VOCABULARY UNIT 12

ABJURE

• Verb
• To renounce, repudiate under oath; to avoid, shun
• Synonyms: forswear, retract, abstain
• Antonyms: affirm, avow, aver, profess
• Ex: In our baptismal promises, we abjure Satan and all of his empty promises.

ACRID

• Adjecitve
• Harsh in taste or odor; sharp in manner or temper
• Synonym: irritating, stinging, bitter, caustic
• Antonyms: gentle, soothing, mild
• Ex: The new mother didn't allow the acrid man to hold her child, for the baby was sleeping.

AUGUST

• Adjective
• Majestic, inspiring administration and respect
• Synonym: stately, dignified, exalted, venerable
• Antonyms: humble, base, mean, lowly, abject
• Ex: His august swing was perfected after many years of training.

CALLOUS

• Adjective
• Emotionally hardened, unfeeling
• Synonyms: insensitive, unsympathetic, thick-skinned
• Antonyms: sensitive, compassionate, tenderhearted
• Ex: The callous man kept his door shut, lights off, and didn't give out candy on Halloween.

CLANDESTINE

• Adjective
• Secret, concealed: underhanded
• Synonyms: covert, furtive, surreptitious, stealthy
• Antonyms: open, overt, undisguised, aboveboard
• Ex: The clandestine operations were only for the President, not anyone else.

COMPUNCTION

• Noun
• Remorse, regret
• Synonyms: scruple, qualm, misgiving, contrition
• Antonyms: shamelessness, insouciance, nonchalance
• Ex: The shortstop felt compunction after making the error that costed his pitcher the perfect game.

CONFLAGRATION

• Noun
• A large destructive fire
• Synonyms: holocaust, wildfire
• Antonyms: deluge
• Ex: The conflagration in the suburbs resulted in many burns and few casualties.

ELATED

• Adjective, participial
• In high spirits, jubilant; extremely pleased
• Synonyms: overjoyed, ecstatic, tickled pink
• Antonyms: depressed, crestfallen, despondent, blue
• Ex: The elated skier smiled from ear-to-ear when the gold medal was placed around his neck.

INDELIBLE

• Adjective
• Not able to be erased or removed; memorable
• Synonyms: lasting, permanent
• Antonyms: erasable, impermanent, ephemeral
• Ex: The indelible mark on the whiteboard made the teacher frustrated.

INDULGENT

• Adjective
• Yielding to the wishes or demands of others
• Synonyms: permissive, tolerant, liberal
• Antonyms: strict, severe, hard-nosed
• Ex: The indulgent mother's ways of parenting were questioned by others.

INVETERATE

• Adjective
• firmly established, long-standing; habitual
• Synonyms: persisting, chronic, dyed-in-the-wool
• Antonyms: sporadic, intermittent, occasional
• Ex: The inveterate effort by the team eventually payed off in overtime.

IRRELEVANT

• Adjective
• Not to the point, not applicable or pertinent
• Synonyms: inapplicable, immaterial, beside the point
• Antonyms: pertinent, material, apropos, germane
• Ex: The irrelevant information in the case was thrown out immediately following that day's hearing.

NOCTURNAL

• Adjective
• Of or occurring in the night; under cover of darkness
• Synonyms: nightime
• Antonyms: daytime, diurnal
• Ex: The nocturnal prank left bruises on him for a month and he could never sleep comfortably around the guys.

PLATITIUDE

• Noun
• A commonplace, stale, or trite remark
• Synonyms: cliché, truism, bromide
• Antonyms: epigram, quip, witticism, bon mot
• Ex: A platitude was arranged pickup place since it was easy for everyone to remember.

QUELL

• Verb
• To subdue, put down forcibky
• Synonyms: pacify, squelch, quash, crush
• Antonyms: Incite, provoke, arouse, torment, stir up
• Ex: The referee had to quell the situation that could've ended in a fight.

QUIESCENT

• Adjective
• Inactive; at rest
• Synonyms: Still, inert, motionless, tranquil
• Antonyms: Active, thriving, bustling, volatile
• Ex: The quiescent child had not been out of bed at all today after the long day yesterday.

RUMINATE

• Verb
• To meditate, think about at length
• Synonyms: Ponder, reflect, mull over, muse
• Ex: As I ruminated over my options, the bell rang for the end of the day.

TACIT

• Adjective
• Unspoken, silent, implied, inferred
• Synonyms: unexpressed, unvoiced, understood, implicit.
• Antonyms: explicit, express, specific
• Ex: The tacit understanding between the two sides was so no further implications could occur.

TANGIBLE

• Adjective
• Capable of being touched
• Synonyms: perceptible, actual, evident
• Antonyms: immaterial, imperceptible, I substantial
• Ex: The tangible cookie jar was tempting the child to hop up and grab a cookie.

TRENCHANT

• Adjective
• incisive, keen; forceful effective; cutting, caustic; distinct, clear-cut
• Synonyms: penetrating, cutting, telling, acute
• Antonyms: dull, bland, insipid, valid, imperceptive
• Ex: The first trenchant motion by the doctor is one of the most important or any operation.