Vocabulary Level E
Unit 2
adroit
DEF = (adj.) skillful, expert in the use of hands or
mind
SYN = clever, deft, dexterous, slick
My ADROIT
ANT = clumsy, inept, all thumbs
mind is always
thinking of new
WORD CONNECTION:
equations…E =…
“MAD-roit skills”
Do you want to
see my nun
chuck skills?
I’m so ADROIT
with the nun
chucks!
amicable
DEF = (adj.) peaceable, friendly
SYN = congenial, neighborly, cordial
ANT = hostile, antagonistic
Spanish CONNECTION:
AMIGO = “friend” in Spanish
It was clear from the friendly way
they greeted each other, that the
women had an AMICABLE
relationship.
averse
DEF = (adj.) having a deep-seated distaste; opposed,
unwilling
SYN = disinclined, loathe
ANT = favorably disposed, eager,
keen
WORD CONNECTION:
If you’re “averse” to something,
you “avoid” it.
belligerent
DEF = (adj.) given to fighting, warlike; combative,
aggressive; (n.) one at war, one engaged in war
SYN = assertive, truculent, pugnacious
ANT = peaceful, conciliatory, placid
Alliterative Connection:
“The Boxers were
Belligerent.”
benevolent
DEF = (adj.) kindly, charitable
SYN = benign, well-meaning
ANT = malicious, spiteful, malevolent
WORD CONNECTION:
A benevolent person
benefits those around them.
A benevolent
person gives to
others.
cursory
DEF = (adj.) hasty, not thorough
SYN = quick, superficial, perfunctory
ANT = thorough, painstaking, careful
WORD CONNECTION:
You can scroll the computer cursor
quickly down the page to take a
cursory look at the website.
His CURSORY glance
in my direction was as
QUICK as a wink.
duplicity
DEF = (n.) treachery, deceitfulness
SYN = fraud, double-dealing, chicanery
WORD CONNECTION:
The person who was a victim of
duplicity was duped (tricked).
My grandmother was a
victim of DUPLICITY when
she fell for an email SCAM.
Stabbing someone in
the back is an act of
DUPLICITY!
extol
DEF = (v.) to praise extravagantly
SYN = glorify, applaud, acclaim, hail
ANT = criticize, belittle, disparage
WORD CONNECTION:
“EXtol the EXcellence”
Wayne and Garth say “We’re not worthy!!”
to EXTOL their favorite musicians.
feasible
DEF = (adj.) possible, able to be done
SYN = workable, practicable, viable
ANT = unworkable, impractical
WORD CONNECTION:
If it’s feasible, it’s possible.
A feasible math problem is
2+2=?
grimace
DEF = (n.) a wry face, facial distortion; (v.) to make
a wry face
SYN = pained expression, facial contortion
ANT = smile, grin, beam
WORD CONNECTION:
As he was grimacing, the
man’s face twisted
into a grimace.
extol
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
amicable
belligerent
cursory
feasible
We will have to develop a _____________ plan if we
want to be successful in our business endeavor.
Unfortunately, I only gave my notes a ___________
glance last night, and so I failed my history quiz this
morning.
Even though the business partners parted ways and
formed separate companies, they still maintain a(n)
____________ relationship.
There is no way one sentence could ever be enough to
__________ the many virtues of an important person
like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I know you’re upset, but there’s no need to become
________________. Fighting always makes a
situation worse!
duplicity
averse
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
adroit
grimace
benevolent
Although John claimed to like his mother-in-law’s
lasagna, his ___________gave away his true feelings.
It was a shocking case of ________when the CEO of
the company was discovered to have been embezzling
money for years.
The painter’s hands were so _________that she could
capture the exact expression on her subjects’ faces.
Because of my past experiences with painful needles, I am
__________to voluntarily getting a flu shot.
A retired teacher who volunteers her time at local schools
to work with struggling students is truly ________.
holocaust
DEF= (n.) a large-scale destruction, especially by
fire; a vast slaughter; a burnt offering
SYN = conflagration, devastation, annihilation
ANT = deluge, inundation
WORD CONNECTION:
The COST of the HOLOCAUST
was millions of destroyed lives.
impervious
DEF = (adj.) not affected or hurt by; admitting of no
passage or entrance
SYN = impenetrable, resistant, proof against
ANT = porous, permeable, vulnerable
WORD CONNECTION:
The imPERvious item was
always in PERfect condition.
Superman is
IMPERVIOUS to
bullets.
impetus
DEF = (n.) a moving force, impulse, stimulus
SYN = impulse, incentive, spur
ANT = curb, hindrance, impediment, constraint
Striking the match was the IMPETUS for the fire.
jeopardy
DEF = (n.) danger
SYN = risk, hazard, peril
ANT = safety, security
When people drive too fast
in bad weather, they put
their lives in
JEOPARDY!
meticulous
DEF = (adj.) extremely careful; particular about
details
SYN = fastidious, painstaking, fussy
ANT = careless, negligent, sloppy
WORD CONNECTION:
A metiCULous person is
very partiCULar about having
everything in the right place.
nostalgia
DEF = (n.) a longing for something past;
homesickness
Phrase CONNECTION:
Ahhh..remember the
“good old days”…
I wish I could go
home…
quintessence
DEF = (n.) the purest essence or form of something;
the most typical example
SYN = paragon, exemplar
= purest form of water
The smiling baby was the
QUINTESSENCE of life. She hadn’t
yet been corrupted by the world.
retrogress
DEF = (v.) to move backward; to return to an
earlier condition
SYN = revert, degenerate, decline
ANT = advance, evolve, progress
WORD CONNECTION:
To dress “retro” means to dress
in a way that people dressed in
an earlier time.
After his shoulder surgery, the pitcher
throwing ability had RETROGRESSED.
scrutinize
DEF = (v.) to examine closely
SYN = inspect, pore over
ANT = skim, scan, glance at
WORD CONNECTION:
If you scrutinIZE a document,
you stare at it with your eyes.
tepid
DEF = (adj.) lukewarm; unenthusiastic, marked by
an absence of interest
SYN = insipid, halfhearted, wishy-washy
ANT = heated, excited, enthusiastic
WORD CONNECTION:
A “tepid temperate” is a
“room temperature.”
The student’s TEPID
response to the new project
showed me they were NOT
INTERESTED!
jeopardy
meticulous
retrogress
holocaust
tepid
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The _____________ water coming from our broken
water heater did not make taking a bath very pleasant.
I really hope we can have a mature conversation and
avoid _____________ into immature name-calling.
Although my house may be a bit unorganized, when it
come to personal hygiene, I am very __________.
What started with two careless campers not putting out
their campfire, grew into a(n) ___________that
destroyed hundreds of homes and took three lives.
It is truly amazing to me when soldiers put themselves in
___________ to defend the security of our nation.
quintessence nostalgia
scrutinize
impetus
impervious
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round
Table are a _______of what true gentlemen should be.
Before purchasing a home, Jill hired a home inspector to
___________the potential real estate.
Sean’s self-confidence was so strong that he was
_____to any insults from unkind people.
My great grandmother has lived in the United States for
60 years, but she is still occasionally overcome with a
sense of ___________for Germany.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand was a
_______that helped start World War I.