UNIT 12 VOCAB

ABJURE

• Def:(v.) to renounce, repudiate under oath; to avoid, shun
• Syn: forswear, retract, recant, restrain from
• Ant: affirm, avow, aver, profess

ACRID

• Def:(adj.) harsh in taste or odor; sharp in manner or temper
• Syn: irritating, stinging, bitter, caustic
• Ant: gentile, soothing, mild

AUGUST

• Def(adj.) majestic, inspiring admiration and respect
• Syn: stately, dignified, exalted, venerable
• Ant: humble, base, mean, lowly, abject

CALLOUS

• Def:(adj.) emotionally hardened, unfeeling
• Syn: insensitive, unsympathetic, thick-skinned
• Ant: sensitive, compassionate, tender hearted

CLANDESTINE

• Def:(adj.) secret, concealed; underhanded
• Syn: covert, furtive, surreptitious, stealthy
• Ant: open, overt, undisguised, aboveboard

COMPUNCTION

• Def:(n.) remorse, regret
• Syn: scruple, qualm, misgiving, contrition
• Ant: shamelessness, insouciance, nonchalance

CONFLAGRATION

• Def:(n.) a large destructive fire
• Syn: holocaust, wildfire
• Ant: deluge, flood

ELATED

• Def:(adj., part.) in high spirits, jubilant; extremely pleased
• Syn: overjoyed, ecstatic, tickled pink
• Ant: depressed, crestfallen, despondent, blue

INDELIBLE

• Def:(adj.) not able to be erased or removed, memorable
• Syn: lasting, permanent, unforgettable
• Ant: erasable, impermanent, ephemeral

INDULGENT

• Def:(adj.) yielding to the wishes or demands of others
• Syn: lenient, permissive, tolerant, liberal
• Ant: strict, severe, inflexible, hard-nosed

INVETERATE

• Def:(adj.) firmly established, longstanding; habitual
• Syn: persisting, chronic, dyed-the-wool
• Ant: sporadic, intermittent, occasional

IRRELEVANT

• Def:(adj.) not to the point, not applicable or pertinent
• Syn: inapplicable, immaterial, beside the point
• Ant: pertinent, material, apropos, germane

NOCTURNAL

• Def:(adj.) of or occurring in the night; under cover of darkness
• Syn: nighttime
• Ant: daytime, diurnal

PLATITUDE

• Def:(n.) a commonplace, stale, or trite mark
• Syn: cliche, truism, bromide
• Ant: epigram, quip, witticism, Bon mot

QUELL

• Def:(v.) to subdue, put down forcibly
• Syn: suppress, pacify, squelch, quash, crush
• Ant: incite, provoke, arouse, foment, stir up

QUIESCENT

• Def:(adj.) inactive; at rest
• Syn: still, inert, motionless, dormant, tranquil,
• Ant: active, thriving, lively, bustling, volatile

RUMINATE

• Def:(v.) to meditate, think about at length; to chew the cud
• Syn: ponder, reflect, mull over, muse

TACIT

• Def:(adj.) unspoken, silent; implied, inferred
• Syn: unexpressed, unvoiced, understood, implicit
• Ant: explicit, express, specific

TANGIBLE

• Def:(adj.) capable of being touched; real, concrete
• Syn: perceptible, actual, evident, palpable
• Ant: immaterial, imperceptible, insubstantial

TRENCHANT

• Def:(adj.) incisive, keen; forceful, effective; cutting, caustic; distinct, clear-cut
• Syn: penetrating, cutting, telling, acute
• Ant: dull, bland, insipid, vapid, Imperceptive