English 111
Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary
Level G, Unit 11
abrogate
 (v.) to repeal, cancel,
declare null and void
 Synonyms: annul,
revoke
 Antonyms: reaffirm,
renew, ratify
ambient
 (adj.) completely
surrounding,
encompassing
asperity
 (n.) roughness,
severity; bitterness or
tartness
 Synonyms: rigor,
harshness
 Antonyms: mildness,
blandness, softness,
lenience
burnish
 (v.) to make smooth
or glossy by rubbing,
polish; (n.) gloss,
brightness, luster
 Synonyms: (v.) shine,
buff
 Antonyms: (v.)
tarnish, dull, abrade
cabal
 (n.) a group working
in secret
 Synonyms: clique,
ring, gang, plot,
conspiracy
delectable
 (adj.) delightful, highly
enjoyable; deliciously
flavored, savory; (n.)
an appealing or
appetizing food or
dish
 Synonyms: (adj.)
delicious, scrumptious
 Antonyms: (adj.)
repugnant, repulsive,
distasteful
deprecate
 (v.) to express mild
disapproval; to
belittle
 Synonyms: deplore,
frown upon
 Antonyms: smile on,
countenance,
approve
detritus
 (n.) loose bits and
pieces of material
resulting from
disintegration or
wearing away;
fragments that result
from any destruction
 Synonyms: debris,
wreckage, ruins,
rubble
ebullient
 (adj.) overflowing with
enthusiasm and
excitement; boiling,
bubbling
 Synonym:
exhilarated, elated,
exuberant
 Antonyms: gloomy,
morose, sullen,
apathetic, blasé
eclectic
 (adj.) drawn from
many different
sources; (n.) one
whose beliefs are
drawn from various
sources
 Synonyms: (adj.)
selective, synthetic,
pick-and-choose
 Antonyms: (adj.)
uniform, monolithic
flaccid
 (adj.) limp, not firm;
lacking vigor or
effectiveness
 Synonyms: soft,
flabby
 Antonyms: hard, firm,
solid
impecunious
 (adj.) having little or no
money
 Synonyms: penniless,
impoverished, indigent
 Antonyms: affluent,
wealthy, prosperous,
rich
inexorable
 (adj.) inflexible, beyond
influence; relentless,
unyielding
 Synonyms: inescapable,
ineluctable, obdurate
 Antonyms: avoidable,
yielding, pliant
moribund
 (adj.) dying, on the
way out
 Synonyms:
obsolescent
 Antonyms:
flourishing, thriving
necromancer
 (n.) one who claims
to reveal or
influence the future
through magic,
especially
communication with
the dead; in general,
a magician or wizard
 Synonyms: sorcerer,
conjurer
onerous
 (adj.) burdensome;
involving hardship or
difficulty
 Synonyms: oppressive,
weighty
 Antonyms: light, easy,
undemanding, untaxing
rife
 (adj.) common, prevalent,
widespread, happening
often; full, abounding;
plentiful, abundant,
replete
 Antonyms: devoid of,
lacking
rudiments
 (n. pl.) the parts of
any subject or
discipline that are
learned first; the
earliest stages of
anything
 Synonym: basics,
fundamentals
sequester
 (v.) to set apart,
separate for a special
purpose; to take
possession of and
hold in custody
 Synonyms: seclude,
segregate, isolate,
closer
winnow
 (v.) to get rid of
something unwanted,
delete; to sift through to
obtain what is
desirable; to remove
the chaff from the
wheat by blowing air on
it; to blow on, fan
 Synonyms: sift, strain,
filter, sort