Unit 5 Vocab
1. acuity- (n.) sharpness (particularly of the mind or senses)
Synonyms: keenness, acuteness
Antonyms: dullness, obtuseness
à The ________ of most people’s hearing diminishes as they grow older
2. delineate- (v.) to portray, sketch or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially
Synonyms: depict, picture, render
à The architects will ________ the main features of their plan at the next client meeting.
3. depraved- (adj.) marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principles
Synonyms: degenerate, vicious, corrupt
Antonyms: moral, virtuous, upright, uncorrupted
à Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray is about a ________ man whose portrait reveals his wickedness.
4. enervate- (v.) to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring
Synonyms: impair, cripples, paralyze
Antonyms: invigorate, strengthen
à Unfortunately, the great musician’s mind was _________ by disease in the last decade of her life.
5. esoteric- (adj.) intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret
Synonyms: cryptic, arcane
Antonyms: accessible, comprehensible, intelligible
à The fraternity developed a set of _________ rites that had to be performed by anyone seeking membership.
6. fecund- (adj.) fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive
Synonyms: fertile. Teeming, prolific
Antonyms: infertile, barren, unproductive
à The remarkably _________ mind of Albert Einstein produced theories that revolutionized the science of physics.
7. fiat- (n.) an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of will or consciousness
Synonyms: edict, dictum
à The ruler instituted several new _________.
8. figment- (n.) a fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion
Synonyms: creation, invention, fancy
à The silhouette of a man on the porch was a mere ________ of your overheated imagination.
9. garner- (v.) to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use
Synonyms: collect, accumulate, accrue
Antonyms: scatter, squander, waste, dissipate
à Over the years, the writer was able to ________ some wisdom that she passed on to others in her books.
10. hallow- (v.) to set apart as holy or sacred, sanctify, consecrate; to honor greatly, revere
Synonyms: venerate, bless
Antonyms: desecrate, defile, profane
à In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln ________ the battlefield on which the Union soldiers fought and died.
11. idiosyncrasy- (n.) a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify
Synonyms: eccentricity, quirk, mannerism
à The fact that the plurals of some nouns are formed irregularly is an ________ of English grammar.
12. ignominy- (n.) shame and disgrace
Synonyms: dishonor, humiliation,
Antonyms: honor, glory, acclaim
à He went from glory to _________.
13. mundane- (adj.) earthly, worldly, relating to practical and material affairs; concerned with what is ordinary
Synonyms: prosaic, humdrum, routine, sublunary
Antonyms: heavenly, unworldly, spiritual, transcendental
à The painter left all ____________________________ concerns to her sister while she single-mindedly pursued her artistic goals.
14. nuance- (n.) a subtle or slight variation (as in color, meaning, quality) delicate gradation or shade of difference
Synonyms: shade, nicety, refinement
à In his writing, the poet paid close attention to every ___________________ of meaning
In the words he chose.
15. Overweening- (adj.) conceited, presumptuous; excessive, immoderate
Synonyms: arrogant, unbridled, inflated
Antonyms: restrained, understated, modest, meek
à It was the _______________________ confidence of the candidate that prevented her
from acknowledging her weakness.
16. Penchant – (n.) a strong attraction or inclination
Synonyms: proclivity, propensity, predilection
Antonyms: disinclination, aversion
à A teacher with a ____________________ for belaboring the obvious is bound to be boring.
17. Reputed – (adj.) according to reputation or general belief; having widespread acceptance
and good reputation; (part.) alleged
Synonyms: putative, reputable, supposed
Antonyms: proven, corroborated, authenticated
à Although he is the ___________________ head of a crime syndicate, he has never spent time in jail.
18. Sophistry – ( n.) reasoning that seems plausible but is actually unsound, a fallacy
Synonyms: specious reasoning
àThe couple was beguiled into buying a bigger house than they needed by the clever _______________________ of the broker.
19. Sumptuous – (adj.) costly, rich, magnificent
Synonyms: lavish, munificent, opulent, splendid
Antonyms: skimpy, meager, stingy, niggardly, Spartan
àThe ____________________________ feast honoring the king’s birthday was followed by musical entertainment
20. Ubiquitous – (adj.) present or existing everywhere
Synonyms: omnipresent, persuasive, universal
Antonyms: restricted, limited, rare, scarce
àThe _____________________ eye of the TV camera threatens to rob citizens of any sense of privacy