ACT VOCABULAR

Y UNIT 11

1. *abstemious (adj) moderate, sparing (as in eating or drinking); characterized by abstinence and self discipline

Syn: temperate, sober Ant: indulgent, immoderate

2. censurable (adj) deserving blame or correction

Syn: discreditable, reprehensible Ant: commendable, laudable

3. contingent(adj) likely but not certain to happen, possible; dependant on uncertain events or conditions; happening by chance;(n) a representative group forming part of a larger body

Syn: conditional, a detachment Ant: independent of, unconnected with

4. corroborate (v) to confirm, make more certain, bolster, substantiate, verify

Ant: refute, contradict

5. *denizen (n) an inhabitant, resident; one who frequents a place

Syn: resident, dweller Ant: stranger, foreigner

6. discursive (adj) passing aimlessly from one place or subject to another, rambling, roving, nomadic

Syn: diffuse, wandering Ant: succinct

7. disseminate (v) to scatter or spread widely

Syn: disperse, broadcast Ant: concentrate, muster

8. *dowdy- (adj) poorly dressed, shabby; lacking smartness or good taste

Syn: frumpy, tacky Ant: chic, elegant

9. *florid (adj) highly colored, reddish; excessively ornate, showy

Syn: flushed, flamboyant Ant: pallid, sallow

10. foist (v) to impose by fraud; to pass off as worthy or genuine; to bring about by stealth, dishonesty, or coercion

Syn: pass off, fob off

11. gauche (adj) awkward, lacking in social graces, tactless, clumsy

Syn: inept, uncouth Ant: tactful, diplomatic

12. heresy (n) an opinion different from accepted belief; the denial of an idea that is generally held sacred

Syn: unorthodox, heterodoxy Ant: orthodox

13. *inculcate (v) to impress on the mind by repetition, teach persistently and earnestly

Syn: ingrain, implant Ant: efface, root out

14. palpable (adj) capable of being touched or felt; easily seen, heard, or recognized

Syn: tangible, obvious Ant: insubstantial, incorporeal

15. perceptive (adj) having sympathetic insight or understanding, capable of keen appreciation

Syn: discerning, observant Ant: obtuse, dim-witted

16. pernicious (adj) extremely harmful; deadly, fatal

Syn: deleterious, noxious Ant: harmless, innocuous

17. *salient (adj) leaping, jumping, or springing forth; prominent, standing out,

conspicuous;(n) a projection or bulge, a land form that projects upward or outward

Syn: striking, notable Ant: inconspicuous, recessive

18. satiate (v) to satisfy completely; to fill to excess; (adj) full, satisfied

Syn: cloy, surfeit Ant: starve, deprive

19. *sear (v) to make or become dry and withered; to char or scorch the surface of; to harden or make unfeeling: to parch, desiccate, singe

20. specious (adj) deceptive, apparently good or valid but lacking real merit

Syn: deceptively plausible, sophistic

Ant: valid, sound