NAME ___________________________________
WORD BANK
abominate
acculturation
adventitious
ascribe
circuitous
commiserate
enjoin
expedite
expiate
ferment
Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop, Level F: Unit III (3)
inadvertent
nominal
noncommittal
peculate
proclivity
sangfroid
seditious
tenuous
vitriolic
wheedle
1. _______________ (adj.) resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause or character; accidental,
not essential; (medicine) acquired, not congenital
a. It was no _______________ meeting that led to their writing songs together, for in fact they were
cousins.
b. Synonyms: extrinsic, incidental, fortuitous
c. Antonyms: essential, intrinsic, inherent, congenital
2. _______________ (adj.) roundabout, not direct
a. I followed a _______________ path through the woods, not because I feared pursuit, but because
I was lost.
b. Synonyms: indirect, meandering, winding
c. Antonyms: straight, direct, as the crow flies
3. _______________ (v.) to direct or order; to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way; to prohibit
a. I _______________ them to stop spending so much money or to face the consequences.
b. Synonyms: bid, charge, command, adjure
c. Antonyms: allow, permit
4. _______________ (n.) a state of great excitement, agitation, or turbulence; (v.) to be in or work into such a
state; to produce alcohol by chemical action
a. Caught in the _______________ of revolution, the young men enlisted with the local militias.
b. If left for a time, cider will eventually _______________.
c. Synonyms: (n.) commotion, turmoil, unrest
d. Antonyms: (n.) peace and quiet, tranquility, placidity
5. _______________ (adj.) resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental
a. The poor fellow was stronger than he realized, and the damage he did was _______________.
b. Synonyms: accidental, unconsidered
c. Antonyms: deliberate, intentional, premeditated
6. _______________ (v.) to steal something that has been given into one’s trust; to take improperly for one’s
own use
a. Investigators discovered that the clerk came up with a scheme to _______________ from the
company.
b. Synonyms: embezzle, defraud, misappropriate
7. _______________ (adj.) resistant to lawful authority; having the purpose of overthrowing an established
government
a. Dictators usually begin their reigns by searching out and silencing _______________ opinion.
b. Synonyms: mutinous, rebellious, subversive
c. Antonyms: supportive, loyal, faithful, allegiant
8. _______________ (v.) to use coaxing flattery to gain some desired end
a. The spy used charm and flattery in order to _______________ the information from the diplomat.
b. Synonyms: cajole, inveigle, soft-soap, sweet-talk
c. Antonyms: coerce, browbeat, intimidate, strong-arm
9. _______________ (v.) to have an intense dislike or hatred for
a. I _______________ cruelty yet do not always notice when I have said something cruel without
meaning to.
b. Synonyms: loathe, abhor, despise, detest
c. Antonyms: relish, savor, cherish, esteem
10. _______________ (v.) to assign or refer to (as cause or source), attribute
a. You may _______________ these holes to gophers or elves, but I blame the dog from next door.
b. Synonyms: impute, credit, attribute
Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop, Level F: Unit III (3)
NAME ___________________________________
11. _______________ (v.) to sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress
a. The family _______________ with her after the loss of her old and faithful dog.
b. Synonyms: feel sorry for, empathize
c. Antonyms: feel no sympathy for
12. _______________ (v.) to make easy, cause to progress faster
a. The pleasant background music did not _______________ their guilt by whatever means necessary.
b. Synonyms: accelerate, facilitate, speed up
c. Antonyms: hinder, hamper, impede, obstruct
13. _______________ (adj.) existing in name only, not real; too small to be considered or taken seriously
a. Because so many of its patients were having financial troubles, the health clinic charged only
_______________ fees.
b. Synonyms: titular, token, trifling, inconsequential
c. Antonyms: real, actual, exorbitant, excessive
14. _______________ (n.) a natural or habitual inclination or tendency (especially of human character or
behavior)
a. Curious, patient, and fond of long walks outdoors, she soon displayed a _______________ for
nature study.
b. Synonyms: natural bent, penchant, propensity
c. Antonyms: inability, incapacity
15. _______________ (adj.) thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance or
significance; lacking a sound basis, poorly supported
a. My grasp of trigonometry was _______________ until I attended the extra-help sessions.
b. Synonyms: flimsy, insubstantial, vague, hazy
c. Antonyms: strong, solid, substantial, valid
16. _______________ (n.) the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society
by contact with those of another; the resultant blend
a. Every immigrant group newly arrived in another country goes through a slow process of
_______________.
b. Synonyms: adaptation
17. _______________ (v.) to make amends, make up for; to avert
a. They seemed more than willing to _______________ their guilt by whatever means necessary.
b. Synonyms: redeem, make amends for, atone, make reparation
18. _______________ (adj.) not decisive or definite; unwilling to take a clear position or to say yes or no
a. We questioned her quietly, carefully, and at length, but her answers remained _______________.
b. Synonyms: cagey, uninformative, playing it safe, playing it close to the vest
c. Antonyms: positive, definite, committed
19. _______________ (n.) composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances
a. An experienced actor can perform with what seems like limitless _______________, even when he
forgets a line.
b. Synonyms: poise, self-assurance, equanimity
c. Antonyms: excitability, hysteria, flappability
20. _______________ (adj.) bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting (like a strong acid)
a. Though hurt by his _______________ language, I had to admit that some of his points were valid.
b. Synonyms: withering, acerbic, mordant
c. Antonyms: bland, saccharine, honeyed, sugary
NAME ___________________________________
Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop, Level F: Unit III (3)
CHOOSING THE RIGHT WORD
1. I was simply unable to follow the (circuitous, adventitious) reasoning by which she “proved” that a straight line
is not necessarily the shortest distance between two points.
2. Our military is prepared to deal with external aggression, but our best defense against (sedition, peculation) at
home is the loyalty of the American people.
3. (Commiseration, Proclivity) is a noble human emotion, but in itself is no substitute for efforts to help others.
4. Since he has been able to (expiate, wheedle) almost anything he wants out of his parents, he is quite unprepared
now to face the harsh realities of life.
5. An experienced politician always tries to avoid making (fermented, inadvertent) remarks that may offend voters.
6. Although the Queen is the (nominal, adventitious) head of state, the Prime Minister is the real leader of the
British government.
7. (Peculation, Sedition) was such a common offense among Roman provincial governors that, when asked how
they made their fortunes, most simply replied, “In the provinces.”
8. His investments proved to be profitable, but they were (adventitious, nominal) rather than the result of
knowledge and planning.
9. The Biblical prophets (abominated, acculturated) idol worship of any kind and railed vehemently against it.
10. You are following an all too familiar pattern in (ascribing, expediting) your failures to anyone and everyone –
except yourself.
11. Although that critic is feared for (noncommittal, vitriolic) reviews, I have learned that there is usually a sound
basis for her unfavorable judgments.
12. I learned that I would have to make a choice between my strong aversion to hard work and my equally strong
(proclivity, wheedle) for eating.
13. It is only in my fantasies that I display the (ferment, sangfroid) associated with movie heroes who are “as cool
as a cucumber.”
14. After he had seen the error of his ways, the villain attempted to (expiate, enjoin) the dark deeds of his past by
acts of kindness and mercy.
15. Experienced lawyers know that the line between literal truth and slight but significant distortion of the facts is
often a (seditious, tenuous) one.
16. With the deadline fast approaching, the local newspaper office was in a (ferment, sedition) of last-minute
activity and preparation.
17. They are conscientious objectors to military service because they are (enjoined, ascribed) by a deep religious
conviction not to take a human life.
18. When I spoke to Mother about going on the Easter trip to Washington, her only reply was a (nominal,
noncommittal) “We’ll see.”
19. Modern American society can justly be said to be the end point of the (commiseration, acculturation) of
diverse groups of immigrants.
20. The worst way I can think of to (expedite, ascribe) this program would be to set up a new Committee on
(Expediting, Ascribing) Programs.
Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop, Level F: Unit III (3)
NAME ___________________________________
Word: _____________________________________________________________________________________
Part of Speech: ______________________________________________________________________________
Definition: _________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Synonyms: _________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Antonyms: _________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Sentence: __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Visual or Mnemonic Device (a way to help remember):