Unit 1 - Vocab

Acquisitive

able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property Synonyms — greedy, grasping, avaricious, retentive Antonyms — altruistic, unretentive

Arrogate

to claim or take without right Synonyms — expropriate, usurp, commandeer Antonyms — relinquish, renounce, abdicate, abandon

Banal

hackneyed, trite, commonplace Synonyms — stale, insipid Antonyms — fresh, novel, original, new

Belabor

to work on excessively; to thrash soundly Synonym — overwork

Carping

tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; petty, nagging criticism Synonym — nit-picking, caviling Antonym — approving, uncritical

Coherent

holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful Synonym — connected, unified Antonym — muddled, chaotic

Congeal

to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid Synonym — harden, jell, coagulate, solidify Antonym — melt, liquefy

Emulate

to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model Synonym — copy, mimic, rival, match, measure up to

Encomium

a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute Synonym — panegyric, eulogy, commendation Antonym — condemnation, castigation, criticism

Eschew

to avoid, shun, keep away from Synonym — abstain from, steer clear of, forgo Antonym — embrace, adopt

Germane

relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting Synonym — pertinent Antonym — irrelevant, extraneous, inappropriate

Insatiable

so great or demanding as not to be satisfied Synonym — unquenchable, ravenous, voracious

Intransigent

refusing to compromise, irreconcilable Synonym — uncompromising, unyielding, obdurate Antonym — lukewarm, halfhearted, yielding

Invidious

offensive, hateful, tending to cause bitterness and resentment Synonym — malicious, spiteful, prejudicial, pejorative Antonym — complimentary, flattering, ameliorative

Largesse

generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions Synonym — liberality, munificence, bounty Antonym — stinginess, miserliness, niggardliness

Reconnaissance

a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination Synonym — scouting expedition

Substantiate

to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to Synonym — verify, confirm, validate, authenticate Antonym — refute, disprove, invalidate

Taciturn

habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little Synonym — tight-lipped, uncommunicative, laconic Antonym — garrulous, loquacious, prolix, verbose

Temporize

to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise Synonym — hedge, dillydally, procrastinate

Tenable

capable of being held or defended Synonym — defensible, justifiable, maintainable Antonym — indefensible, unjustifiable