English Vocabulary, Chapter 13

Front 1

adapt

Back 1

(v)
to adjust or change to suit conditions

syn: regulate, alter, acclimate

ant: remain unchanged

Front 2

attest

Back 2

(v)
to bear witness, affirm to be rue or genuine

syn: witness, verify, confirm, corroborate
ant: deny, disprove, refute, rebut

Front 3

dovetail

Back 3

(v)
to fit together exactly; to connect so as to form a whole
(n)
a carpentry figure resembling a dove's tail

syn: (v) mesh, jive, harmonize
ant: (v) clash, be at odds

Front 4

enormity

Back 4

(N) the quality of exceeding all moral bounds; an exceedingly evil act; huge size, immensity

syn: atrociousness, heinousness, atrocity, vastness
ant: mildness, harmlessness, innocuousness

Front 5

falter

Back 5

(v)
to hesitate, stumble, ose courage to speak hesitatingly; to lose drive, weaken, decline

syn: waver
ant: persevere, plug away at

Front 6

foreboding

Back 6

(n)
a warning or feeling that someting bad will happen(adj)
marked by fear, ominous

syn: (n) misgiving, presentiment, premonition

Front 7

forlorn

Back 7

(adj)
totally abandoned and helpless; sad and lonely; wretched or pitiful; almost hopeless
syn: woebegone, forsaken, bereft, pathetic
ant: jaunty buoyant, blithe, chipper

Front 8

haughty

Back 8

(adj) chillingly proud and scornful

syn: disdainful , supercilious
ant: meed, humble, unassuming, modest

Front 9

impediment

Back 9

(n)
a physical defect; a hindrance, obstacle

syn: obstruction, stumbling block
ant: help, advantage, asset, plus

Front 10

imperative

Back 10

(adj)
necessary, urgent
(n)
a form of a verb expressing a command that which is necessary or required.

syn: (adj) essential, indispensable, mandatory
(ant) nonessential, unnecessary, optional

Front 11

loiter

Back 11

(v)
to linger in an aimless way, hang around, dawdle, tarry

ant: hurry along

Front 12

malinger

Back 12

(v)
to pretend illness to avoid duty or work, lie down on the job

syn: goof off, shirk

Front 13

pithy

Back 13

(adj)
short but full of meaning and point

syn: terse, short and sweet, meaty, telling
ant: wordy, verbose, long-winded, foolish, inane.

Front 14

plunder

Back 14

(v)
to rob by force, especially during wartime; to seize wrongfully;
(n)
property stolen by force

syn: (v) pillage, loot, sack
(n) spoils, pelf

Front 15

simper

Back 15

(v)
to smile or speak in a silly, forced way
(n)
a silly, forces smile

syn: (v) snicker, smirk, titter, giggle

Front 16

steadfast

Back 16

(adj)
firmly fixed; constant, not moving or changing

syn: loyal, faithful, unwavering
ant: inconstant, fickle, unreliable, vacillating

Front 17

vaunted

Back 17

(adj)
much boasted about in vain or swaggering way

syn: trumpeted, heralded
ant: downplayed, soft-pedaled, de-emphasize

Front 18

vilify

Back 18

(v)
to abuse or belittle unjustly or maliciously

syn: malign, defame, denigrate, traduce
ant: glorify, extol, lionize

Front 19

waif

Back 19

(n)
a person (usually a child) without a home or friend; a stray person or animal; something that comes along by chance, a stray bit

syn: stray, ragamuffin, street urchin

Front 20

wry

Back 20

(adj)
twisted, turned to one side; cleverly and often grimly humorous

syn: dryly amusing, ironic, droll
ant; humorless, solemn, straight