Unit 3 Level F - Net Start Class

SADLIER- OXFORD
VOCABULARY WORKSHOP
•Level F
•Unit 3
ABOMINATE
Verb
Definition: to have an intense dislike or
hatred for
Synonym: loathe, abhor, despise, detest
Antonyms: relish, savor, esteem
Sentence: Annabelle abominates
vegetables so much that she cannot
even stand to see them on her plate; this
intense dislike seems irrational.
ACCULTURATION
Noun
Definition: the modification of the social patterns,
traits, or structures of one group or society by
contact with those of another; the resultant blend
Synonyms: adaptation
Sentence: She had only been in the country a short
while, but her clothes showed her to be a product of
acculturation; her wardrobe was definitely the result
of blending with those around her, and her
conservative parents did not approve.
Adjective
Definition: resulting from chance rather
than from an inherent cause of character;
accidental, not essential; (medicine)
acquired, not congenital
Synonyms: extrinsic, incidental, fortuitous
Antonym: essential, intrinsic, inherent,
congenital
Sentence: It was an adventitious meeting
that first brought them together, but the
accidental beginning led to 80 years of
blissful marriage.
ADVENTITIOUS
ASCRIBE
Verb
Definition: to assign or refer to (as a cause or
source), attribute
Synonyms: impute, credit
Sentence: You may ascribe these holes in the
yard to gophers or armadillos, but I blame the
dog from next door; it is time you credited the
right animal with the damage.
CIRCUITOUS
Adjective
Definition: roundabout, not direct
Synonyms: indirect, meandering, winding
Antonyms: straight, direct, as the crow flies
Sentence: I followed a circuitous path through
the woods, not because I feared pursuit, but
because I was lost; this meandering went on
until my father found me.
COMMISERATE
Verb
Definition: to sympathize with, have
pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of
distress
Synonyms: feel sorry for, empathize
Antonym: feel no sympathy for
Sentence: Sending someone a
greeting card is a simple way to
commiserate with them when they are
sorrowful; often this simply way of
empathizing with them can make
them feel better.
Verb
Definition: to direct or order; to
prescribe a course of action in an
authoritative way; to prohibit
Synonyms: bid, charge, adjure
Antonyms: allow, permit
Sentence: I enjoined the children to
please stop running in the house
because someone was going to get hurt,
but it did not seem to make a difference
that I had prohibited their actions.
ENJOIN
EXPEDITE
Verb
Definition: to make easy, cause
to progress faster
Synonyms: accelerate,
facilitate, speed up
Antonyms: hinder, hamper,
impede, obstruct
Sentence: The new computers
will help to expedite the orders
in the company; consequently,
we will need less employees
since work will progress faster.
EXPIATE
Verb
Definition: to make amends, make up
for; to avert
Synonyms: redeem, make amends for,
make reparation
Sentence: After breaking the special
dish at her mother’s house, Trudy
expiated her guilt by replacing it; she
only hoped this would make amends
for her clumsiness.
FERMENT
Noun; Verb
Definition: (n.) a state of great excitement,
agitation, or turbulence
(v.) to be in or work into such a state; to produce
alcohol by chemical action
Synonyms: (n.) commotion, turmoil, unrest
Antonyms: (n.) peace and quiet, tranquility,
placidity
Sentence: Caught in the ferment of the large
gathering, the students began to protest loudly;
this state of agitation soon escalated into a riot.
INADVERTENT
Adjective
Definition: resulting from or marked by
lack of attention; unintentional, accidental
Synonym: accidental
Antonyms: deliberate, intentional
Sentence: Even though Elizabeth was
very angry when she left, she said the
slamming of the door was inadvertent,
and because we know Elizabeth, we
believed it was unintentional.
Sorry!!
NOMINAL
Adjective
Definition: existing in name only, not real; too
small to be considered or taken seriously
Synonyms: titular, inconsequential
Antonyms: actual, exorbitant
Sentence: Because you have great
insurance, you will only be charged a nominal
fee at the doctor’s office; this inconsequential
amount should not cause you difficulties.
That will be
$5.00 for
today’s
visit.
NONCOMMITTAL
Adjective
Definition: not decisive or definite, unwilling to
take a clear position
Synonyms: cagey, uninformative, playing it
safe, playing it close to the vest
Antonyms: positive, definite, committed
Sentence: The principal questioned him
quietly, carefully, and at length about his
involvement in the cheating incident, but his
answers remained noncommittal; we took his
uninformative stance as guilt.
PECULATE
Verb
Definition: to steal something that has been
given into one’s trust; to take improperly for
one’s own use
Synonyms: defraud, misappropriate
Sentence: Investigators discovered that the
executive at the firm had come up with a
scheme to peculate from the company for
years; his plan to misappropriate funds had
almost been perfect.
Noun
Definition: a natural or habitual inclination or
tendency (especially of human character or
behavior)
Synonyms: penchant, propensity
Antonyms: inability, incapacity
Sentence: The child has a penchant for telling
huge made-up stories about the monsters he
sees in his room at night; this propensity for
making up things has caused his teacher to
doubt anything he tells her.
PROCLIVITY
And he was huge
and had six eyes and
a purple tongue and
was breathing fire!
Noun
Definition: composure or coolness, especially in
trying circumstances
Synonyms: poise, self-assurance, equanimity
Antonyms: excitability, hysteria, flappability
Sentence: When the clerk faced the robber with
the gun, she handled the situation with great
sangfroid, and it is probably that composure that
saved her life.
SANGFROID
SEDITIOUS
Adjective
Definition: resistant to lawful authority;
having the purpose of overthrowing an
established government
Synonyms: mutinous, rebellious,
subversive
Antonyms: supportive, faithful, allegiant
Sentence: It was considered a seditious
act when the southern states chose to
withdraw from the Union; this mutinous act
started the Civil War.
TENUOUS
Adjective
Definition: thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity
or sharpness; of slight importance; lacking a sound
basis, poorly supported
Synonyms: flimsy, insubstantial, vague, hazy
Antonyms: strong, solid, substantial, valid
Sentence: After the traumatic accident, he had a
tenuous hold on reality for a while; this flimsy grasp
of what was real and what was not caused those
around him to be very frightened of him.
VITRIOLIC
Adjective
Definition: bitter, sarcastic, highly caustic
or biting (like a strong acid)
Synonyms: withering, acerbic, mordant
Antonyms: bland, saccharine, honeyed,
sugary
Sentence: The newspaper critic wrote of
her painting with such vitriolic comments
that it discouraged the pursuit of her
passion, but I told her to just ignore his
biting remarks.
WHEEDLE
Verb
Definition: to use coaxing or flattery to gain
some desired end
Synonyms: inveigle, soft-soap, sweet talk
Antonyms: coerce, browbeat, intimidate,
strong-arm
Sentence: We were amazed as we watched
her flirt with the traffic officer in an effort to
wheedle out of being cited for speeding; her
moment of sweet-talking the policeman
paid off, and she got off with a warning.