Unit 1 - Vocabulary 10th Grade

provinical

(adj) pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or in outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; of a simple, plain design that originated in the countryside (n) a person with a narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area; a soldier from a province or colony Syn: (adj.) narrow-minded, parochial, insular, naive Ant: (adj.) cosmopolitan, catholis, broad-minded

simulate

(v.) to make a pretense of, imitate; to show the outer signs of Syn: pretend, affect

transcend

(v.) to rise above or beyond, exceed Syn: surpass, outstrip

umbrage

(n.) Shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion Syn: irritation, pique Ant: pleasure, delight, satisfaction

unctuous

(adj.) Excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable Syn: greasy, fawny, mealymouthed Ant: gruff, blunt

approbation

(n.) the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval Syn: sanction Ant: censure, disapproval, condemnation

assuage

(v.) to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench Syn: slake, mitigate, allay Ant: intensify, aggravate, excaberate

coalition

(n.) a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose Syn: alliance, league, combine, federation Ant: splinter group

decadence

(n.) decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence Syn: corruption, degeneration Ant: rise, growth, maturation

jaded

(adj.) wearied, worn-out, dulled (in the sense of being satiated by excessive indulgence) Syn: sated, surfeited, cloyed Ant: unspoiled, uncloyed

lurid

(adj.) causing shock, horror, or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow in color; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restraint Syn: gruesome, gory, grisly, baleful, ghastly Ant: pleasant, attractive, appealing, wholesome

meritorious

(adj.) worthy, deserving recognition and praise Syn: praiseworthy, laudable, commendable Ant: blameworthy, reprehensible

prerogative

(n.) a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence Syn: perk, privilege

elicit

(v.) to draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person) Syn: evoke, educe, extract Ant: repress, quash, squelch, stifle

expostulate

(v.) to attempt to dissuade someone from some course or decision by earnest reasoning Syn: protest, complain, remonstrate

hackneyed

(adj.) used so often as to lack freshness or originality Syn: banal, trite, corny, commonplace Ant: new, fresh, novel, original

hiatus

(n.) a gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing) Syn: pause, lacuna Ant: continuity, continuation

innuendo

(n.) a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense) Syn: insinuation, intimation Ant: direct statement

intercede

(v.) to plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement Syn: mediate, intervene

petulant

peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset Syn: waspish, testy, irritable Ant: placid, amiable