Vocabulary Level F Unit 7

austere (adj.) severe or stern in manner; without adornment or luxury, simple, plain; harsh or sour in flavor SYN: forbidding, rigorous, puritanical, ascetic, unadorned, subdued ANT: mild, indulgent, luxurious, flamboyant The Puritans dressed in an austere manner.

beneficent (adj.) performing acts of kindness or charity; conferring benefits, doing good SYN: humanitarian, magnanimous, charitable ANT: selfish, cruel, harmful, deleterious Bill Gates is known as a beneficent humanitarian.

cadaverous (adj.) pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse SYN: corpselike, wasted, haggard, emaciated, ghastly ANT: robust, portly, rosy, the picture of health Pictures of the cadaverous Holocaust victims shocked the world during World War II.

concoct (v.) to prepare by combining ingredients, make up (as a dish); to devise, invent, fabricate SYN: create, fashion, rustle up Paula Deen has made a fortune by concocting delicious dishes for her television show.

crass (adj.) coarse, unfeeling; stupid SYN: crude, vulgar, tasteless, oafish, obtuse ANT: refined, elegant, tasteful, polished, brilliant The crass nature of the press today is enough to discourage anyone from running for office.

debase (v.) to lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade, adulterate; to cause to deteriorate SYN: cheapen, corrupt, demean, depreciate ANT: elevate, uplift, improve, enhance Don’t debase your character by associating with undesirable people.

desecrate (v.) to commit sacrilege upon, treat irreverently; to contaminate, pollute SYN: profane, defile, violate ANT: revere, honor, venerate, consecrate Vandals desecrated tombstones that were over 100 years old.

disconcert (v.) to confuse; to disturb the composure of SYN: upset, rattle, ruffle, faze, perturb ANT: relax, calm, put at ease Political guests often find Bill O’Reilly’s questions disconcerting.

grandiose Many country western singers have grandiose dreams of making it big in Nashville. (adj.)grand in an impressive or stately way; marked by pompous affection or grandeur, absurdly exaggerated SYN: majestic, bombastic, highfalutin ANT: simple, modest, unaffected, humble

inconsequential (adj.) trifling, unimportant SYN: trivial, negligible, petty, paltry ANT: important, essential, crucial, vital Many of the details you included in the report were inconsequential and unimportant.

infraction (n.) a breaking of a law or obligation SYN: violation, transgression, breach, offense It is rare that the referees will catch every infraction on the court.

mitigate (v.) to make milder or softer, to moderate in force or intensity SYN: lessen, relieve, alleviate, diminish ANT: aggravate, intensify, irritate, exacerbate The judge decided to mitigate her sentence because she had shown good behavior.

pillage (v.) to rob of goods by open force (as in war), plunder; (n.) the act of looting; booty SYN: (v.) ravage, sack, loot; (n.) booty After the riots, looters began to pillage the town.

prate (v.) to talk a great deal in a foolish or aimless fashion SYN: chatter, prattle, blab, blabber, palaver ANT: come to the point, not waste words After she got home from school, she did nothing but prate on the phone for hours.

punctilious (adj.) very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety SYN: precise, scrupulous, exacting, fussy, finicky ANT: careless, negligent, lax, perfunctory The soldier’s job required exact attention to detail.

redoubtable The people felt as if it was time for their redoubtable leader to step down. (adj.) inspiring fear or awe; illustrious, eminent SYN: formidable, fearsome, awesome, august ANT: laughable, risible, contemptible

reprove (v.) to find fault with, scold, rebuke SYN: chide, chastise, upbraid, reproach ANT: praise, commend, laud, pat on the back The teacher reproved her students for misbehaving.

restitution (n.) the act of restoring someone or something to the rightful owner or to a former state or position; making good on a loss or damage SYN: compensation, reimbursement, redress, restoration The teen was ordered by the judge to provide restitution for the property that he destroyed.

stalwart (adj.) strong and sturdy; brave; resolute; (n.) a brave, strong person; a strong supporter; one who takes an uncompromising position SYN: (adj.) sturdy, stout, intrepid, valiant; (n.) mainstay ANT: (adj.) weak, infirm, irresolute, vacillating She will be a stalwart addition to our committee based on her past voting record.

vulnerable (adj.) open to attack; capable of being wounded or damaged; unprotected SYN: defenseless, exposed, unguarded ANT: invincible, protected, safe, secure With so many homes built close to the water, the town was vulnerable to hurricanes.