Unit 11 Vocab

Front 1

(v.) to refer to casually or indirectly

(syn.)- to hint at, suggest, insinuate, intimate

Phyllis was too polite to mention John’s crude behavior at the party, but she certainly _______ to it when she spoke of “undesirable elements.”

Back 1

Allude

Front 2

(adj.) supernaturally perceptive; (n.) one who possesses extrasensory powers, seer

(syn.)- insightful, discerning, uncanny; a visionary

(ant.)- blind, unseeing, myopic, dense, imperceptive

Sherlock Holmes assured Dr. Watson that it was a simple deduction, not some ________ faculty, that led him to the document’s hiding place.

Back 2

Clairvoyant

Front 3

(adj.) serving to settle an issue, final

(syn.)- decisive, indisputable, convincing; definitive

(ant.)- unsettled, up in the air provisional, indefinite

The tapes of the conversations were regarded as _________ proof that the official had been aware of the crime.

Back 3

Conclusive

Front 4

(adj.) not respectable, not esteemed

(syn.)- disgraceful, discreditable, shady

(ant.)- honest, aboveboard; respectable, creditable

Too many young people, in an attempt to achieve a casually and “dashing” appearance, succeed only in looking sloppy and __________.

Back 4

Disreputable

Front 5

(adj.) native or confined to a particular region or people; characteristic of or prevalent in a field

(syn.)- native, indigenous; restricted to

(ant.)- alien, foreign, extraneous

Blue jeans, once ______ to the cowboys of the American West, are now a familiar part of the whole world’s wardrobe.

Back 5

Endemic

Front 6

(adj.) worthy of imitation, commendable; serving as a model

syn.)- praiseworthy, meritorious, sterling; illustrative

(ant.)- infamous, notorious, scandalous, disreputable

Their idea of an ______ student is someone so perfect in so many ways that he or she would be too good to exist.

Back 6

Exemplary

Front 7

(v.) to understand get to the bottom of determine the depth of; (n.) a measure of depth in water

(syn.)- to grasp, comprehend, figure out, plumb

By disregarding the floor of excuses, explanations, and justifications, we were able to _____ the true reason for her actions.

Back 7

Fathom

Front 8

(n.) treacherous cunning, deceit

(syn.)- trickery, deceit, duplicity
(ant.)- candor, artlessness, naïveté, plain dealing

His skillful use of flattery and double-talk to persuade us to agree to his scheme was a typical example of his ______.

Back 8

Guile

Front 9

(n.) honesty, high moral standards, soundness; an unimpaired condition, completeness

(syn.)- honesty, rectitude, probity; soundness

(ant.)- dishonesty, corruption, turpitude

I selected him as my business partner not only because I respect his ability but also because I have unlimited confidence in his character and ________.

Back 9

Integrity

Front 10

(n.) a route of travel; a record of travel; a guidebook

(syn.)- a route; a schedule, program

We spent many pleasant hours pouring over all kinds of maps and guide books, planning the _______ for our trip across the continent.

Back 10

Itinerary

Front 11

v.) to interpret wrongly, mistake the meaning of

(syn.)- to misjudge, misinterpret

Though I was entirely innocent of the infraction of the dress code, the teacher ________ my silence as an admission of guilt.

Back 11

Misconstrue

Front 12

(adj.) highly offensive arousing strong dislike

(syn.)- disagreeable, repugnant, hateful, odious

(ant.)- agreeable, pleasing, engaging, personable

His conceit and his cold disregard of other people’s feelings make him utterly __________.

Back 12

Obnoxious

Front 13

(v.) to appease, soothe, pacify

(syn.)- to satisfy, mollify, allay, conciliate

(ant.)- to vex, irk, provoke, exasperate, annoy

It is quite useless to try to _______ “dissatisfied” customers who actually enjoy being angry and making complaints.

Back 13

Placate

Front 14

(adj.) calm, peaceful

(syn.)- undisturbed, tranquil, quiet, serene

(ant.)- stormy, agitated, turbulent, tempestuous

Neither misfortunes nor happy events seem to have the slightest effect on her ______ disposition.

Back 14

Placid

Front 15

(n.) passing off or using as ones own the writings (or other materials) of another person

(syn.)- piracy, theft

The “brilliant” essay for which he received so much lavish praise has been exposed as a skillful act of _________.

Back 15

plagiarism

Front 16

(adj.) powerful; highly effective

(syn.)- mighty, formidable; forcible

(ant.)- weak, inept, feckless; powerless, ineffective

America’s most _______ weapon in the struggle for word influence is our great tradition of democracy and freedom.

Back 16

potent

Front 17

(n.) a false reason, deceptive excuse

(syn.)- a pretense, cover story; a rationale, evasion

On the _______ of delivering a package, he sought to gain admission into the apartment.

Back 17

pretext

Front 18

(v.) to stick out, thrust forth

(syn.)- to project, jut out, bulge

If you allow your foot to ______ into the aisle, someone may trip over it.

Back 18

protrude

Front 19

(adj., adv..) the foremost part of an army; the leading position in any field

(syn.)- sheer, downright; grim, bleak, absolutely

(ant.)- bright, cheerful; embellished, ornate

When we consider the ______ miser of the last years of his life, we must conclude that he paid in full for all of his offenses.

Back 19

stark

Front 20

(adj.) on or near the surface; concerned with or understanding only what is on the surface, shallow

(syn.)- skin-deep, insubstantial; cursory, slapdash

(ant.)- deep, profound thorough, exhaustive

Although the cut on my arm was bleeding quit heavily, it proved to be quite ________, and only a tight bandage was required.

Back 20

superficial