Sadlier Oxford Vocabulary Units 4-6 Level F

Front 1

affable

Back 1

(adj) courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to SYNONYM genial, amicable, agreeable, cordial ANTONYM: surly, cantankerous, dour, inhospitable

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aggrandize

Back 2

(v) to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater SYNONYM augment, amplify, enhance, exalt ANTONYM: reduce, decrease, diminish

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Amnesty

Back 3

(n.) a general pardon for an offense against a government; in general, any act of forgiveness or absolution

Front 4

amorphous

Back 4

(adj) shapeless, without definite form, or no particular type or character; without organization SYNONYM formless, unstructured, nebulous, inchoate ANTONYM: definite, well-defined, clear-cut

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Anomalous

Back 5

(adj.) Abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual SYNONYM exceptional, atypical, unusual, aberrant; ANTONYM: normal, regular, customary, typical, ordinary

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Aspersion

Back 6

(n.) A damaging or derogatory statement; the act of slandering or defaming SYNONYM innuendo, calumny, denigration; ANTONYM: endorsement, testimonial, praise

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aura

Back 7

(n) that which surrounds (as an atmosphere), a distinctive air of personal quality SYNONYM ambience, atmosphere

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Autonomy

Back 8

(n.) Self-government, political control SYNONYM home rule; ANTONYM: dependence, subjection, colonial status

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Axiomatic

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(adj.) Self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle or rule SYNONYM taken for granted; ANTONYM: questionable, dubious, controversial

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Bizarre

Back 10

(adj) extremely strange, unusual, atypical SYNONYM grotesque, fantastic, outlandish; ANTONYM: normal, typical, ordinary, expected

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Blazon

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(v.) To adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely SYNONYM broadcast, trumpet; ANTONYM: hide, conceal, cover up, bury

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Brusque

Back 12

(adj.) Abrupt, blunt, with no formalities SYNONYM curt, tactless, ungracious, gruff, rough; ANTONYM: gracious, tactful, courteous, diplomatic

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Cajole

Back 13

(v.) To coax, persuade through flattery or atrifice; to deceive with soothing thoughts or false promises SYNONYM wheedle, inveigle, soft-soap, sweet-talk; ANTONYM: coerce, force, strong-arm

Front 14

Castigate

Back 14

(v.) To punish severely; to critize severely SYNONYM chastise, rebuke, censure, upbraid; ANTONYM: reward, honor, praise, laud

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Caveat

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(n.) A warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior SYNONYM admonition, word to the wise

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contraband

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(n) illegal traffic, smuggled goods; (adj) illegal, prohibited SYNONYM illicit, bootleg, unlawful ANTONYM: legal, lawful, licit

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Contrive

Back 17

(v.) To plan with ingenuity, invent; to bring about as the result of a scheme or plan SYNONYM think up, devise, concoct, fabricate

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Demagogue

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(n.) A leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power SYNONYM rabble-rouser, firebrand

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Disabuse

Back 19

(v.) To free from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking SYNONYM undeceive, enlighten, set straight; ANTONYM: deceive, delude, pull wool over one's eyes

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Ennui

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(n.) Weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest, boredom SYNONYM langour, world-weariness, listlessness; ANTONYM: enthusiasm, liveliness, excitement, intensity

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Equitable

Back 21

(adj.) Fair, just, embodying principles of justice SYNONYM right, reasonable, evenhanded; ANTONYM: unjust, unfair, one-sided, disproportionate

Front 22

erudite

Back 22

(adj) scholarly, learned, bookish, pendantic SYNONYM profoundly educated, well-read ANTONYM: ignorant, uneducated, illiterate

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Extricate

Back 23

(v.) To free from entanglements or difficulities; to remove with effort SYNONYM disentangle, extract, disengage; ANTONYM: enmesh, entangle, involve

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Fetter

Back 24

(n.) A chain or shackle placed on the feet (often used in plural); anything that confines or restrains; (v.) to chain or shackle; to render helpless or impotent SYNONYM bond, restraint, bind, hamper; ANTONYM: free, liberate, emancipate

Front 25

Filch

Back 25

(v.) To steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts SYNONYM pilfer, purloin, swipe

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Flout

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(v.) To mock, treat with contempt SYNONYM scoff at, sneer at, snicker at, scorn; ANTONYM: obey, honor, revere, uphold

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Fractious

Back 27

(adj.) Tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable SYNONYM refractory, recalcitrant, peevish; ANTONYM: docile, tractable, cooperative

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gossamer

Back 28

(adj) thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; (n) a very thin, light cloth SYNONYM filmy, diaphanous, sheer, airy, feathery, gauzy ANTONYM: thick, dense, solid, massive

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Heinous

Back 29

(adj.) Very wicked, offensive, hateful SYNONYM evil, odious, abominable, outrageous; ANTONYM: excellent, wonderful, splendid

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Immutable

Back 30

(adj.) Not subject to change, constant SYNONYM unchangeable, unalterable, fixed, invariable; ANTONYM: changeable, inconstant, variable, fickle

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infer

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(v) to find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the base of thought; to hint, suggest, imply SYNONYM gather, deduce, presume, guess, speculate

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inscrutable

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(adj) incapable of being understood, impossible to see physicallySYNONYM impenetrable, incomprehensible, enigmatic ANTONYM: comprehensible, intelligible, penetrable

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insular

Back 33

(adj) relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island, narrow or isolated in out look or experience SYNONYM narrow-minded, parochical, provincial ANTONYM: catholic, cosmopolitan, liberal

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Insurgent

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(n.) One who rebels or rises against authority; (adj.) Rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority; surging or rushing in or on SYNONYM revolutionary, rebellious, mutinous; ANTONYM: loyalist, loyal, faithful

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irrevocable

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(adj) incapable of being changed or called back SYNONYM irreversible, unrecallable, unalterable ANTONYM: reversible, changeable

Front 36

Megalomania

Back 36

(n.) A delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, talent, etc., far in excess of reality SYNONYM delusions of grandeur; ANTONYM: humility, modest, self-abasement

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Precept

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(n.) A rule of conduct or action SYNONYM principle, maxim

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propensity

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(n) a natural inclination or predilection toward SYNONYM natural bent, proclivity, penchant ANTONYM: natural incapacity or inability

Front 39

querulous

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(adj) peevish, complaining, fretful SYNONYMpetulant, touchy, cranky, irritable ANTONYM: uncomplaining, stoical, serene, placid

Front 40

remonstrate

Back 40

(v) to argue or plead with someone against something, protest against, object to SYNONYM reason against, expostulate

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repudiate

Back 41

(v) to disown, reject, or deny the validity of SYNONYM disavow, abjure, renounce ANTONYM: avow, affirm, aver, avouch

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resilient

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(adj) able to return to an original shape of form; able to recover quickly SYNONYM springy, elastic, buoyant, bouncy ANTONYM: rigid, stiff, inflexible, unyielding

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reverberate

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(v) to re-echo, resound, to reflect or be reflected repeatedly SYNONYM rumble, thunder, boom, echo

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Salutary

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(adj.) Beneficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome SYNONYM salubrious, curative; ANTONYM: detrimental, deleterious, pernicious

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Scathing

Back 45

(adj.) Bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm SYNONYM searing, harsh, ferocious, savage; ANTONYM: bland, mild

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Scourge

Back 46

(v.) To whip, punish severely; (n.) A cause of affliction or suffering; a source of severe punishment or criticism SYNONYM flog, beat, bane, plague, pestilence; ANTONYM: godsend, boon, blessing

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scurrilous

Back 47

(adj) coarsely abusive, vulgar or low (especially in language), foul mouthed SYNONYM obscene, filthy, abusive, vituperative ANTONYM: decorous, seemly, tasteful, dignified

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sedulous

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(adj) persistent, showing industry and determination SYNONYM assiduous, tireless, indefatigable ANTONYM: lackadaisical, listless, indolent, otiose

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Sepulchral

Back 49

(adj.) Funereal, typical of the tomb; extremely gloomy or dismal SYNONYM doleful, lugubrious, mortuary

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sinecure

Back 50

(n) a position requiring little or no work; an easy job SYNONYM "no-show" job, cushy job, "plum"

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sleazy

Back 51

(adj) thin or flimsy in texture, cheap, shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethically low, mean, or disreputable SYNONYM inferior, cheesy, tawdry, tatty ANTONYM: superior, first-rate, quality, sturdy

Front 52

Soporific

Back 52

(adj.) Tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy; (n.) something that induces sleep SYNONYM narcotic, anesthetic; ANTONYM: stimulating, stimulant, stimulus

Front 53

Straitlaced

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(adj.) Extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish, puritanical SYNONYM highly conventional, overly strict, stuffy; ANTONYM: lax, loose, indulgent, permissive, dissolute

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Surreptitious

Back 54

(adj.) Stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation; made or accomplished by fraud SYNONYM furtive, covert, clandestine, concealed; ANTONYM: open, frank, aboveboard, overt

Front 55

Transgress

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(v.) To go beyond a limit or boundary; to sin, violate a law SYNONYM overstep, exceed, trespass, err; ANTONYM: obey, toe the line

Front 56

Transient

Back 56

(adj.) Lasting only a short time, fleeting; (n.) One who stays only a short time SYNONYM impermanent, ephemeral, evanescent; ANTONYM: permanent, imperishable, immortal

Front 57

Transmute

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(v.) To change from one nature, substance, or form to another SYNONYM transform, convert, translate, metamorphose; ANTONYM: maintain unchanged, preserve

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Unwieldy

Back 58

(adj.) Not easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity SYNONYM cumbersome, bulky, clumsy, impractical; ANTONYM: manageable, easy to handle

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Vapid

Back 59

(adj.) Dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force SYNONYM insipid, lifeless, colorless; ANTONYM: zesty, spicy, savory, colorful, lively

Front 60

Vicarious

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(adj.) Performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another SYNONYM surrogate, substitute, imagined, secondhand; ANTONYM: real, actual, firsthand