Vocabulary List #6
1. abject
(adj.) degraded; base, contemptible; cringing, servile; complete and unrelieved.
SYNONYMS: wretched, miserable, utter
ANTONYMS: lofty, noble, exalted
 In the American dream, those who work hard can escape lives of ____________ poverty.
2. agnostic
(n.) one who believes that nothing can be known about God; a skeptic; (adj.) without faith, skeptical
SYNONYM: (n.) doubter
ANTONYM: (n.) believer
 Although he was a confirmed ____________, he supported the rights of others to practice their religion.
Her __________ tendencies made it difficult for her to subscribe to any set of religious beliefs.
3. complicity
(n.) involvement in wrongdoing; the state of being an accomplice
SYNONYMS: connivance, collusion
ANTONYMS: noninvolvement, innocence
 If you know a crime is going to be committed but do nothing to prevent it, you may accused of
___________.
4. derelict
(n.) someone or something that is abandoned or neglected; (adj.) left abandoned; neglectful of duty
SYNONYMS: (n.) vagrant; (adj.) remiss, delinquent
ANTONYMS: (adj.) conscientious, scrupulous
The family complained about the unsightly collection of ______________ cars in their neighbor’s driveway.
5. diatribe
(n.) a bitter and prolonged verbal attack
SYNONYMS: harangue, tirade
ANTONYMS: panegyric, encomium, eulogy
 The senator’s speech was more of a _____________ than a reasoned address.
6. effigy
(n.) a crude image of a despised person
SYNONYMS: figure, figurine, likeness
The night before the battle, the troops burned the despised enemy leader in ___________.
7. equity
(n.) the state or quality of being just, fair, or impartial; fair and equal treatments; something that is fair; the money
value of a property above and beyond any mortgage other claim
SYNONYMS: justice, fairness, impartially
ANTONYMS: injustice, unfairness, bias, prejudice
 Prompted by considerations of _____________, the father decided to divide his estate equally
among his children.
8. inane
(adj.) silly, empty of meaning or value
SYNONYMS: idiotic, moronic, fatuous
ANTONYMS: sensible, meaningful, profound
 politician made an ____________ reply to the interviewer’s probing question.
9. indictment
(n.) the act of accusing; a formal accusation
SYNONYMS: charge, accusation
 Grand Jury delivered the _________ for murder after deliberating in secret for two weeks.
10. indubitable
(adj.) certain, not to be doubted or denied
SYNONYMS: unquestionable, indisputable
ANTONYMS: questionable, debatable, dubious
 You cannot argue with ___________ truths.
11. intermittent
(adj.) stopping and beginning again, sporadic
SYNONYMS: fitful, spasmodic, random
ANTONYMS: continuous, uninterrupted
The pulled muscle in her back gave her _________ pains for about a week.
12. moot
(adj.) open to discussion and debate, unresolved; (v.) to bring
up for discussion; (n.) a hypothetical law case argued by students
SYNONYMS: (adj.) debatable, questionable; (v.) broach
ANTONYMS: (adj.) undebatable, indisputable, self-evident
 The class agreed that the question of whether Jefferson should have retaliated sooner against the
Barbary Pirates was a __________ point.
The committee members decided to ________ the issue to the full Congress at the earliest
opportunity.
The law student prepared for the _________ court.
13. motif
(n.) a principal idea, feature, theme, or element; a repeated or dominant figure in a design
The collector admired the unusual Asian __________ that was woven into the fabric of the tapestry.
14. neophyte
(n.) a new convert, beginner, novice
SYNONYMS: tenderfoot, rookie
ANTONYMS: veteran, expert, pro
 In comparison to an experienced wilderness hiker, he is a mere __________ in the woods.
15. perspicacity
(n.) keenness in observing and understanding
SYNONYMS: acuity, acumen, discernment
ANTONYMS: dullness, obtuseness
The birdwatcher scans the surrounding trees and fields with the same _________ as a hawk looking for prey.
16. plenary
(adj.) complete in all aspects or essentials; absolute; attended by all
qualified members.
SYNONYMS: unlimited, unrestricted
ANTONYMS: limited, restricted, incomplete
Because of its importance, the case was presented at a ___________ session of the Superior Court.
17. surveillance
(n.) a watch kept over a person careful, close, and disciplined observation
SYNONYMS: observation, scrutiny, monitoring
 The police kept the suspect under strict _________ after she was released due to lack of evidence.
18. sylvan
(adj.) pertaining to or characteristics of forests; living or located in a ]
forest; wooded, woody
SYNONYMS: forested
Once upon a time, Hansel and Gretel walked down a ____________ path, leaving only breadcrumbs in their
wake.
19. testy
(adj.) easily irritated; characterized by impatience and exasperation
The lawyer’s __________ remarks during cross-examination probably affected her credibility with the jury.
20. travesty
(n.) any grotesque or debased likeness or imitation
SYNONYMS: (n.) burlesque, parody, caricature, farce
 Instead of modernizing Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” they made a _________ of it.
The restoration dramatists __________ the snobbery of the upper classes in their satirical comedies.