American Literature V ocabulary Workshop unit: 8 By: Kileigh Adams and Jesse Giles

(adj.) stinging, bitter in temper or tone SYNONYMS: biting, caustic, rancorous, hostile, peevish ANTONYMS: gentle, warm, mild, friendly, cordial Mary’s mother told her to lose her acrimonious attitude or she would not be allowed to go to her friends house.

Bovine (adj.) resembling a cow or ox; sluggish, unresponsive SYNONYMS : stolid, dull, stupid ANTONYMS : alert, sharp, bright, keen, quick His bovine response to the teacher’s question was a perfect example of what happens when you don’t study.

Consternation (n.) dismay, confusion SYNONYMS : shock, amazement, bewilderment, dismay ANTONYMS : calm, composure, aplomb Once Mikey saw strangers in his house, his face filled with consternation.

(adj.) fat; having a large frame Everyone stared at Samuel when he walked in, due to his corpulent size. SYNONYMS: overweight, heavy, obese, stout, portly ANTONYMS: thin, slender

Disavow (v.) to deny responsibility for or connection with My mom is so embarrassing that whenever someone asks if we’re related, I disavow our relatedness. SYNONYMS: disown, disclaim, retract, abjure ANTONYMS: acknowledge, admit, grant, certify

Dispassionate (adj.) impartial; calm, free from emotion SYNONYMS: unbiased, disinterested, cool, detached ANTONYMS: committed, engaged, partial, biased Joe’s dispassionate love for baseball irked his father so, his father took him out of the sport.

Dissension (n.) disagreement, sharp difference of opinion SYNONYMS: strife, discord, contention ANTONYMS: agreement, accord, harmony When an intense dissension cooked up, we had to call security to stop a scene from happening.

Dissipate (v.) to cause to disappear; to scatter, dispel; to spend foolishly, squander; to be extravagant in pursuit of pleasure SYNONYMS: disperse, strew, diffuse, waste ANTONYMS: gather, collect, conserve, husband Every time my Mom goes to the mall, she dissipates her money on frivolous items.

Expurgate (v.) to remove objectionable passages or words from a written text; to cleanse, purify SYNONYMS: purge, censor, bowdlerize When Katie wrote a vulgar piece, her teacher had to expurgate the text.

(n.) an armored or protective; a challenge; two lines of men armed with weapons with which to beat a person forced to run between them; an ordeal SYNONYMS: dare, provocation, trial, punishment The gauntlet of the Revolutionary War was organized and in neat lines.

(adj.) based on an assumption or guess; used as a provisional or tentative idea or guide or direct investigation Synonyms: assumed, supposed, conjectural, conditional Antonyms: actual, real, tested, substantiated When playing chess, you make your move based on a hypothetical guess of how its going to be easier for you to win. Hypothetical

Ignoble (adj.) mean, low, base Synonyms: inferior, unworthy, dishonorable, sordid Antonyms: admirable, praiseworthy, lofty, noble Draco Malfoy is a very ignoble man, who causes problems on the Hogwarts campus.

Impugn (v.) to call into question; to attack as false Synonyms: challenge, deny, dispute, query, question Antonyms: confirm, prove, verify, validate Even though Jason Heyward's hit was clearly fair, the other team’s manager impugned the homerun, because it was so close to the foul line.

Intemperate (adj.) immoderate, lacking in self control, inclement Synonyms: excessive, extreme, unrestrained, inordinate Antonyms: moderate, restrained, cool and collected Many people who suffer from Tourette Syndrome, an inherited disorder of the nervous system, make many intemperate movements called “ticks”.

Odium (n.) hatred, contempt; disgrace or infamy resulting from hateful conduct. Synonyms: abhorrence, opprobrium, shame, ignominy Antonyms: esteem, admiration, approbation Many people felt a strong sense of odium to Prince John after King Richard came back from the crusades, in the movie Robin Hood.

perfidy (n.) faithlessness, treachery Synonyms: betrayal, disloyalty, treason, duplicity Antonyms: faithfulness, loyalty, steadfastness In many movies and books, it is the friend who commits perfidy on the main character, instead of the enemy. Back stabber

relegate (v.) to place in a lower position; to assign, refer, turn over; to banish Synonyms: transfer, consign, demote, exile Antonyms: promote, elevate, advance, recall Even though Bob has been working there for 4 years and was expecting a promotion, he was actually relegated to a lower position.

squeamish (adj.) inclined to nausea; easily shocked or upset; excessively fastidious or refined Synonyms: nauseated, queasy, delicate, oversensitive, priggish Even though he said he had a strong stomach, Josh got squeamish around the dead fish.

subservient (adj.) subordinate in capacity or role; submissively obedient; serving to promote some end. Synonyms: secondary, servile, obsequious, useful Antonyms: primary, principal, bossy, domineering On Cops some of the of the arrested are subserveint, but most are hard to deal with.

susceptible (adj.) open to; easily influenced; lacking in resistance. Synonyms: vulnerable, receptive, impressionable Antonyms: resistant, immune Many people are very susceptible to compliments, but then they can never tell when they are real or not.