Unit Four Vocabulary
Grade Seven
1. alliance (n) a joining together
for some common purpose
syn: pact, league, coalition
ant: rift, split
Ex. The companies formed
an alliance to go green and
protect the environment.
2. bewilder (v) to puzzle
completely, to confuse
syn: baffle, perplex
ant: set straight,
enlighten
Ex. The Sudoku
bewildered the student.
3. buffoon (n) a clown; a
coarse, stupid person
syn: jester, fool
Ex. A buffoon may be
entertaining at a circus but
would be out of place at a
funeral.
4. controversial (adj)
arousing argument, dispute,
or disagreement
syn: arguable, debatable
Ex. The candidates discuss
controversial subjects at a
debate.
5. dishearten (v) to discourage
syn: dismay, demoralize,
dispirit
ant: encourage, hearten
Ex. Do not be disheartened
if you do not make the team.
Try again next year.
6. fruitless (adj) not producing the
desired result; unsuccessful
syn: useless, vain, unproductive,
futile
ant: productive, effective
Ex. The fruitless attempt to
make the squad left the young
player disheartened.
7. hostile (adj) unfriendly;
unfavorable; warlike,
aggressive
ant: friendly, cordial,
peaceful
Ex. Opposing candidates
appear hostile to each other.
8. inflammable (adj) easily set on
fire; easily angered or aroused
syn: combustible, flammable,
excitable
ant: fireproof, fire-resistant,
calm
Ex. The crowd of protestors was
inflammable. It took little to get
them angry.
9.inflict (v) to give or cause
something unpleasant; impose
syn: deal out, visit upon
ant: suffer, undergo, sustain
Ex. When the girl accidentally
touched the hot frying pan, pain
was immediately inflicted on her
hand.
10. malignant (adj) deadly,
extremely harmful, evil; spiteful,
malicious
syn: lethal, wicked
ant: wholesome, beneficial,
benign
Ex. Holes in the ozone are
having a malignant effect on the
world.
11. mortify (v)to hurt someone’s
feelings deeply; to cause
embarrassment or humiliation; to
subdue or discipline by self-denial or
suffering
syn: humiliate, embarrass, abash
Ex. The boy was mortified when he
shot his first basket of the game in the
wrong hoop.
12. orthodox (adj) in agreement with
established or generally accepted beliefs or
ways of doing things
syn: traditional, standard, customary
ant: unusual, unconventional, heretical
Ex. I will never drop in uninvited to
someone’s home. I have an orthodox view
that one must be invited before appearing
at someone’s door.
13. procure (v) to obtain
through special effort; to bring
about
syn: gain, acquire, achieve
Ex. The Drama Club procures
funding for each show from the
profits from the previous show.
14. scurry (v) to run quickly,
scamper, hurry
syn: rush, dash, scramble
ant: trudge, plod, creep,
crawl
Ex. When playing dodge ball,
players scurry out of the way of
a flying dodge ball.
15. sodden (adj) soaked with liquid
or moisture; expressionless; dull;
spiritless, listless
syn: drenched, waterlogged,
saturated
ant: parched, arid
Ex. I became sodden quickly
during the deluge.
16. spirited (adj) full of life and
vigor; courageous
syn: lively, animated, gallant
ant: lifeless, dull, lackluster
Ex. The cheerleader was
spirited and motivated the
team into a second effort to win
the game.
17. virtual (adj) having a certain force
or effect in fact but not in name; so
close as to be equivalent to the real
thing
syn: functioning as, equivalent to
Ex. Although he had not been
officially elected as class president, he
ran everything already and was
virtually the leader.
18. void (adj) completely empty;
having no legal force or effect
(n) empty or unfilled space
(v) to cancel or nullify
syn: (adj) invalid, vacant, bare
ant: (adj) in effect, teeming with
(v) confirm
Ex. The Milky Way is not void; six
planets reside there.
19. wayward (adj) disobedient,
willful; unpredictable, capricious
syn: perverse
ant: docile, well-behaved,
predictable
Ex. The untrained puppy was
wayward and chewed through
many things.
20. wince (v) to draw back
suddenly, as though in pain or fear
(n) the act of drawing back
in this way
syn: (v) flinch, shudder, recoil
Ex. The girl winced when she
accidentally touched the hot frying
pan.