Vocab Unit 115.0

Allude(v.) to refer to casually or indirectly

syn: suggest insinuate, hint at, intimate

Orwell’s Animal Farm alludes to Soviet totalitarianism.

Clairvoyant(adj.) supernaturally perceptive; (n.) one who

possesses extrasensory powers, seer

syn: (adj.) insightful, discerning, uncanny; (n.) visionary

Clair(clear) voyant(voyage)

Conclusive(adj.) serving to settle an issue; final

syn: decisive, indisputable, convincing, definitive

ant: unsettled, provisional, indefinite

Disreputable(adj) not respectable, not esteemed

syn: disgraceful, discreditable, shady

ant: honest, aboveboard, respectable, creditable

Disgraced Reputation

Endemic(adj.) native or confined to a particular region or

people; characteristic of or prevalent in a field

syn: indigenous, restricted to

ant: alien, foreign, extraneous

Think of epidemic (disease within a community)

Exemplary(adj.) worthy of imitation, commendable; serving

as a model

syn: praiseworthy, meritorious, sterling, illustrative

ant: infamous, notorious, scandalous, disreputable

Those who are exemplary provide a strong example for the rest of us!

Fathom(v.) to understand, get to the bottom of; to

determine the depth of; (n.) a measure of depth in water

syn: (v.) grasp, comprehend, figure out, plumb

If you own a FAT HOME, investigators will try to understand or fathom why this is.

Guile(n.) treacherous cunning, deceit

syn: trickery, duplicity, chicanery

Some guys guile girls into going to prom

Integrity(n.) honesty, high moral standards; an

unimpaired condition, completeness, soundnesssyn: rectitude, probityant: dishonesty, corruption, turpitude

Itinerary(n) a route of travel; a record of travel; a

guidebook

syn: schedule, programYou’d need an itinerary to survive the trek on the Appalachian Trail.

Misconstrue(v.) to interpret wrongly, mistake the meaning of

syn: misjudge, misinterpret

I mistook the country’s true location

Obnoxious(adj.) highly offensive, arousing strong dislike

syn: disagreeable, repugnant, hateful, odious

ant: agreeable, pleasing, engaging, personable

Placate(v.) to appease, soothe, pacify

syn: satisfy, mollify, allay, conciliate

ant: vex, irk, provoke, exasperate, annoy

Sounds like “play date”. A play date can pacify a child’s need for friendship.

Placid(adj.) calm, peaceful

syn: undisturbed, tranquil, quiet, serene

ant: stormy, agitated, turbulent, tempestuous

Think of Lake Placid! Lake Placid has calm and tranquil waters…

Except here…

Plagiarism(n.) passing off or using as one's own the writing

(or other materials) of another person

syn: piracy, theft

Self-plagiarism?

Potent(adj.) powerful; highly effective

syn: mighty, formidable, forceful

ant: weak, inept, feckless, powerless, ineffective

Our camper is a lot fancier than the po’ tent over there!

Pretext(n.) a false reason, deceptive excuse

syn: pretense, cover story, rationale, evasion

Pretense----Excuse

Protrude(v.) to stick out, thrust forth

syn: project, jut out, bulge

The pro’s rude comments shocked the press and stuck out amongst other news stories.

Wimp

Stark(adj.) harsh, unrelieved, desolate

syn: (adj.) sheer, downright, grim, bleak; (adv.) absolutely

ant: (adj.) bright, cheerful, embellished, ornate

A stark landscape

Superficial(adj.) on or near the surface; concerned with or

understanding only what is on the surface, shallow

syn: skin-deep, insubstantial, cursory, slapdash

ant: deep, profound, thorough, exhaustive