Level D Unit 13 Vocabulary

Ad infinitum - adverb

• Endlessly

• Synonyms: forever, unceasingly, incessantly, ceaselessly

• Antonyms: succinctly, concisely, tersely, briefly

• Sarah can talk about her love of The Hunger Games ad infinitum.

Apportion - verb

• To divide and give out in shares

• Synonyms: distribute, allot, parcel out, allocate

• The wealthy man apportioned his money to different charities he supported.

Bona fide - adj

• Genuine, sincere

• Synonyms: authentic, indisputable, legitimate, certified

• Antonyms: false, fake, bogus, spurious, counterfeit

• When Mrs. Quihuis saw the bona fide autograph of Leonardo DiCaprio a student had brought her from a movie premiere she was awestruck.

Buoyant - adj

• Able to float easily; able to hold things up; cheerful, hopeful

• Synonyms: blithe, jaunty, lighthearted, animated

• Antonyms: downcast, depressed, gloomy, morose

• Amanda’s spirits remained buoyant because she knew that the day was almost over.

Clique - noun

• A small, exclusive group of people

• Synonyms: inner circle, coterie

• In high school many students form cliques to exclude others.

Concede – verb

• To admit as true; to yield, submit

• Synonyms: acknowledge, grant, allow, assent

• Antonyms: contest, dispute, gainsay, challenge

• I will concede that I am wrong every once in awhile.

Congenial - adj

• Getting on well with others; agreeable, pleasant

• Synonyms: friendly, sociable, amiable, compatible

• Antonyms: disagreeable, surly, cold, standoffish

• Because of Sam’s congenial manner, he had many friends.

Lofty - adj

• Very high; noble

• Synonyms: elevated, towering, exalted, grand

• Antonyms: base, petty, low, sordid, despicable

• My parents have lofty expectations and expect me to graduate with a 4.5 GPA.

Migration -noun

• A movement from one country or region to another

• Synonyms: population shift, mass movement

• The Great Migration refers to African Americans moving from the southern states to the northern states during the 1920’s.

Perceive - verb

• To be aware of through the senses, observe; to grasp mentally

• Synonyms: notice, discern, understand

• Antonyms: miss, overlook, be blind to

• From the tears in her eyes, I was able to perceive that she was upset about something.

Perverse - adj

• Inclined to go against what is expected; stubborn; turned away from what is good and proper

• Synonyms: obstinate, contrary, mulish, wayward

• Antonyms: Tractable, docile, amenable, yielding

• Lord Capulet might describe Juliet as perverse before she changes her mind and decides to obey him and marry Paris.

Prelude - noun

• An introduction; that which comes before or leads off

• Synonyms: preface, overture, prologue, “curtain – raiser”

• Antonyms: epilogue, postlude, aftermath

• The prelude to the actual movies is all the previews of new movies.

Rancid - adj

• Stale, spoiled

• Synonyms: foul, rank, fetid, sour, rotten, putrid

• Antonyms: wholesome, fresh

• The smell of the rancid chicken made me sick to my stomach.

Rustic – adj/noun

• Adj – country-like; simple, plain; awkward

• Noun – one who lives in the country

• Synonyms: rough, unsophisticated, countrified

• Antonyms: citified, urban, sophisticated, suave

• The rustic feel of the restaurant made me think of the Old West and cowboys.

Sever - verb

• To separate, divide into parts

• Synonyms: cut off, amputate, break off, dissolve

• Antonyms: join, unite, weld together

• After their big fight Joanna and Christina decided to sever their friendship forever.

Sordid - adj

• Wretchedly poor; run-down; mean or selfish

• Synonyms: filthy, squalid, base, vile, seedy, sleazy

• Antonyms: pure, noble, opulent, lavish

• The sordid look of the house made me not want to go inside.

Untenable - adj

• Not capable of being held or defended; impossible to maintain

• Synonyms: indefensible, insupportable, groundless

• Antonyms: irrefutable, impregnable, incontestable

• If you said that Oedipus was responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet that would be an untenable thesis statement.

Versatile - adj

• Able to do many things well;’ capable of many uses

• Synonyms: adaptable, handy, all-around, many-sided

• Antonyms: limited, specialized, restricted

• We all know duct tape is a versatile product – there are so many uses for it!

Vindicate - verb

• To clear from hint or charge of wrongdoing; to defend successfully against opposition; to justify

• Synonyms: acquit, absolve, exonerate, advocate

• Antonyms: implicate, incriminate, condemn, convict

• In order to vindicate himself from blame Friar Lawrence had to explain why Juliet and Romeo were found dead.

Wane - verb

• To lose size, strength, or power

• Synonyms: diminish, decline, subside, dwindle

• Antonyms: grow, wax, amplify, balloon, increase

• As the school day goes by, students’ attention spans start to wane.