UNIT 10 VOCAB

Adept

• thoroughly skilled; an expert
• adjective or noun
• Synonyms: masterful, proficient
• Antonyms: clumsy, unskilled
• The top overall pick in the draft is a very adept player.

Aspire

• to have ambitious hopes or plans, strive toward a higher goal, desire earnestly; to ascend
• verb
• Synonyms: yearn, aim for
• The determination of the player led him to aspire to the NHL.

Bleak

• bare, dreary, dismal
• adjective
• Synonyms: grim, cheerless
• Antonyms: rosy, cheerful
• The retired salesman gave me a bleak response when I told him he had to go back to work.

Chide

• to blame; scold
• verb
• Synonyms: upbraid, reprimand
• Antonyms: approve, praise
• My parents chided me for coming home past curfew.

Despicable

• worthy of scorn; contempitible
• Adjective
• Synonyms: low, cheap
• Antonyms: commendable
• It was despicable of her to steal from the company’s funds.

Diminutive

• small, smaller than most others of the same type
• Adjective
• Synonyms: undersized, tiny
• Antonyms: oversized, huge
• The diminutive baby was so small that it nearly fit in my hand.

Emancipate

• to free from slavery; to release or liberate
• Verb
• Synonyms: set loose, unchain
• Antonyms: enslave, snare
• In the Civil War, many people living in the North wanted to emancipate the slaves.

Erroneous

• incorrect, containing mistakes
• Adjective
• Synonyms: mistaken, all wrong
• Antonyms: accurate, correct
• The erroneous answer answer was only given half credit

Exploit

• to make use of, develop; to make improper use of for personal profit; a feat, deed
• Verb or noun
• Synonyms: turn to advantage, misuse
• Throughout the game our coach would exploit weaknesses in the other tam.

Extemperaneous

• made or delivered on the spur of the moment
• Adjective
• Synonyms: spontaneous
• Antonyms: planned, prepared
• The one team of the debate as clearly using extemporaneous information when they didn't know what to say.

Impair

• to make imperfect, damage, harm
• verb
• Synonyms: injure, disable
• Antonyms: improve, strengthen
• Looking at sun for too long may impair your vision.

Invincible

• not able to be defeated, unbeatable
• Adjective
• Synonyms: unconquerable
• Antonyms: vulnerable
• The team had 13 wins and 0 losses making them invincible.

Languid

• drooping; without energy, sluggish
• Adjective
• Synonyms: lazy, listless
• Antonyms: lively, energetic
• Im am usually very languid when I wake up in the mornong.

Mire

• mud; wet, swampy ground; a tough situation; to get stuck
• Noun
• Synonyms: swamp, bog
• My lawn turned to mire after it rained for hours.

Obtrusive

• forward; undesirably prominent; thrust out
• Adjective
• Synonyms: brash, protruding
• Antonyms: reserved, recessed
• Drivers could not get by the obtrusive pilon in the midldle of th road.

Preamble

• an introduction to a speech or piece of writing- noun
• Synonyms: opening, prologue
• Antonyms: ending
• The preamble in the essay contained a thesis statement.

Render

• to cause to become; to perform; to deliver officially; to process, extract
• Synonyms: present, submit
• The teacher rendered her students the real test.

Rugged

• rough, irregular; severe, stern; strong; stormy
• Adjective
• Synonyms: rocky, blunt
• Antonyms: smooth, flat
• The hikers traveled through some rugged terrain to get to the top of the mountain.

Skeptical

• inclined to doubt; slow to accept something as true
• Adjective
• Synonyms: suspicious, incredulous
• Antonyms: believing
• I was skeptical when he told me that he had won the lottery.

Slipshod

• untidy in dress, personal habits, etc.; careless, sloppy
• Adjective
• Synonyms: messy, untidy
• Antonyms: tidy, neat
• I was surprised when my boss came to work slippshodily.