Level D Unit 13 Vocabulary
Ad infinitum - adverb
• Endlessly
• Synonyms: forever, unceasingly, incessantly,
ceaselessly
• Antonyms: succinctly, concisely, tersely, briefly
• Sarah can talk about her love of The Hunger
Games ad infinitum.
Apportion - verb
• To divide and give out in shares
• Synonyms: distribute, allot, parcel out, allocate
• The wealthy man apportioned his money to
different charities he supported.
Bona fide - adj
• Genuine, sincere
• Synonyms: authentic, indisputable, legitimate,
certified
• Antonyms: false, fake, bogus, spurious,
counterfeit
• When Mrs. Quihuis saw the bona fide autograph
of Leonardo DiCaprio a student had brought her
from a movie premiere she was awestruck.
Buoyant - adj
• Able to float easily; able to hold things up;
cheerful, hopeful
• Synonyms: blithe, jaunty, lighthearted, animated
• Antonyms: downcast, depressed, gloomy,
morose
• Amanda’s spirits remained buoyant because she
knew that the day was almost over.
Clique - noun
• A small, exclusive group of people
• Synonyms: inner circle, coterie
• In high school many students form cliques to
exclude others.
Concede – verb
• To admit as true; to yield, submit
• Synonyms: acknowledge, grant, allow, assent
• Antonyms: contest, dispute, gainsay, challenge
• I will concede that I am wrong every once in
awhile.
Congenial - adj
• Getting on well with others; agreeable, pleasant
• Synonyms: friendly, sociable, amiable,
compatible
• Antonyms: disagreeable, surly, cold, standoffish
• Because of Sam’s congenial manner, he had
many friends.
Lofty - adj
• Very high; noble
• Synonyms: elevated, towering, exalted, grand
• Antonyms: base, petty, low, sordid, despicable
• My parents have lofty expectations and expect
me to graduate with a 4.5 GPA.
Migration -noun
• A movement from one country or region to
another
• Synonyms: population shift, mass movement
• The Great Migration refers to African Americans
moving from the southern states to the northern
states during the 1920’s.
Perceive - verb
• To be aware of through the senses, observe; to
grasp mentally
• Synonyms: notice, discern, understand
• Antonyms: miss, overlook, be blind to
• From the tears in her eyes, I was able to perceive
that she was upset about something.
Perverse - adj
• Inclined to go against what is expected;
stubborn; turned away from what is good and
proper
• Synonyms: obstinate, contrary, mulish, wayward
• Antonyms: Tractable, docile, amenable, yielding
• Lord Capulet might describe Juliet as perverse
before she changes her mind and decides to obey
him and marry Paris.
Prelude - noun
• An introduction; that which comes before or
leads off
• Synonyms: preface, overture, prologue, “curtain
– raiser”
• Antonyms: epilogue, postlude, aftermath
• The prelude to the actual movies is all the
previews of new movies.
Rancid - adj
• Stale, spoiled
• Synonyms: foul, rank, fetid, sour, rotten, putrid
• Antonyms: wholesome, fresh
• The smell of the rancid chicken made me sick to
my stomach.
Rustic – adj/noun
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Adj – country-like; simple, plain; awkward
Noun – one who lives in the country
Synonyms: rough, unsophisticated, countrified
Antonyms: citified, urban, sophisticated, suave
• The rustic feel of the restaurant made me think
of the Old West and cowboys.
Sever - verb
• To separate, divide into parts
• Synonyms: cut off, amputate, break off, dissolve
• Antonyms: join, unite, weld together
• After their big fight Joanna and Christina
decided to sever their friendship forever.
Sordid - adj
• Wretchedly poor; run-down; mean or selfish
• Synonyms: filthy, squalid, base, vile, seedy,
sleazy
• Antonyms: pure, noble, opulent, lavish
• The sordid look of the house made me not want
to go inside.
Untenable - adj
• Not capable of being held or defended;
impossible to maintain
• Synonyms: indefensible, insupportable,
groundless
• Antonyms: irrefutable, impregnable,
incontestable
• If you said that Oedipus was responsible for the
deaths of Romeo and Juliet that would be an
untenable thesis statement.
Versatile - adj
• Able to do many things well;’ capable of many
uses
• Synonyms: adaptable, handy, all-around, manysided
• Antonyms: limited, specialized, restricted
• We all know duct tape is a versatile product –
there are so many uses for it!
Vindicate - verb
• To clear from hint or charge of wrongdoing; to
defend successfully against opposition; to justify
• Synonyms: acquit, absolve, exonerate, advocate
• Antonyms: implicate, incriminate, condemn,
convict
• In order to vindicate himself from blame Friar
Lawrence had to explain why Juliet and Romeo
were found dead.
Wane - verb
• To lose size, strength, or power
• Synonyms: diminish, decline, subside, dwindle
• Antonyms: grow, wax, amplify, balloon, increase
• As the school day goes by, students’ attention
spans start to wane.