Vocabulary Unit 12 Name___________________ Period_____

Word Part/s of speech and Definitions

Synonyms Antonyms Sentences Notes about the word

abjureP:

(v) to renounce, repudiate under oath; to avoid, shun

Forswear, retract, recant, abstain from

Affirm, avow, aver, profess

Toward the end of Shakespeare’s last play, The Tempest, the magician Prospero______ his powers over nature.

acridP:

(adj) harsh in tastes or odor; sharp in manner or temper

Irritating, stinging, bitter, caustic

Gentle, soothing, mild The _____ stench of a fire lingers in the air long after the flames have been extinguished.

augustP:

(adj) majestic, inspiring admiration and respect

Stately, dignified, exalted, venerable

humble, base, mean, lowly, abject

The _____ visages of four of America’s great presidents are cared on the face of Mount Rushmore.

callousP:

(adj) emotionally hardened, unfeeling

Insensitive, unsympathetic, thick-skinned

Sensitive, compassionate, tenderhearted

Protesters accused the mayor of _____ indifference to the plight of the homeless.

clandestineP:

(adj) secret, concealed, underhanded

Covert, furtive, surreptitious, stealthy

Open, overt, undisguised, aboveboard

During the early stages of the American Revolution, _____ colonial printing presses churned out quantities of anti-British propaganda.

compunctionP:

(n) remorse, regret Scruple, qualm, misgiving, contrition

Shamelessness, insouciance, nonchalance

In some religious writings _____ is used as a synonym for contrition to express profound regret for one’s sins.

conflagrationP:

(n) a large destructive fire Holocaust, wildfire Deluge, flood A large number of wooden structures quite literally added fuel to the _____ swept through San Francisco in 1906.

elatedP:

(adj., part.) in high spirits, jubilant; extremely pleased

overjoyed, ecstatic, tickled pink

Depressed, crestfallen, despondent, blue

_____fans lined the city’s streets to cheer the World Series champions.

indelibleP:

(adj) not able to be erased or removed; memorable

Lasting, permanent, unforgettable

Erasable, impermanent, ephemeral

The brutal crimes against humanity committed by the Nazis left an _____ stain on the history of the twentieth century.

indulgentP:

(adj) yielding to the wishes or demands of others

Lenient, permissive, tolerant, liberal

Strict, severe, inflexible, hard-nosed

A heightened sense of compassion has induced the federal government to adopt a

more _____ policy toward illegal aliens.

inveterateP:

(adj) firmly established, long standing; habitual

Persisting, chronic, dyed-in-the-wool

Sporadic, intermittent, occasional

It has been claimed that many writers and artists have an _____ hostility to criticism.

irrelevantP:

(adj) not to the point, not applicable or pertinent

Inapplicable, immaterial, beside the point

Pertinent, material, apropos, germane

When you take notes, it’s best to record only the main ideas and eliminate all _____ details.

nocturnalP:

(adj) of or occurring in the night; under cover of darkness

Nighttime Daytime, diurnal Most _____ creatures have keen eyesight and acute hearing.

platitudeP:

(n) a commonplace, stale, or trite remark

Cliché, truism, bromide

Epigram, quip, witticism, bon mot

The sentiments expressed in most greeting cards seldom rise above the level of timeworn _____.

quellP:

(v) to subdue, put down forcibly

Suppress, pacify, squelch, quash, crush

Incite, provoke, arouse, foment, stir up

The English poet John Dryden believed that music has the power either to arouse or to ____ strong emotions.

quiescentP:

(adj) inactive; at rest Still, inert, motionless, dormant, tranquil

Active, thriving, lively, bustling, volatile

Although some volcanoes are believed to be truly extinct, many are merely _____.

ruminateP:

(v) to mediate, think about at length; to chew the cud

Ponder, reflect, mull over, muse

In old age many people sadly _____ on mistakes made and opportunities missed.

tacitP:

(adj) unspoken, silent; implied, inferred

Unexpressed, unvoiced, understood, implicit

Explicit, express, specific

The neighbors had a _____ understanding that they would help each other in an emergency.

tangibleP:

(adj) capable of being touched; real, concrete

Perceptible, actual, evident, palpable

Immaterial, imperceptible, insubstantial

After months of intensive negation, diplomats reported that they had made _____ progress toward reaching a settlement of the bitter dispute.

trenchantP:

(adj) incisive, keen; forceful, effective; cutting, caustic; distinct, clear-cut

Penetrating, cutting, telling, acute

Dull, bland, insipid, vapid, imperceptive

Scholars consider the _____ satires of Jonathan Swift to be the greatest world of their kind in the English language.