Unit 7 Vocabulary Mrs. Williams
English 10 / 10 B
abhor (v.) to regard with horror or loathing; to hate deeply
• Syn.: detest, despise, abominate
• Ant.: admire, cherish, respect, relish
• EX-– A pacifist is someone
who abhors violence in all of its forms.
amend (v.) to change in a formal way; to change for the better
• Syn.: modify, improve, correct, alter
• EX-– If you are not doing well
in a particular subject, you may want to amend your way of studying it.
buffet (v.) to slap or cuff; to strike repeatedly; to drive or force with blows; to force one’s way with difficulty;
(n.) a slap, blow• Synonyms: (v.) sock,
thump, pummel, toss about
• EX-– (v.) Blinding snowstorms
buffet the barren landmass of Antarctica for months on end.
– (n.) Few figures in history or literature are as severely tested by fortune’s buffets as Job in the Old Testament.
chaos (n.) great confusion; disorder
• Syn.: anarchy, turmoil, pandemonium
• Ant.: order, regularity, tranquility
• EX-– A great many people lost
their fortunes and even their lives in the chaos brought on by the French Revolution.
commodious (adj.) roomy, spacious
• Syn.: comfortable, ample, capacious, vast
• Ant.: cramped, claustrophobic, insufficient, confined
• EX-– No one would expect a
tiny studio apartment to have particularly commodious closets.
discern (v.) to see clearly, recognize
• Syn.: perceive, detect, distinguish, notice
• Ant.: overlook• EX-– It is a jury’s job to discern the truth by carefully evaluating all the evidence presented at trial.
implicate (v.) to involve in; to connect with or be related to
• Syn.: incriminate, entangle
• Ant.: absolve, exculpate• EX-– The suspects never
stood trial because there was no solid evidence to implicate them in the daring series of robberies.
renegade (n.) one who leaves a group; a deserter, outlaw; (adj.) traitorous, unconventional, unorthodox
• Syn.: (n.) turncoat, defector, heretic
• Ant.: (n.) loyalist, patriot• EX-
– Many a writer has been labeled a renegade for refusing to conform to society’s conventions.
– Renegade senators from the President’s own party joined the opposition to defeat the bill.
reprehensible (adj.) deserving blame or punishment
• Syn.: objectionable, blameworthy, culpable, odious
• Ant.: commendable, blameless, meritorious
• EX-– Stalin eliminated many
potential rivals by accusing them of all sorts of reprehensible acts that they did not commit.
somber (adj.) dark, gloomy; depressed or melancholy in spirit
• Syn.: mournful, dismal, solemn
• Ant.: bright, sunny, lighthearted, cheerful, jaunty
• EX-– The atmosphere in the
locker room of the losing team could best be described as somber.
squalid (adj.) filthy, wretched, debased
• Syn.: dingy, sordid, foul, vile, abject
• Ant.: neat, spruce, exalted, lofty
• EX-– Many laws prohibit the
types of squalid working conditions found in sweatshops.
turbulent (adj.) disorderly, riotous, violent; stormy
• Syn.: tumultuous, unruly, agitated
• Ant.: calm, placid, tranquil, still
• EX-– Letters and diary entries
may reveal a person’s lifelong struggle to gain some control over turbulent emotions.
vociferous (adj.) loud and noisy; compelling attention
• Synonyms: clamorous, uproarious, blustering
• Antonyms: quiet, soft-spoken, muted, subdued
• EX-– Relief agencies regularly
make vociferous appeals for aid for victims of war, terrorism, and natural disasters.
voluminous (adj.) of great size; numerous; writing or speaking at great length
• Syn.: bulky, massive, copious, plentiful
• Ant.: scant, meager, brief, succinct
• EX-– The task of summarizing the voluminous reports issued by government agencies may fall to members of a legislator’s staff.
waive (v.) to do without, give up voluntarily; to put off temporarily, defer
• Syn.: decline, relinquish, forgo
• Ant.: claim, accept• EX-
– The senator agreed to waive opposition to the proposed bill if some of its more controversial provisions were substantially modified.