Vocabulary
Level F Unit 7
austere
•
(adjective) severe or
stern in manner;
without adornment
or luxury, simple,
plain; harsh or sour
in flavor
•
SYN: forbidding,
rigorous, puritanical,
ascetic, unadorned,
subdued
•
ANT: mild, indulgent,
luxurious, flamboyant
The Puritans dressed in
an austere manner.
beneficent
• (adjective) performing
acts of kindness or
charity; conferring
benefits, doing good
• SYN: humanitarian,
magnanimous,
charitable
• ANT: selfish, cruel,
harmful, deleterious
Bill Gates is known as a
beneficent humanitarian.
cadaverous
• (adjective) pale,
gaunt, resembling
a corpse
• SYN: corpselike,
wasted, haggard,
emaciated,
ghastly
• ANT: robust, portly,
rosy, the picture
of health
Pictures of the cadaverous
Holocaust victims shocked the
world during World War II.
concoct
• (verb) to prepare by
combining
ingredients, make
up (as a dish); to
devise, invent,
fabricate
• SYN: create, fashion,
rustle up
Paula Deen has made a fortune
by concocting delicious dishes
for her television show.
crass
• (adjective) coarse,
unfeeling; stupid
• SYN: crude, vulgar,
tasteless, oafish,
obtuse
• ANT: refined, elegant,
tasteful, polished,
brilliant
The crass nature of the press
today is enough to discourage
anyone from running for office.
debase
• (verb) to lower in
character, quality,
or value; to degrade,
adulterate; to cause
to deteriorate
• SYN: cheapen,
corrupt, demean,
depreciate
• ANT: elevate, uplift,
improve, enhance
Don’t debase your character
by associating with
undesirable people.
desecrate
• (verb) to commit
sacrilege upon,
treat irreverently;
to contaminate,
pollute
• SYN: profane, defile,
violate
• ANT: revere, honor,
venerate, consecrate
Vandals desecrated
tombstones that were
over 100 years old.
disconcert
• (verb) to confuse;
to disturb the
composure of
• SYN: upset, rattle,
ruffle, faze, perturb
• ANT: relax, calm,
put at ease
Political guests often find
Bill O’Reilly’s questions
disconcerting.
grandiose
• (adjective) grand in an
impressive or stately
way; marked by
pompous affection
or grandeur,
absurdly
exaggerated
• SYN: majestic,
bombastic,
highfalutin
• ANT: simple, modest,
unaffected, humble
Many country western singers
have grandiose dreams of
making it big in Nashville.
inconsequential
• (adjective) trifling,
unimportant
• SYN: trivial,
negligible, petty,
paltry
• ANT: important,
essential, crucial,
vital
Many of the details you
included in the report were
inconsequential and
unimportant.
infraction
• (noun) a
breaking of a
law or obligation
• SYN: violation,
transgression,
breach, offense
It is rare that the referees
will catch every infraction
on the court.
mitigate
• (verb) to make milder
or softer, to
moderate in force
or intensity
• SYN: lessen, relieve,
alleviate, diminish
• ANT: aggravate,
intensify, irritate,
exacerbate
The judge decided to
mitigate her sentence
because she had shown
good behavior.
pillage
• (verb) to rob of
goods by open
force (as in war),
plunder; (noun)
the act of
looting; booty
• SYN: (verb) ravage,
sack, loot; (noun)
booty
After the riots, looters
began to pillage the town.
prate
• (verb) to talk a great
deal in a foolish or
aimless fashion
• SYN: chatter, prattle,
blab, blabber,
palaver
• ANT: come to the
point, not waste
words
After she got home from
school, she did nothing but
prate on the phone for hours.
punctilious
• (adjective) very careful
and exact, attentive to
fine points of
etiquette or propriety
• SYN: precise,
scrupulous, exacting,
fussy, finicky
• ANT: careless, negligent,
lax, perfunctory
The soldier’s job required
exact attention to detail.
redoubtable
• (adjective) inspiring fear
or awe; illustrious,
eminent
• SYN: formidable,
fearsome, awesome,
august
• ANT: laughable, risible,
contemptible
The people felt as if it was
time for their redoubtable
leader to step down.
reprove
• (verb) to find fault
with, scold, rebuke
• SYN: chide, chastise,
upbraid, reproach
• ANT: praise,
commend, laud,
pat on the back
The teacher reproved
her students for
misbehaving.
restitution
• (noun) the act of
restoring someone
or something to the
rightful owner or to
a former state or
position; making
good on a loss or
damage
• SYN: compensation,
reimbursement,
redress, restoration
The teen was ordered by
the judge to provide
restitution for the property
that he destroyed.
stalwart
•
(adjective) strong and
sturdy; brave; resolute;
(noun) a brave, strong
person; a strong
supporter; one who
takes an
uncompromising position
•
SYN: (adjective) sturdy,
stout, intrepid, valiant;
(noun) mainstay
•
ANT: (adjective) weak,
infirm, irresolute,
vacillating
She will be a stalwart addition
to our committee based on her
past voting record.
vulnerable
• (adjective) open to
attack; capable of
being wounded or
damaged;
unprotected
• SYN: defenseless,
exposed, unguarded
• ANT: invincible,
protected, safe, secure
With so many homes built
close to the water, the town
was vulnerable to hurricanes.