Unit 7 Vocabulary Mrs. Williams

English 10 / 10 B

abhor (v.) to regard with horror or loathing; to hate deeply

• Syn.: detest, despise, abominate

• Ant.: admire, cherish, respect, relish

• EX-– A pacifist is someone

who abhors violence in all of its forms.

amend (v.) to change in a formal way; to change for the better

• Syn.: modify, improve, correct, alter

• EX-– If you are not doing well

in a particular subject, you may want to amend your way of studying it.

buffet (v.) to slap or cuff; to strike repeatedly; to drive or force with blows; to force one’s way with difficulty;

(n.) a slap, blow• Synonyms: (v.) sock,

thump, pummel, toss about

• EX-– (v.) Blinding snowstorms

buffet the barren landmass of Antarctica for months on end.

– (n.) Few figures in history or literature are as severely tested by fortune’s buffets as Job in the Old Testament.

chaos (n.) great confusion; disorder

• Syn.: anarchy, turmoil, pandemonium

• Ant.: order, regularity, tranquility

• EX-– A great many people lost

their fortunes and even their lives in the chaos brought on by the French Revolution.

commodious (adj.) roomy, spacious

• Syn.: comfortable, ample, capacious, vast

• Ant.: cramped, claustrophobic, insufficient, confined

• EX-– No one would expect a

tiny studio apartment to have particularly commodious closets.

discern (v.) to see clearly, recognize

• Syn.: perceive, detect, distinguish, notice

• Ant.: overlook• EX-– It is a jury’s job to discern the truth by carefully evaluating all the evidence presented at trial.

implicate (v.) to involve in; to connect with or be related to

• Syn.: incriminate, entangle

• Ant.: absolve, exculpate• EX-– The suspects never

stood trial because there was no solid evidence to implicate them in the daring series of robberies.

renegade (n.) one who leaves a group; a deserter, outlaw; (adj.) traitorous, unconventional, unorthodox

• Syn.: (n.) turncoat, defector, heretic

• Ant.: (n.) loyalist, patriot• EX-

– Many a writer has been labeled a renegade for refusing to conform to society’s conventions.

– Renegade senators from the President’s own party joined the opposition to defeat the bill.

reprehensible (adj.) deserving blame or punishment

• Syn.: objectionable, blameworthy, culpable, odious

• Ant.: commendable, blameless, meritorious

• EX-– Stalin eliminated many

potential rivals by accusing them of all sorts of reprehensible acts that they did not commit.

somber (adj.) dark, gloomy; depressed or melancholy in spirit

• Syn.: mournful, dismal, solemn

• Ant.: bright, sunny, lighthearted, cheerful, jaunty

• EX-– The atmosphere in the

locker room of the losing team could best be described as somber.

squalid (adj.) filthy, wretched, debased

• Syn.: dingy, sordid, foul, vile, abject

• Ant.: neat, spruce, exalted, lofty

• EX-– Many laws prohibit the

types of squalid working conditions found in sweatshops.

turbulent (adj.) disorderly, riotous, violent; stormy

• Syn.: tumultuous, unruly, agitated

• Ant.: calm, placid, tranquil, still

• EX-– Letters and diary entries

may reveal a person’s lifelong struggle to gain some control over turbulent emotions.

vociferous (adj.) loud and noisy; compelling attention

• Synonyms: clamorous, uproarious, blustering

• Antonyms: quiet, soft-spoken, muted, subdued

• EX-– Relief agencies regularly

make vociferous appeals for aid for victims of war, terrorism, and natural disasters.

voluminous (adj.) of great size; numerous; writing or speaking at great length

• Syn.: bulky, massive, copious, plentiful

• Ant.: scant, meager, brief, succinct

• EX-– The task of summarizing the voluminous reports issued by government agencies may fall to members of a legislator’s staff.

waive (v.) to do without, give up voluntarily; to put off temporarily, defer

• Syn.: decline, relinquish, forgo

• Ant.: claim, accept• EX-

– The senator agreed to waive opposition to the proposed bill if some of its more controversial provisions were substantially modified.