Units 1 Flashcards
Bellwether
Noun
The male sheep that leads the flock to the slaughterhouse; a leader, as in a desperate or violent undertaking; an indicator of trends
Syn: ringleader, initiator, barometer
Ant: follower, imitator, emulator
Adjunct
Noun
Something added to something else as helpful or useful but not essential; an assistant or helper; a valuable quality or characteristic;
Adjective
Added or connected in a subordinate capacity; attached to a faculty or staff in an auxiliary capacity
Syn: (n) associate, addition, accessory
Caterwaul
Verb To howl or screech like a cat; to quarrel Noun A harsh or noisy cry; a racket Syn: (v) whine (n) wail, screech
Chimerical
Adj
Absurd; wildly fantastic; impossible
Syn: fanciful, visionary, quixotic, pie-in-the-sky
Ant: realistic, down-to-earth, practicable
Effete
Adjective
Lacking in wholesome vigor or energy; worn-out or exhausted; sterile or unable to produce; out-of-date
Syn: decadent, enfeebled, outmoded
Ant: thriving, burgeoning, vigorous, dynamic
Fait accompli
Noun
An accomplished and presumably irreversible deed, fact, or action
Syn: accomplished fact
Hidebound
Adjective
Narrow-minded and rigid, especially in opinions or prejudices; stubbornly and unthinkingly conservative
Syn: intolerant, inflexible
Ant: open-minded, tolerant, liberal, progressive
Hierarchy
Noun
Any system of things or people arranged or graded one above another in order of rank, wealth, class, etc.
Syn: chain of command, pecking order
Liturgy
Noun
A religious service or rite; the form of a ritual or other act of public worship
Syn: ceremony, observance
Mirage
Noun
Something illusory, without substance, or without a basis in reality; an illusion
Syn: optical illusion
Morass
Noun
A patch of low, soft, wet ground; a swamp; a confusing situation in which one is entrapped, as in quicksand
Syn: bog, quagmire
Ant: solid ground, bedrock, terra firma
Noisome
Adjective
Offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious
Syn: fetid, noxious, vile, loathsome
Ant: wholesome, pleasant, sweet-smelling
Oblivious
Adjective
Forgetful; unaware
Syn: insensible
Ant: aware, mindful, cognizant, alert
Poltroon
Noun
A base coward
Syn: craven, dastard, “chicken”
Ant: hero, stalwart, gallant
Proselyte
Noun
A convert; a disciple
Syn: novice, neophyte
Ant: master, teacher, guide, guru
Quasi
Adjective
Resembling but not actually being; seemingly but not actually or complete
Syn: kind of, semi-, as if
Ant: totally, completely, actually, in fact
Raillery
Noun
Good-humored ridicule; teasing
Syn: banter, persiflage
Ribald
Adjective
Irreverently mocking; coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language
Syn: bawdy, risqué
Ant: seemly, proper, decorous
Supine
Adjective
Lying flat on one’s back; listless or lethargic; apathetic or passive
Syn: prone, prostrate; inert
Ant: upright, erect, perpendicular, vertical
Vignette
Noun
A short description or sketch; a picture or illustration with edges that gradually shade off; a decorative design on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter
Syn: thumbnail sketch, anecdote
Ant: epic, full-length treatment
