VOCAB UNIT 9

AUXILIARY

• giving assistance or support; a helper, aid
• adjective or noun
• Synonyms: additional; reserve
• Antonyms; main, primary
• The auxiliary lighting came on right after the main lighting went out.

Candid

• frank, sincere; impartial; unposed
• adjective
• Synonyms: forthright, plainspoken
• Antonyms: insincere, evasive
• Because the politician made a candid speech, he earned the respect of the voters.

Cubicle

• a small room or compartment
• noun
• Synonyms: hole-in-the-wall
• Antonyms: vast hall, auditorium
• The largest cubicle in the office is stil very small.

Drudgery

• work that is hard and tiresome
• noun
• Synonyms: toil, labor, grin
• Antonyms: play, frolic
• Factory workers went through much drudgery during the industrial revolution.

Envoy

• a representative or messenger (as of a government)
• noun
• Synonyms: ambassador, minister
• The president usually serves as the top envoy for the executive branch.

Escalate

• to elevate; to increase in intesity
• verb
• Synonyms: raise, ascend
• Antonyms: decrease, lessen
• The climbers elevated themselves up to the top of the mountain.

Expedient

• a means to an end; advantageous, useful
• noun or adjective
• Synonyms: contrivance; serviceable
• Antonyms: inconvenient, untimely
• The government has deemed it expedient to raise taxes on middle class families.

Feign

• to pretend
• verb
• Synonyms: fake, affect
• Kids feign that they are full when they don't like their food.

Flair

• a natural quality, talent, or skill; a style
• noun
• Synonyms: bent, gift, style
• Antonyms: inability
• She has a real flair for painting so her piece sold for 1 million dollars.

Grievous

• causing sorrow or pain; serious
• adjective
• Synonyms: painful, heartrending
• Antonyms: joyful, cheery
• The oil spill in the Gulf was caused by a grievous error by the oil workers.

Heterogeneous

• composed of different kinds, diverse
• adjective
• Synonyms: mixed
• Antonyms: uniform, homogeneous
• Heterogeneous environments require an organization to provide diverse products and services to the market.

Horde

• a vast number (as of people); a throng
• noun
• Synonyms: crowd, mass
• Antonyms: few, handful
• On Black Friday, a horde of shoppers flood the malls.

Impel

• to force, drive forward
• verb
• Synonyms: urge, push
• Antonyms: discourage, check
• Hurricanes usually impel people to evacuate the area.

Incredulous

• disbelieving, skeptical
• adjective
• Synonyms: mistrustful
• Antonyms: believing
• The man was incredulous when his wife told him that she won the lottery.

Inscribe

• to write or engrave; to enter a name on a list
• verb
• Synonyms: enroll, enlist
• Antonyms: erase, rub out
• The man had his name inscribed onto the art work that he just painted.

Monologue

• a speech by one actor; a long talk by one person
• noun
• Synonyms: soliloguy
• Antonyms: conversation
• The actor on stage performed a monologue of his private thoughts.

Prognosis

• a forecast of the probable course and outcome of a disease or situation
• noun
• Synonyms: projection
• Doctors never like delivering a prognosis of bad news.

Rasping

• with a harsh, grating sound; a harsh sound
• adjective or noun
• Synonyms: scraping, gravelly
• Antonyms: smooth, silky
• The record produced a rasping that hurt our ears.

Repugnant

• offensive, disagreeable, distasteful
• adjective
• Synonyms: hateful, odious
• Antonyms: pleasing, attractive
• Because of your repugnant behavior, I no longer want to be friends with you.

Scuttle

• to sink a ship by cutting holes in it; to get rid of something in a decisive way; to run hastily, scurry; a pail
• verb or noun
• Synonyms: abandon, scrap
• Antonyms: salvage, rescue
• The mice scuttled through the attic when I turned the light on.