English Vocabulary, Chapter 7

Front 1

menial

Back 1

(adj)
lowly, humble, lacking importance or dignity;
(n)
a person who does the humble and unpleasant tasks

syn: (n) underling, scullion, servant
ant: (adj) lofty, elevated; (n) boss, master

Front 2

parry

Back 2

(v)
to ward off, fend off, deflect, evade, avoid;
(n)
a defensiv movement in fencing ad other sports

Front 3

predatory

Back 3

(adj)
preying on, plundering, or piratical

syn: looting, pillaging, ravenous, rapacious

Front 4

ravage

Back 4

(v)
to destroy, lay waste, ruin
(n)
ruinous damage, destructive

syn: (v) wreck, devastate
ant: (v) spare

Front 5

stance

Back 5

(n)
a way of holding the body; an attitude or position on an issue

syn: posture, bearing

Front 6

tawdry

Back 6

(adj)
showy and flashy but lacking in good taste

syn: loud, garish, gaudy, tacky, vulgar
ant: refined, tasteful, subdued, muted

Front 7

turncoat

Back 7

(n)
a person who switches to an opposing side or party

syn: traitor, quisling, deserter, renegade
ant: loyalist, diehard

Front 8

unassuming

Back 8

(adj)
not putting on airs, unpretentious; modest

ant: conceited, pretentious, self-important

Front 9

wallow

Back 9

(v)
to roll about in a lazy, clumsy, or helpless way; to overindulge in; to have in abundance;
(n)
a wet, muddy, or dusty area used by animals as a sort of bath; a state of moral or physical collapse.

syn: (v) delight in, bask in

Front 10

waver

Back 10

(v)
to move to and fro, become unsteady; to show lack of firmness or decision

syn: hesitate, falter
ant: stand firm, be resolute.

Front 11

acme

Back 11

(n)
the highest point

syn: summit, top, peak, pinnacle
ant: low point, bottom, nadir

Front 12

attribute

Back 12

(n)
a quality or characteristic belonging to or associated with someone or something
(v)
to assign to, credit with; to regard as caused by or resulting from.

syn: (n) trait; (v) ascribe

Front 13

belittle

Back 13

(v)
to make something appear smaller than it is; to refer to in a way that suggests lack of importance or value.

syn: minimize, underrate, disparage
ant: exaggerate, magnify, overestimate

Front 14

convey

Back 14

(v)
to transport; to transmit; to communicate, make known; to transfer ownership or title to.

syn: carry, send, impart

Front 15

doctrine

Back 15

(n)
a belief, principle, or teaching; a system of such beliefs or princiles; a formulation of such beliefs or principles

Front 16

excise

Back 16

(v)
to remove by cutting;
(n)
an indirect tax on the manufacture, sale, or distribution of a commodity or service.

syn: (v) cut out, delete, expunge
ant: (v) put in, insert, interpolate

Front 17

exotic

Back 17

(adj)
foreign; charmingly unfamiliar or strikingly unusual

syn: strange, alien, picturesque, colorful
ant: native, indigenous, familiar, commonplace

Front 18

haggard

Back 18

(adj)
thin, pale, and careworn as a result of worry or suffering; wild-looking

syn: drawn, guant, wasted
ant: healthy, glowing,radiant, hale and hearty

Front 19

jaunty

Back 19

(adj)
lively, easy, and carefree in manner; smart or trim in appearance

syn: unconcerned, lighthearted
ant: downcast, dejected, glum

Front 20

juncture

Back 20

(n)
a joining together; the point at which two things are joined; any important point in time

syn: union, seam, joint, turning point