VOCABULARY UNIT 2
MRS. FRAZEE
Test: September 19th
PREDISPOSE
PREDISPOSE
My genetic makeup seems to predispose me to colds
and sore throats.
PREDISPOSE
• Verb
• To incline to beforehand
Synonym: make susceptible to
Antonym: shield from
RELINQUISH
RELINQUISH
Severe illness forced me to relinquish my role in the
school play.
RELINQUISH
• Verb
• To let go, give up
Synonym: surrender
Antonym: hold on to, keep
EFFACE
EFFACE
Time had effaced almost all signs of struggle that
took place on that famous battlefield.
EFFACE
• Verb
• To wipe out; to keep oneself from being noticed
Synonym: blot out, erase, obliterate
DEMENTED
DEMENTED
The murderer must've been demented
and deranged.
Persons become incarcerated in mental
institutions because
they exhibited behaviors which have
been deemed by society to be
demented.
DEMENTED
• Adjective
• Suffering from dementia
• Driven to behave irrationally
due to anger, distress, or
excitement.
Synonyms: mad, crazy, insane,
lunatic, daft
Antonyms: balanced, sane,
sound
HONE
HONE
If you wish to kill something with that old
spear you must first hone it to a sharp
point.
Camps will hone your skills in horseback
riding and surviving in the wilderness.
You must first hone the knife if you will
use it in the kitchen.
HONE
• Verb
• Sharpen with a whetstone.
• Synonyms: sharpen, grind, edge
GORGE
GORGE
Johnny and I gorged ourselves on barbecue
sandwiches and banana splits.
I'm not going to the holiday cookie exchange
because I don't want to gorge myself on
sweets all afternoon.
The Jones River is gorged with water during
the rainy season.
GORGE
• Verb
• Eat a large amount greedily; fill oneself with
food: "we used to go to all the little restaurants
and gorge ourselves“.
• Synonyms: gobble, devour, guzzle, cram
• Antonyms: munch, nibble
ANTIQUATED
ANTIQUATED
The spinning wheel is an antiquated machine.
Aunt Hilda's sense of style was somewhat
antiquated.
Frustrated, Mrs. Smith cannot get broadband
through her phone line due
to antiquated technology servicing her
countryside home.
ANTIQUATED
• Adjective
• Old-fashioned or outdated
• Synonyms: aged,
dated, elderly, fusty, old hat,
old-fangled, oldfashioned, out-ofdate, outworn
• Antonyms: modern, new,
recent
OPIATE
OPIATE
In the movie 'Wizard of Oz', the
Wicked Witch of the West used
poppies, a source of opiate, to put
Dorothy and her friends to sleep.
The opiate pill was calming for the
man to sleep.
OPIATE
• Noun
• A narcotic used to cause sleep or
bring relief from pain
• Synonyms: narcotic
CARICATURE
CARICATURE
In keeping with expression "A picture is worth a
thousand words," a political cartoonist can, with
one clever caricature, destroy a politician's
career.
These poor animals are mere caricatures of their
magnificent wild counterparts.
The world, in the person of those we meet, must
shape our lives or else we become unhealthy
caricatures of ourselves.
CARICATURE
• Noun
• exaggeration by means of
often ludicrous distortion of
parts or characteristics
• a representation especially in
literature or art that has the
qualities of caricature
• Synonyms: mockery; cartoon
DALLY
DALLY
• Students tend to dally around in the
hallway and not get to class.
• Please don't dally. We need you here
right away.
• The two of us dallied over our coffee
that morning.
DALLY
• Verb
• To waste time and act playfully
• Synonyms: linger, hang around,
dawdle
• Antonyms: hurry, bolt, dash
HONORS ENGLISH
DIFFUSE
DIFFUSE
• Verb
• To spread or scatter
freely or widely
Example:
The scent of lilacs
slowly diffused
through the open
window.
Synonym: disperse
Antonym: concentrate
DIFFUSE
• Adjective
• wordy, long-winded, or unfocused; scattered or widely
spread
Example:
The speech was so long and diffuse that
most members of the audience were
thoroughly confused by it.
Synonym: rambling
Antonym: brief
PERENNIAL
PERENNIAL
• Adjective
• Lasting for a long time;
persistent
Example:
Pizza is a perennial
favorite of young and
old alike in the United
States.
Synonym: recurring
Antonym: short-lived
PERENNIAL
• Noun
• A plant that lives for
many years
Example:
A garden of perennials
is relatively easy to
maintain.
SPURIOUS
SPURIOUS
Manufactures who make spurious claims for their
products may face fines or lawsuits.
SPURIOUS
• Adjective
• Not genuine, not true, not valid
Synonym: false, bogus, counterfeit
Antonym: genuine authentic
AMALGAMATE
AMALGAMATE
Companies often merge or
amalgamate when they exist
in a common industry.
Dentists will amalgamate silver
and mercury to form a filling
for cavities in teeth.
AMALGAMATE
• Verb
• Combine or unite to form
one organization or
structure: "he
amalgamated his
company with another”
Synonyms: blend,
combine, incorporate,
integrate, interfuse,
intermix, meld, merge, mix
Antonyms: break down,
break up, separate
BELEAGUER
BELEAGUER
The beleaguered crew was
outgunned, out-manned, and
outranked, but they valiantly
refused to surrender.
Once beleaguered and defeated,
they now glow with life and hope
and humor.
BELEAGUER
Verb
• to surround with military
forces.
• to surround or beset
, as with troubles.
Synonyms:
annoy, badger, block
ade, nag, tease,
worry
Antonyms:
leave alone