UNIT 1

• Affable - D: pleasantly easy to approach or talk to; friendly S: polite A: grouchy “She was always a very affable and free-spoken young lady, and very civil behaved.” affable is to friendly, as friendly is to nice

• Aggrandize - D: to make something appear greater or more powerful S: enlarge A: diminish “Alexander carried on a double policy, always ready to seize opportunities to aggrandize his family.” aggrandize is to enlarge, as diminish is to shrink

• Amorphous - D: lacking no definite shape or form S: vague A: distinct “It is a brownish amorphous solid, which is insoluble in water.” amorphous is to vague, as vague is to unclear

• Archetype - D: the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based S: prototype A: atypical “He was the archetype of the individual man, the loner, who against the odds makes out.” archetype is to prototype, as prototype is to standard

• Aura - D: a distinctive and pervasive quality or character; air; an atmosphere S: ambiance A: NONE “Jessie gazed up at him, overwhelmed by the compelling aura around him, without understanding it.” aura is to ambiance, as ambiance is to atmosphere

• Contraband - D: anything prohibited by law from being imported or exported S: smuggled A: legal “The trade was contraband, and the opium was bought by the Chinese from depot ships at the ports.” contraband is to smuggled, as smuggled is to illegal

• Erudite - D: characterized by great knowledge S: scholarly A: ignorant “He was never dull, always erudite and well informed.” erudite is to scholarly, as scholarly is to academic

• Gossamer - D: something extremely light, flimsy, or delicate S: silky A: heavy “She is always barefooted, wearing only gossamer garments the size of handkerchiefs to provide her with a semblance of modesty.” gossamer is to silky, as silky is to sleek

• Inscrutable - D: not easily understood or analyzed S: incomprehensible A: obvious “His inscrutable face cannot disguise the sense of expectation.” Incrutible is to mystery as mystery is to unknown.

• Insular - D: narrow-minded or illiberal S: petty A: unbiased “The British are often accused of being insular.” insular is to biased as hot is to cold.

• Irrevocable - D: not to be revoked or recalled S: permanent A: reversible “A deed done is irrevocable, and its result coinciding in time with the actions of millions of other men assumes a historic significance.” irrevocable is to temporary as yes is to no.

• Propensity - D: a natural inclination or tendency S: disposition A: dislike “During hot days he had a propensity for walking around in just his boxers.” propensity is to tendency as easy is to simple.

• Querulous - D: habitually complaining S: cranky A: patient “Car trips are frequently spoiled by a couple of querulous passengers in the back.” Querulous is to complaining as bossy is to controlling.

• Remonstrate - D: to present and urge reasons in opposition S: protest A: accept “He got angry when I politely remonstrated with him about littering.” Remonstrate is to argue as angry is to upset.

• Repudiate - D: refusal to accept S: deny A: admit “He has publicly repudiated the government's policies.” repudate is to embrace as arrive is to depart.

• Resilient - D: capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture S: stretchy A: stiff “The local economy is remarkably resilient.” Resilient is to strong as strong is to tough.

• Reverberate - D: to reflect or echo S: echo A: mute “The sound of thunder reverberated from one end of the mountain pass to the other.” Reverberate is to echo as loud is to noisy.

• Scurrilous - D: using or given to coarse language S: vitriolic A: pure “Scurrilous attacks on the senator caused trouble throughout the country.” Scurrilous is to rumors as baffle is to confuse.

• Sedulous - D: involving or accomplished with careful perseverance S: employed A: unemployed “He was an impressively sedulous suitor, he was constantly sending her flowers and other tokens of his affection.” sedulous is to reckless as innocent is to guilty.

• Sleazy - D: lacking firmness of texture S: flimsy A: solid “The dancer was in a sleazy outfit.” Sleazy is to corrupt as respectable is to untrustworthy.

UNIT 2

• Amnesty - D: the act of an authority (such as a government) by which pardon is granted to a large group of individuals S: pardon A: punishment “The government gave amnesty to all political prisoners.” Amnesty is to save as gift is to present.

• Autonomy - D: the quality of state of being self-governed S: free will A: dependent “The territory has been granted autonomy.” Autonomy is to dependant as help is to hurt.

• Axiomatic - D: taken for granted S: self-evident A: foolishness “It is axiomatic that good athletes have a strong mental attitude.” Axiomatic is to accepted as happy is to glad.

• Blazon - D: to publish widely S: declare A: secretive “Their very public canoodling has pretty much blazoned the fact that they are having an affair.” blazon is to display as cover is to hide.

• Caveat - D: an explanation to prevent misinterpretation S: caution A: lack of information “His investment advice comes with a caveat: that the stock market is impossible to predict with absolute accuracy.” caveat is to condition as stop is to wait.

• Equitable - D: having or exhibiting equity: dealing fairly and equally with all concerned S: fair A: biased “They reached an equitable settlement of their dispute.” equitable is to fair as fair is to balanced.

• Extricate - D: to free or remove from an entanglement or difficulty S: liberate A: entangle “They extricated the tractor from the mud.” extricate is to remove as involve is to extract.

• Filch - D: to steal secretly or casually S: steal A: give “He filched a pack of gum when no one was looking.” filch is to steal, as snow is to cold.

• Flout - D: to treat with disregard S: scorn A: praise “Despite repeated warnings, they have continued to flout the law.” flout is to ignore as scorn is to punish.

• Fractious - D: tending to be troublesome S: irritable A: agreeable “The fractious crowd grew violent.” fractious is to trouble as afraid is to scared.

• Precept - D: a command or principle intended especially as a general rule of action S: doctrine A: unbelief “I was taught by precept and by example.” precept is to rulebook as garbage is to trash.

• Salutary - D: promoting a beneficial effect S: profitable A: unfriendly “The accident should be a salutary lesson to be more careful.” salutary is to rude as timid is to bold

• Scathing - D: bitterly severe S: harsh A: calm “A scathing review of the book.” scathing is to harsh as kind is to nice.

• Scourge - D: a harsh punishment or critique S: curse A: blessing “The disease continues to be a scourge in the developing world.” scourge is to blessing as liquid is to solid.

• Sepulchral - D: of or relating to a funeral S: cheerless A: bright “the decrepit mansion had a sepulchral tone that gave everyone a chill.” sepulchral is to gloomy as sad is to upset.

• Soporific - D: causing or tending to cause sleep S: sedative A: stimulating “this medication is soporific, so do not drive after taking it.” soporific is to sleepy as awake is to alert.

• Straitlaced - D: excessively strict in manners, morals, or opinions S: uptight A: broad-minded “Her parents were very straitlaced with their rules.” straitlaiced is to strict as broad is to wide.

• Transient - D: passing especially quickly into and out of existence S: fleeting A: lasting “The beauty of trees can be transient as the e seasons change.” transient is to fast as quick is to rapid.

• Unwieldy - D: not easily managed, handled, or use S: burdensome A: light “The system is outdated and unwieldy.” unweildy is to light as black is to white.

• Vapid - D: lacking flavor, zest, interest, animation, or spirit S: boring A: exciting “Classical music is often described as vapid and lacking pizzazz.” vapid is to boring, as exciting is to thrilling

UNIT 3

• Anomalous - D: inconsistent with or deviating from what is usual, normal, or expected S: abnormal A: ordinary “Researchers could not explain the anomalous test results.” anomalous is to abnormal, as abnormal is to odd.

• Aspersion - D: a false or misleading charge meant to harm someone's reputation S: defamation A: compliment “But he was hit with all manner of aspersions about his national devotion.” aspersion is to defamation, as defamation is to slander.

• Bizarre - D: odd or eccentric in style S: unusual A: common “I just heard the most bizarre story.” bizarre is to unusual, as unusual is to strange

• Brusque - D: markedly short and abrupt S: blunt A: polite “She asked for a cup of coffee and received a brusque reply: “We don't have any.” brusque is to blunt, as blunt is to dull

• Cajole - D: to persuade using flattery S: dupe A: bully “He cajoled her into doing his laundry for him.” cajole is to dupe, as dupe is to decieve

• Castigate - D: to subject to harsh punishment S: rebuke A: approve “The author castigated the prime minister as an ineffective leader.” castigate is to rebuke, as rebuke is to punish

• Contrive - D: devise a plan S: fabricate A: stop “The prisoners contrived a way to escape.” contrive is to fabricate, as fabricate is to devise.

• Demagogue - D: a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power S: fanatic A: peacemaker “That politician is just a demagogue who preys upon people's fears and prejudices.” demagogue is to fanatic, as fanatic is to politician

• Disabuse - D: to free from error S: enlighten A: restrain “let me disabuse you of your foolish notions.” disabuse is to enlighten, as enlighten is to free.

• Ennui - D: a feeling of weariness or dissatisfaction S: apathy A: cheer “She has the kind of ennui that comes from having too much time on one's hands and too little will to find something productive to do.” ennui is to apathy, as apathy is to weariness

• Fetter - D: something that confines to body S: bind A: liberate “He claims that government regulations are unnecessary fetters that keep him from achieving his business goals.” fetter is to bind, as bind is to constrain

• Heinous - D: hatefully or shockingly evil S: infamous A: respectable “These murders were especially heinous.” heinous is to infamous, as infamous is to hated

• Immutable - D: not capable of change S: changeless A: flexible “One of the immutable laws of television is that low ratings inevitably lead to cancellation.” immutable is to changeless, as changeless is to stubborn

• Insurgent - D: a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government S: rebel A: rule follower “Insurgents are trying to gain control of the country's transportation system.” insurgent is to rebel, as rebel is to disobedient

• Megalomania - D: a delusional mental illness that is marked by feelings of personal omnipotence and grandeur S: arrogance A: humility “Beethoven, of course, was no stranger to megalomania, and he even loved to brag to his friends about his vanity” megalomania is to arrogance, as arrogance is to pridefulness.

• Sinecure - D: an office or position that requires little or no work and that usually provides an income S: pushover A: trial “He has given a sinecure in Rome where nuns waited on him hand and foot.” sinecure is opposite to hard work, as hot is to cold

• Surreptitious - D: done, made, or acquired by stealth S: sly A: honest “A private investigator adept at taking surreptitious pictures of adulterous couples.” surreptitious is to sly, as sly is to stealthy

• Transgress - D: to violate a command or law S: sin A: obey “He who transgresses must seek forgiveness.” transgress is to sin, as sin is to disobey

• Transmute - D: to change or alter in form, appearance, or nature and especially to a higher form S: mutate A: preserve “The former criminal had transmuted into a national hero.” transmute is to mutate, as mutate is to transform

• Vicarious - D: experienced or realized through imaginative participation in the experience of another S: secondary A: first-hand “Her mother lived in a vicarious manner through her daughter.” vicarious is the second-hand, as second-hand is opposite of first-hand