1. Vocabulary Level F Unit 8

2. acrimonious (adjective) stinging, bitter in temper or tone SYN: biting, caustic; rancorous, hostile, peevish ANT: gentle, warm, mild, friendly, cordial The two neighbors had an acrimonious exchange over the property line between their houses.

3. bovine (adjective) resembling a cow or ox; sluggish, unresponsive SYN: stolid, dull, slow, stupid ANT: alert, sharp, bright, keen, quick

4. consternation (noun) dismay, confusion SYN: shock, amazement, bewilderment; dismay ANT: calm, composure, aplomb Imagine our consternation when the game-winning field goal was blocked!

5. corpulent (adjective) fat; having a large, bulky body SYN: overweight, heavy, obese, stout, portly ANT: slender, lean, spare, gaunt, emaciated Too many treats make for a corpulent pet.

6. disavow (verb) to deny responsibility for or connection with SYN: disown, disclaim, retract, abjure ANT: acknowledge, admit, grant, certify The suspect disavowed any connection with the robbery.

7. dispassionate (adjective) impartial; calm, free from emotion SYN: unbiased, disinterested, cool, detached ANT: committed, engaged, partial, biased

8. dissension (noun) disagreement, sharp difference of opinion SYN: strife, discord, contention ANT: agreement, accord, harmony Dissension often seems to prevent Congress from doing its job.

9. dissipate (verb) to cause to disappear; to scatter, dispel; to spend foolishly, squander; to be extravagant in pursuit of pleasure SYN: disperse, strew, diffuse, waste ANT: gather, collect, conserve, husband Many lottery winners tend to dissipate their money in a relatively short amount of time.

10. expurgate (verb) to remove objectionable passages or words from a written text; to cleanse, purify SYN: purge, censor, bowdlerize

11. gauntlet (noun) an armored or protective glove; a challenge; two lines of men armed with weapons with which to beat a person forced to run between them; an ordeal SYN: dare, provocation, trial, punishment

12. hypothetical (adjective) based on an assumption or guess; used as a provisional or tentative idea to guide or direct investigation SYN: assumed, supposed, conjectural, conditional ANT: actual, real, tested, substantiated

13. ignoble (adjective) mean, low, base SYN: inferior, unworthy, dishonorable, sordid ANT: admirable, praiseworthy, lofty, noble

14. impugn (verb) to call into question; to attack as false SYN: challenge, deny, dispute, query, question ANT: confirm, prove, verify, validate

15. intemperate (adjective) immoderate, lacking in self-control; inclement SYN: excessive, extreme, unrestrained, inordinate ANT: moderate, restrained, cool and collected

16. odium (noun) hatred, contempt; disgrace or infamy resulting from hateful conduct SYN: abhorrence, opprobrium, shame, ignominy ANT: esteem, admiration, approbation Many in Libya feel nothing but odium toward their former grandiose leader Moammar Gadhafi.

17. perfidy (noun) faithlessness, treachery SYN: betrayal, disloyalty, treason, duplicity ANT: faithfulness, loyalty, steadfastness Julius Caesar could never have predicted the perfidy that he would experience from his closest friends.

18. relegate (verb) to place in a lower position; to assign, refer, turn over; to banish SYN: transfer, consign, demote, exile ANT: promote, elevate, advance, recall His lack of effort soon found him relegated from starter to bench warmer.

19. squeamish (adjective) inclined to nausea; easily shocked or upset; excessively fastidious or refined SYN: nauseated; queasy, delicate, oversensitive, priggish

20. subservient (adjective) subordinate in capacity or role; submissively obedient; serving to promote some end SYN: secondary, servile, obsequious, useful ANT: primary, principal, bossy, domineering Women are no longer willing to accept subservient roles in the work place.

21. susceptible (adjective) open to; easily influenced; lacking in resistance SYN: vulnerable, receptive, impressionable ANT: resistant, immune