Level E Unit 12
Vocabulary Words
1. Abjure
• (v.) to renounce, repudiate under oath; to
avoid, shun
Toward the end of Shakespeare’s last play The
Tempest, the magician ABJURES his powers over
nature.
Synonyms: forswear, retract, recant, abstain
from
Antonyms: affirm, avow, aver, profess
2. Acrid
• (adj.) harsh in taste or odor; sharp in manner
or temper
The ACRID stench of a fire lingers in the air long
after the flames have been extinguished.
Synonyms: irritating, stinging, bitter, caustic
Antonyms: gentle, soothing, mild
3. August
• (adj.) majestic, inspiring admiration and
respect
The AUGUST visages of the four American
presidents are carved on the face of Mt.
Rushmore.
Synonyms: stately, dignified, exalted, venerable
Antonyms: humble, base, mean, lowly, abject
4. Callous
• (adj.) emotionally hardened, unfeeling
Protestors accused the mayor of CALLOUS
indifference to the plight of the homeless.
Synonyms: insensitive, unsympathetic, thickskinned
Antonyms: sensitive, compassionate,
tenderhearted
5. Clandestine
• (adj.) secret, concealed; underhanded
During the early stages of the American
Revolution, CLANDESTINE colonial printing
presses churned out anti-British propaganda.
Synonym: covert, furtive, surreptitious, stealthy
Antonyms: open, overt, undisguised,
aboveboard
6. Compunction
• (n.) remorse, regret
In some religious writings, COMPUNCTION is
used as a synonym for contrition to express
regret for sins.
Synonyms: scruple, qualm, misgiving, contrition
Antonyms: shamelessness, insouciance,
nonchalance
7. Conflagration
• (n.) a large destructive fire
A large number of wooden structures quite
literally added fuel to the CONFLAGRATION that
swept through San Francisco in 1906.
Synonyms: holocaust, wildfire
Antonyms: deluge, flood
8. Elated
• (adj., part.) in high spirits, jubilant; extremely
pleased
ELATED fans lined the city’s streets to cheer the
World Series champions.
Synonyms: overjoyed, ecstatic, tickled pink
Antonyms: depressed, crestfallen, despondent,
blue
9. Indelible
• (adj.) not able to be erased or removed;
memorable
The brutal crimes against humanity committed
by the Nazis left an INDELIBLE stain on our
history.
Synonyms: lasting, permanent, unforgettable
Antonyms: erasable, impermanent, ephemeral
10. Indulgent
• (adj.) yielding to the wishes or demands of
others
A heightened sense of compassion has induced
the federal government to adopt a more
INDULGENT policy toward illegal aliens.
Synonyms: lenient, permissive, tolerant, liberal
Antonyms: strict, severe, inflexible, hard-nosed
11. Inveterate
• (adj.) firmly established, long standing;
habitual
It has been claimed that many writers and
artists have an INVETERATE hostility to criticism.
Synonyms: persisting, chronic, dyed-in-the-wool
Antonyms: sporadic, intermittent, occasional
12. Irrelevant
• (adj.) not to the point, not applicable or pertinent
When you take notes, it’s best to record only the
main points and eliminate all IRRELEVANT details.
Synonyms: inapplicable, immaterial, beside the
point
Antonyms: pertinent, material, apropos, germane
13. Nocturnal
• (adj.) of or occurring in the night; under cover
of darkness
Most NOCTURNAL creatures have keen eyesight
and acute hearing.
Synonyms: nighttime
Antonyms: daytime, diurnal
14. Platitude
• (n.) a commonplace, stale, or trite remark
The sentiments expressed in most greeting cards
seldom rise above the level of timeworn
PLATITUDES.
Synonyms: cliché, truism, bromide
Antonyms: epigram, quip, witticism, bon mot
15. Quell
• (v.) to subdue, put down forcibly
The English poet Dryden believed that music has
the power to either arouse or QUELL strong
emotions.
Synonyms: suppress, pacify, squelch, quash,
crush
Antonyms: active, thriving, lively, bustling,
volatile
16. Quiescent
• (adj.) inactive; at rest
Although some volcanoes are believed to be
truly extinct, many are merely QUIESCENT.
Synonyms: still, inert, motionless, dormant,
tranquil
Antonyms: active, thriving, lively, bustling,
volatile
17. Ruminate
• (v.) to meditate, think about at length; to
chew the cud
In old age, many people sadly RUMINATE on
mistakes made and opportunities missed.
Synonyms: ponder, reflect, mull over, muse
18. Tacit
• (adj.) unspoken, silent; implied, inferred
The neighbors had a TACIT understanding that
they would help each other in an emergency.
Synonyms: unexpressed, unvoiced, understood,
implicit
Antonyms: explicit, express, specific
19. Tangible
• (adj.) capable of being touched; real, concrete
After months of intensive negotiation, diplomats
reported they had made TANGIBLE progress
toward reaching a settlement.
Synonyms: perceptible, actual, evident,
palpable
Antonyms: immaterial, imperceptible,
insubstantial
20. Trenchant
• (adj.) incisive, keen; forceful, effective; cutting,
caustic; distinct, clear-cut
Scholars consider the TRENCHANT satires of
Jonathan Swift to be the greatest works of their
kind in the English language.
Synonyms: penetrating, cutting, telling, acute
Antonyms: dull, bland, insipid, vapid,
imperceptive