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Junior Unit 10
Term | Definition | Synonyms | Antonyms |
---|---|---|---|
benign | adj. gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect; not malignant | benevolent, salutary, salubrious, harmless | malevolent, deleterious |
cavil | v. to find fault in a petty way, carp; n. a trivial objection or criticism | v. nitpick, quibble | |
charlatan | n. one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, impostor, or quack | fraud, mountebank | |
decimate | v. to kill or destroy a large part of | ravage, devastate | |
foible | n. a weak point, failing, minor flaw | shortcoming, defect, quirk | forte, virtue |
forgo | v. to do without, abstain from, give up | refrain from, renounce | indulge in, partake of |
fraught | adj. full of or loaded with; accompanied by | charged with | devoid of, lacking, deficient in |
inure | v. to toughen, harden; to render used to something by long subjection or exposure | accustom, acclimate | |
luminous | adj. emitting or reflecting light, glowing; illuminating | radiant, bright, refulgent, lustrous | dark, opaque, dim, murky |
obsequious | adj. marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often purely for self-interested reasons | fawning, servile, sycophantic, mealymouthed | assertive, bumptious, overbearing, candid, frank, independent |
obtuse | adj. blunt, not coming to a point; slow or dull in understanding; measuring between 90 and 180 degrees; not causing a sharp impression | stupid, dumb, thick, mild, dull-witted | acute, perceptive, quick-witted |
oscillate | v. to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver | vibrate, vacillate | |
penitent | adj. regretful for one's sins or mistakes; n. one who is sorry for wrongdoing | adj. remorseful, regretful, rueful, sorry | adj. unrepentant, remorseless |
peremptory | adj. having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial, or refusal; offensively self-assured, dictatorial; determined, resolute | high-handed, unconditional | irresolute, tentative, mild, unassuming |
rebuff | v. to snub; to repel, drive away; n. a curt rejection, a check | v. spurn, repulse, reject; n. setback | v. accept, welcome |
reconnoiter | v. to engage in reconnaissance; to make a preliminary inspection | scout | |
shambles | n. a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of complete disorder and confusion, mess | ||
sporadic | adj. occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order | intermittent, spasmodic | constant, steady, continuous, uninterrupted |
askance | adv. with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval | distrustfully, suspiciously, skeptically | |
attenuate | v. to make thin or slender; to weaken or lessen in force, intensity, or value | thin out, dilute, water down | thicken, strengthen, bolster |