Vocabulary Unit 6
Accede
To yield to
 To assume an office or dignity


The students tried to demand more time to study, but due to
time constraints I could not accede to their wishes.

In 2012, a new president will accede to the Oval Office.
Synonyms: consent, concur, comply, assent
Antonyms: demur, balk at, to be indomitable
Brandish (v)

To wave or flourish in a menacing or
vigorous fashion.

The woman screamed and brandished her umbrella
madly in hopes of catching the attention of the man
about to be run over by a bus.
The knight brandished his sword threateningly at the
bandits, who quickly backed away from the lady.

Synonyms: swing, shake, wave
Comprise (v)
To include or contain
 To be made up of


Cookies are comprised of flour, sugar, butter, vanilla and other
sweet things.

A good Iskills test comprises vocabulary and idiom usage.
Synonyms: compose, constitute, encompass
Antonyms: exclude
Deft (adj)

Skillful, nimble

With a deft flick of her wrist, she hit the center of the target with
the dart and won the contest.

The hostage situation was very tense, but the negotiator handled it
all very deftly and no one was injured.
Synonyms: dexterous, adroit, proficient, masterful
Antonyms: clumsy, awkward, bungling, inept
Destitute (adj)
Deprived of the necessities of life
 Lacking in

•
When her husband met his demise, Jane was left destitute and had
to find a job to make ends meet.
Synonyms: wanting, devoid, impoverished, penniless, poor
Antonyms: rich, wealthy, luxurious, bountiful, full, replete
Explicit (adj)



Definite, clearly stated
The teacher gave very explicit instructions to govern behavior
during a test.
** This word is also used to indicate adult language and/or
behaviors in books, news stories, or video. Explicit language,
explicit sex, etc.
Synonyms: distinct, forthright, unambiguous, clear
Antonyms: vague, ambiguous, implied, implicit
Extirpate (v)


To tear up by the roots
To destroy totally
We must do everything we can to extirpate racism from American
society.
 Teachers in ESLI work hard to extirpate all opportunities for cheating.

Synonyms: uproot, eradicate, wipe out, excise
Antonyms: implant, sow, foster, nourish
Extirpation (n) act of extirpating
Extirpator (n) One who extirpates
Extirpative (adj) A measure or action which extirpates
Inopportune (adj)
Coming at a bad time
 Not always appropriate


Small children are bound to make ugly bodily noises at the most
inopportune time.
Synonyms: ill-timed, inconvenient, inappropriate, unsuitable
Antonyms: timely, convenient, felicitous, opportune
Ironic (adj)



Suggesting an incongruity between what might be
expected and what actually happens
Given to irony, sarcastic
It is ironic that the lady who chided everyone to pay more attention to
their English teachers did not use proper punctuation herself.
Synonyms: incongruous, satiric, sardonic, wry
Antonyms: straightforward, unequivocal
See next slide for more explanation!
Ironic (still adj) continued…

Incongruity (n)
Incongruous (adj)
Both refer to a thing which lacks harmony, is incorrect or
incompatible. If something is ironic, there is a lack of agreement
between what is SAID and what really IS, making it also
incongruous.
Ironic (adj)
Irony (n) Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal is famous for its irony.
Ironically (adv)
Musty (adj)

Stale, moldy, out-of-date

Houses that have been shut up for a long time often have an
unpleasantly musty odor about them.

My ancient English teacher has been wearing the same musty old
coat since before I was born.
Synonyms: hackneyed, antiquated, old
Antonyms: fresh, sweet-smelling, up-to-date, brand-new
Must (n): staleness. Not often used.
Officious (adj)
Meddling
 Excessively forward in offering services or
assuming authority


There’s nothing I hate more when shopping for cars than an overly
officious salesman.
Synonyms: meddlesome, prying, impertinent, obtrusive
Antonyms: reserved, diffident, timid, aloof
Officiousness (n): the act of being officious
Officiously (adj) acting or behaving in an officious manner
Ominous (adj)
Unfavorable
 Threatening, a bad omen


The dark and ominous clouds that gathered over Dorothy’s farm meant a very bad storm was
coming.

There was an ominous sound in the teacher’s voice when she warned us not to talk during
tests.
Synonyms: unpropitious, inauspicious, portentous
Antonyms: propitious, auspicious, promising
Propitious/auspicious: favorable
Unpropitious/inauspicious: Not favorable
Ominously (adv) acting or behaving in an ominous fashion
You can be ominous, or speak ominously, but there is no verb form of this word.
Pinnacle (n)

A high peak or point

Some pop musicians reach the pinnacle of their careers very early
in their lives.

It is the goal of all serious mountain-climbers to reach the pinnacle
of Mt. Everest.
Synonyms: apex, acme, summit, apogee
Antonyms: nadir, perigee, low point
Premeditated (adj)


Considered beforehand, deliberately planned
Some crimes are spontaneous “acts of passion;” others are quite
premeditated.
Synonyms: preplanned, rehearsed, calculated, prearranged
Antonyms: unplanned, spontaneous, impromptu
Premeditatedly (adv): acting or behaving in a premeditated manner
Premeditation (n): that which is premeditated
Rampant (adj)
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
Growing without check,
running wild

All kinds of odd rumors run rampant through a student population.

In spite of efforts to eradicate it, the kudzu vine grows rampantly all
over the South.
Synonyms; widespread, unrestrained, extravagant, prevalent
Antonyms: controlled, restrained
Rampantly (adv): acting or behaving in a rampant manner
Rampancy (n): the act of running rampant. Rarely used.
Solace
(n). Comfort, relief
 (v). To comfort or console



Florence Nightengale brought solace to injured soldiers in the
Crimea and set an important precedent for nurses everywhere.
A mother’s embrace solaces her weeping child.
Synonyms: (v.) soothe, reassure, cheer up
Antonyms: (v.) vex, aggravate, upset
Solaced, solacing (adj): an action which solaces
Stately (adj)


Dignified, majestic
The King’s procession kept a stately, plodding pace through the
crowded streets.
Synonyms: grand, magnificent, imposing
Antonyms: lowly, humble, servile, abject
Supple (adj)


Bending easily, bending with agility, readily
adaptable
Ballet dancers must be very supple to move the way they do.
Synonyms: flexible, limber, pliable, pliant
Antonyms: stiff, rigid, unbending, hidebound
Suppress (v)


To stop by force; to put down
Totalitarian governments usually take strong measures to suppress
free speech.
Synonyms: subdue, crush, stifle, squelch, quash, silence
Antonyms: provoke, spur, arouse, incite, instigate
Suppression (n): The act of suppressing
Suppressive (adj): That which suppresses
Suppressively (adv): action of suppression
Venal (adj)

•
Open to or marked by corruption
The presence of even one venal official may jeopardize the integrity of
an entire organization.
Synonyms: dishonest, bribable, corruptible, mercenary
Antonyms: honest, incorruptible, scrupulous
Venality (n): the act of being venal
Venally (adv): to do something in a venal manner.