Sadlier- Oxford Vocabulary Workshop Level F Unit 1

approbation Noun Definition: the expression of approval or favorable opinion; praise Synonym: sanction Antonyms: disapproval, condemnation, censure Sentence: My broad hint that I had paid for the lessons myself brought smiles of approbation from all the judges at the piano recital: their approval meant a great deal to me.

assuage Verb Definition: to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm, to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench Synonyms: mitigate, slake, allay Antonyms: intensify, aggravate, exacerbate Sentence: Her eyes told me that more than a few well-chosen words would be needed to assuage her hurt feelings; I would have to work hard to appease her.

coalition Noun Definition: a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose. Synonyms: alliance, league, federation, combine Antonym: splinter group Sentence: The various community organizations formed a coalition to lobby against parking laws; this alliance helped to keep the new laws from passing.

decadence Noun Definition: decline, decay or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self- indulgence Synonyms: degeneration, corruption Antonyms: rise, growth, maturation Sentence: Some viewed her love of chocolate as decadence because she ate two candy bars a day; however, this self-indulgence never caused her to gain weight.

Elicit Verb Definition: to draw forth, bring out from some source Synonyms: evoke, extract, educe Antonyms: repress, quash, squelch, stifle My attempt to elicit information over the phone was met with a barrage of irrelevant recordings; I had to wait for ten minutes to extract the information from a real person.

expostulate Verb Definition: to attempt to dissuade someone from some course or decision by earnest reasoning Synonyms: protest, remonstrate, complain Elizabeth found it useless to expostulate with her brother for siding with her boss; all of her protesting just seemed to alienate him.

hackneyed Adjective Definition: used so often as to lack freshness or originality Synonyms: banal, trite, commonplace, corny Antonyms: new, fresh, novel, original The jokes about dumb blondes are hackneyed and offensive, so please quit telling those trite and unpleasant anecdotes.

hiatus Noun Definition: a gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing) Synonyms: pause, lacuna Antonyms: continuity, continuation She will be on hiatus until October 13th; this vacation was unscheduled, but she does deserve it.

innuendo Noun Definition: a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense) Synonyms: insinuation, intimation Antonyms: direct statement She was carefully spreading innuendos about her opponent’s lack of education: she hoped these hints would help her win the election.

intercede Verb Definition: to plead on behalf of someone else; to save as a third party or go-between in a disagreement Synonyms: intervene, mediate The referee had to intercede in the dispute between the two players, and soon the game was proceeding again as if he had not acted as a go-between.

jaded Adjective Definition: wearied, worn-out, dulled (in the sense of being satiated by excessive indulgence) Synonyms: sated, surfeited, cloyed Antonyms: unspoiled, uncloyed She became jaded to the luxuries in life after so many years of living with money; she was wearied by the years of indulgence she had lived.

lurid Adjective Definition: causing shock, horror, or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow in color; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restraint Synonyms: gruesome, gory, grisly, baleful, ghastly Antonyms: pleasant, attractive, appealing, wholesome The details of the accident were detailed and lurid; in fact, they were so gruesome that they would shock anyone who read the paper.

meritorious Adjective Definition: worthy, deserving recognition and praise Synonyms: praiseworthy, laudable, commendable Antonyms: blameworthy, reprehensible She was repeatedly honored for her meritorious work with the victims of the disaster, but she never thought of the work as praiseworthy but simply as her duty as a member of society.

petulant Adjective Definition: peevish, annoyed by trifles; easily irritated and upset Synonyms: irritable, testy, waspish Antonyms: amiable, placid An overworked parent may be unlikely to indulge the complaints of a petulant child; the irritable child is likely to simply stress the parent more.

prerogative Noun Definition: a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence Synonyms: perquisite, perk He seemed to feel that a snooze at his desk was not an annoying habit but the prerogative of a veteran employee; but this imagined privilege was only in his mind.

provincial Adjective Definition: pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or outlook, countrified; backward; of a simple plain design that originated in the countryside Noun A person with a narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area; a soldier from a province or colony Synonyms: (adj) narrow-minded, parochial, insular, naïve Antonyms: (adj) cosmopolitan, broad-minded The banjo, once thought to be a provincial product of the Southern hills, actually came here from Africa; it is a misconception that it is thought of as countrified.

simulate Verb Definition: to make a pretense of, imitate; to show the outer signs of Synonyms: pretend, affect Military training exercises are used to simulate actual warfare; these imitations are for the purpose of readying the unseasoned soldiers for warfare.

Transcend Verb Definition: to rise above or beyond; exceed Synonyms: surpass, outstrip A great work of art may be said to transcend time, and it is remembered beyond the life of the artist and for decades or even centuries. Van Gogh

umbrage Noun Definition: shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion Synonyms: irritation, pique Antonyms: pleasure, delight, satisfaction Taking umbrage at the joke, Elizabeth stormed out of the room, but we didn’t think her offense was justified.

unctuous Adjective Definition: excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable Synonyms: mealy-mouthed, fawning, greasy Antonyms: gruff, blunt The unctuous salesman tried too hard, pushing us away from his sale; his fawning behavior just repulsed us.