VOCAB LESSON 5PUMP UP YOUR VOCABULARY!

Complete your vocab chart and submit it on the day of the quiz next week. Don’t forget the midterm is next week, too—

STUDY!!!

ALTRUISTICDef: (adj.) unselfish, concerned with

the welfare of others. Syn: selflessAnt: selfish, self-centeredSent: Although he was not truly

altruistic, he thought that participating in community service would look good on his college application, so he volunteered at the local food bank.

ASSENTDef: (v) to express agreement; (n) agreementSyn: concur, consent, accedeAnt: disagree, differ, dissentSent: I know you thought that I would lend you the

money to begin your designer cupcake business , but I would never assent to such a risky financial proposition.

Common phrase: “nod of assent”

BENEFACTOR Def: (n) one who does good to others,

usually financially benefiting another person, group or entity

Syn: patron, humanitarian Ant: misanthrope, malefactor Sent: Bill Gates, the founder of software

giant Microsoft, is one of the most significant benefactors in the world, donating over three billion dollars to medical research to cure deadly diseases and vaccination to help prevent the spread of those diseases among underprivileged people.

Common phrase: “anonymous benefactor”

CHIVALROUSDef: (adj) marked by honor, courtesy

and courage; knightlySyn: gallant, civil, valiantAnt: crude, uncouth, churlish, loutishSent: Despite his obvious display of

chivalrous behavior, the young woman’s parents were still uncertain about the true motives of her date.

Common phrase: “Chivalry isn’t dead.”

CLEMENCYDef: (n) mercy, humaneness,

mildness, moderatenessSyn: leniency, forbearance,

gentlenessAnt: harshness, severity,

cruelty, inflexibilitySent: While the judge usually

preferred clemency, after the man had been to court for the third time for reckless driving, he ordered that the man’s license be revoked.

DEARTHDef: (n) a lack, scarcity,

inadequate supply, a famineSyn: insufficiency, want,

paucityAnt: surplus, oversupply, glut,

abundanceUsage: “ a dearth of…”

DIFFIDENTDef: (adj) shy, lacking self-

confidence, modest, reserved

Syn: timid, bashful, unassertive, withdrawn

Ant: bold, brash, audacious, self-confident, jaunty

Sent: I wasn’t sure if she disliked me or was simply diffident around new people.

DISCREPANCYDef: (n) a difference, a lack

of agreementSyn: disagreement,

divergence, inconsistencyAnt: agreement,

convergence, consistencySent: When he counted out

the register at the end of the night, the manager realized that the discrepancy of two hundred missing dollars could cost him his job.

EMBARKDef: (v) to go aboard, to make a start, to investSyn: to commence, launch, begin, boardSent: We embarked on a cross-country journey

without realizing how tired we would get of driving.

FACILEDef: (adj) easily done or attained,

superficial, ready, fluent, easily shown but not sincerely felt

Syn: effortless, assured, poised, specious

Ant: labored, awkward, haltingSent: While he found his math

homework to be facile, writing essays was always a challenge.

Sent: Her facile response of “just relax” when I told her how stressed out I was indicated that she didn’t really “get it.”

Related term: facilitate (guide or make easier)

INDOMITABLEDef: (adj) unconquerable, refusing to yieldSyn: unbeatable, invincible, unyieldingAnt: surrendering, submissive, yieldingSent: The indomitable killer whale wouldn’t be

bullied by an aggressive shark that wanted to hog up all the food.

INFALLIBLEDef: (adj) free from error, absolutely dependableSyn: unerring, certainAnt: imperfectSent: We knew dad would eventually admit he

made a mistake, even though we had thought him infallible.

PLODDef: (v) to walk heavily or

slowly; to work slowlySyn: lumber, trudgeAnt: scamper, skip, pranceSent: After plodding to the

top of the steep hill for an hour, we took a rest and ate our energy bars to gather strength for the next leg of the hike.

PUNGENTDef: (adj) causing a sharp sensation,

stinging, bitingSyn: sharp, spicy, piquant, caustic, racyAnt: bland, unappetizing, colorless, insipidSent: After living off peanut butter and

jelly sandwiches for three days, we craved the pungent flavors of tacos and burritos.

Sent: Wegman’s has an extensive selection of pungent cheeses, but I stick to the mild ones like American and mozzarella.

Sent: Her pungent sense of humor rarely missed being offensive.

REMISSDef: (adj) neglectful in performance of one’s

duty, carelessSyn: negligent, lax, slackAnt: scrupulous, dutiful, punctiliousSent: “I would love to take full credit for the

success of the movie, but as an actor, I would be remiss in not applauding first the work of the directors, producers, engineers and film crew.”

REPOSEDef: (v) to rest, lie, place (n) relaxation, peace of

mind, calmnessSyn: sleep, tranquility, respiteAnt: exertion, wakefulness, tumult, bustle, adoSent: After nine hours at school, all he wanted

was a few moments of quiet repose before having to talk to his parents about his day.

TEMERITYDef: (n) rashness, boldnessSyn: recklessness, foolhardiness, effronteryAnt: timidity, fearfulness, diffidence, humilitySent: Few people have the temerity to go

swimming in frigid water, but those that do apparently find it exhilarating.

TRUCULENTDef: (adj) fierce and cruel, aggressive, deadly,

destructive, scathingly harshSyn: brutal, savage, belligerent, vitriolicAnt: gentle, mild, meek, unthreateningSent: His truculent personality made him an

effective, but fear-inducing leader.

UNFEIGNEDDef: (adj) sincere, real,

without pretenseSyn: genuine, heartfeltAnt: insincere, simulated,

phonySent: For once, his comments

were candid and unfeigned, so I could finally see his real personality.

Common phrase: “to feign illness”

VIRULENTDef: (adj) extremely poisonous, full of malice,

spitefulSyn: venemous, noxious, baneful, hatefulAnt: innocuous, harmless, benignSent: His virulent response to criticism forced

people to walk on eggshells around him.Common phrase: “a virulent strain” of an illness