Vocab Unit 1

Question 1

approbation

Answer 1

(n.) the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval
SYNONYMS: sanction
ANTONYMS: disapproval, condemnation, censure

Question 2

assuage

Answer 2

(v.) to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm
SYNONYMS: mitigate, slake, allay
ANTONYMS: intensify, aggravate, exacerbate

Question 3

coalition

Answer 3

(n.) a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose
SYNONYMS: alliance, league, federation, combine
ANTONYM: splinter group

Question 4

decadence

Answer 4

(n.) decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence
SYNONYMS: degeneration, corruption
ANTONYMS: rise, growth, maturation

Question 5

elicit

Answer 5

(v.) to draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person)
SYNONYMS: evoke, extract, educe
ANTONYMS: repress, quash, squelch, stifle

Question 6

expostulate

Answer 6

(v.) to attempt to dissuade someone from some course or decision by earnest reasoning
SYNONYMS: protest, remonstrate, complain

Question 7

hackneyed

Answer 7

(adj.) used so often as to lack freshness or originality
SYNONYMS: banal, trite, commonplace, corny
ANTONYM: new, fresh, novel, original

Question 8

hiatus

Answer 8

(n.) a gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing)
SYNONYMS: pause, lacuna
ANTONYMS: continuity, continuation

Question 9

innuendo

Answer 9

(n.) a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense)
SYNONYMS: insinuation, intimation
ANTONYM: direct statement

Question 10

intercede

Answer 10

(v.) to plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement
SYNONYMS: intervene, mediate

Question 11

jaded

Answer 11

(adj.) wearied, worn-out, dulled (in the sense of being satisfied by excessive indulgence)
SYNONYMS: sated, surfeited, cloyed
ANTONYMS: unspoiled, uncloyed

Question 12

lurid

Answer 12

(adj.) causing shock, horror or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow in color; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restraint
SYNONYMS: gruesome, gory, grisly, baleful, ghastly
ANTONYMS: pleasant, attractive, appealing, wholesome

Question 13

meritorious

Answer 13

(adj.) worthy of deserving recognition and praise
SYNONYMS: praiseworthy, laudable, commendable
ANTONYMS: blameworthy, reprehensible

Question 14

petulant

Answer 14

(adj.) peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset
SYNONYMS: irritable, testy, waspish
ANTONYMS: amiable, placid

Question 15

prerogative

Answer 15

(n.) a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence
SYNONYMS: perquisite, perk

Question 16

provincial

Answer 16

(adj.) pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or outlook
(n.) a person with a narrow point of view
SYNONYMS: narrow-minded, parochial, insular, native
ANTONYMS: cosmopolitan, broad-minded

Question 17

simulate

Answer 17

(v.) to make a pretense of, imitate; to show the outer signs of
SYNONYMS: pretend, affect

Question 18

transcend

Answer 18

(v.) to rise above or beyond, exceed

SYNONYMS: surpass, outstrip

Question 19

umbrage

Answer 19

(n.) shade cast by trees; an overshadowing influence or power; offense
SYNONYMS: irritation, pique
ANTONYMS: pleasure, delight, satisfaction

Question 20

unctuous

Answer 20

(adj.) excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable
SYNONYMS: mealymouthed, fawning, greasy
ANTONYMS: gruff, blunt