliness, pigs are endearing to many people.
SYNONYMS: hateful, odious, revolting, repulsive
ANTONYMS: pleasing, attractive, tempting, wholesome
auxiliary (adjective )(noun)
(adj.) giving assistance or support
If the main motor fails, the instructions say to turn on the ______ motor.
SYNONYM: additional
ANTONYMS: main, primary, principal
(n.) a helper, aid
Someone second in command is an ______ to the person in charge.
SYNONYMS: reserve, accessory
candid (adjective)
frank, sincere; impartial; unposed
It is safe to be ______ about our faults with friends and loved ones.
SYNONYMS: forthright, plainspoken, unbiased
ANTONYMS: insincere, evasive, misleading, artful
envoy (noun)
a representative or messenger (as of a government)
On more than one occasion, a former President has been asked to act as a special ______ to the United Nations.
SYNONYMS: ambassador, emissary, minister
feign (verb)
to pretend
Children sometimes ______ illness to avoid going to school.
SYNONYMS: fake, sham, affect, simulate
flair (noun)
a natural quality, talent, or skill; a distinctive style
An opera singer needs a _______ for the dramatic as well as a good voice.
SYNONYMS: bent, knack, gift, style, panache
ANTONYMS: inability, incapacity
heterogeneous (adjective)
composed of different kinds, diverse
Most college admissions officers actively seek a student body that is both talented and ______.
SYNONYMS: miscellaneous, mixed, variegated
ANTONYMS: uniform, homogeneous, of a piece
inscribe (verb)
to write or engrave; to enter a name on a list
The young man asked the jeweler to _______ the locket with his fiancée’s name.
SYNONYMS: enroll, enlist
ANTONYMS: erase, rub out, delete, efface, obliterate
monologue (noun)
a speech by one actor; a long talk by one person
By means of a ______, a playwright shares a character’s private thoughts with the audience.
SYNONYM: soliloquy
ANTONYMS: conversation, colloquy
rasping (adjective)(noun)
(adj.) with a harsh, grating sound
Chronic bronchitis can lead to a ______ cough that is difficult to cure.
SYNONYMS: scraping, abrasive, gravelly
ANTONYMS: smooth, satiny, silky
(n.) a harsh sound
The ______ of metal scraping against metal sets my teeth on edge.
scuttle (verb) (noun)
(v.) to sink a ship by cutting holes in it; to get rid of something in a decisive way; to run hastily, scurry
Pirates would not wish to _____ a captured galleon before looting its cargo.
SYNONYMS: abandon, discard, scrap, ditch, dump
ANTONYMS: keep afloat, salvage, rescue, preserve
(n.) a pail
Years ago, it was possible to buy a ______ of coal at the corner grocery store.
