Vocabulary 14
1.beatific- (adj)- blissful; rendering or making blessed; rapturous,
ecstatic, transcendent
2.behemoth (noun)- a creature of enormous size, power or appearance;
mammoth, whale, elephant,
colossus
3.blandishment-
(noun (often plural)) – anything designed to flatter or coax, sweet talk,
apple-
polishing;
allurement,
enticement, cajolery.
4.cacophonous- (adj)- harsh-sounding, raucous, discordant, dissonant
5.chicanery- (noun)- trickery, deceptive practices or tactics;
double-dealing
6.consign- (verb)- to give over to another’s care, charge or control; to
entrust, deliver; set apart for
special
use; transfer, remit, convey
7.coup- (noun)-
a highly successful stroke, masterstroke, tour de force, plan or stratagem; a
sudden
takeover
of power or
leadership
8.euphemism-(noun)- a mild or inoffensive expression used inplace of a
harsh or unpleasant one; a
substitute
9.febrile- (adj)- feverish; pertaining to or marked by fever, frenetic
10. gainsay – (verb)- to deny, contradict, controvert; to dispute, oppose
11.imminent (adj)- about to happen, threatening; impending, looming
12.innate- (adj)- natural, inborn, inherent; built-in; impending, looming
13.loath- (adj)- unwilling, reluctant, disinclined; averse, indisposed
14. manifest (adj)- clear, evident to the eyes or mind; (verb)- to show
plainly; exhibit, evince; (noun)
a list of
cargo and or passengers
15.minutiae (plural noun)- small or trivial details, trifling matters;
trivia, trifles
16.moratorium (noun) a suspension of activity; an official waiting
period; an authorized period of
delay
17. nostrum (noun) an alleged cure-a;;; a remedy or scheme of
questionable effectiveness; panacea,
elixir
18. pariah (noun) one who is rejected by a social group or organization;
outcast
19. visionary (adj)- not practical, lacking in realism; having the nature
of a fantasy or dream; (noun)
one given to far-fetched ideas; a dreamer or seer
characterized by vision or foresight.
20.wizened (adj)- dry, shrunken and wrinkled (often as the result of
aging); withered, shriveled
Vocabulary 14. Exercise 1 Write
the correct word in the blank space. Be careful with form!
1.
However much I may dispute your views, I will never
________________________ your
right to hold them.
2.
Just when it seemed that defeat was inevitable, she
pulled off a dazzling ________________ that totally discomfited her opponent.
3.
When it became clear just how shamelessly he had
treated his brother, he became a virtual
_________________ in his own family.
4.
In a touching ceremony, the soldiers
_____________________ the body of their fallen
to the grave and his
memory to their hearts.
5.
On the first play, our diminutive quarterback was
“sacked” by a veritable
_____________________ of a linebacker, ominously
nicknamed “Bone Crusher.”
6.
When the swollen river threatened to overflow its
banks, a devastating flood seemed _________________________.
7.
Since I was brought up in a sleepy country town, I
found it very hard to adjust to the
_______________ pace of big-city life.
8.
You may be, as you say, “_________________________ to
leave such a fascinating book,”
but I’m telling you right now to take out the
garbage!
9.
If you spend all your time on _______________________,
you won’t have any left for really
important matters.
10.
The nation’s economic ills call for a variety of
remedies; they cannot be cured by any single, miraculous
____________________________.
11.
Suddenly I was overcome by such a feeling of
________________________ peace that I began to wonder whether I was on earth or
in heaven.
12.
One way to bring relief to small farmers who cannot
meet their mortgage payments is to
declare a temporary _____________________ on
foreclosures.
13.
Before you dismiss him as just another impractical
______________________, think of how
many great inventors were once regarded as
mere “cranks.”
14.
Though the ability to paint is probably a(n) ________________________
gift, it can
certainly be improved by training and practice.
15.
Some Civil War generals weren’t professional soldiers
and got their jobs through wire-
pulling and other forms of political
_________________________ .
16.
Through her body had become bent and
_______________________________ with age, her
mind was as alert and active as
ever.
17.
No matter what _________________________________ you
use to describe his conduct,
you can’t disguise the fact he betrayed his best
friend.
18.
Some people enjoy the type of atonal music written by
such composers as Arnold Schoenberg; others find it
_______________________________.
19.
We were all surprised that someone with the reputation
of a frivolous playboy could ____________________________ such courage and determination.
20.
Only a fool would have succumbed to the cloying
__________________________of that smooth-talking rascal.
Vocabulary
14. Exercise 2 Fill in the blank with
the word that best fits. Use the correct
form.
1.
The passenger _________________________ helps investigators find out who is on board
a
plane.
2.
The ______________________________ old woman walked
with the aid of a cane.
3.
Some wished to _________________________ the
conclusions of the US Supreme Court in
the matter of the 2000 Presidential elections.
4.
During the awards ceremony, the Gold Medal winner had a
positively
____________________ expression on her face.
5.
The accountants used legal
_____________________________ to cover up the company’s
shaky financial position.
6.
The surprise __________________________ by high-ranking
military officers toppled the
weak government in a matter of hours.
7.
Musical excellence often comes from
______________________ ability.
8.
Common ______________________________ for die include the expressions pass away
and go to the other side.
9.
The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was a
________________________ whose dreams
inspired the American civil rights
movement.
10.
My hard-working grandfather was ______________________
to retire.
11.
The scene opened with _____________________________
laughter coming from three
witches gathered around a steaming cauldron.
12.
The king was often influence by subtle
__________________________ of self-seeking
sycophants.
13.
The ship’s captain ________________________ many duties
to her trusted first mate.
14.
In most of the world today, those who are suffering
form the disease of leprosy are no longer
treated as _________________________.
15.
A(n) ____________________________ hurricane forced the
islanders back to the mainland.
16.
The Loch Ness monster is a famous __________________________,
whose giant form is
yet to be
confirmed.
17.
The journalist wrote with ____________________________
intensity to make sure he met
the deadline.
18.
The federal Food and Drug Administration was created in
part to keep unsavory characters
from peddling _________________________ to the public.
19.
Because the researcher was too concerned with
__________________________, she was
unlikely to make an original discovery.
20.
The conference was held to try to negotiate a
_______________________________ on arms
sales to both sides of the conflict.
Vocabulary 14
exercise 3
Synonyms
1. a substitute for the word
fired
______________________________
2. considered an outcast by
her neighbors ______________________________
3. delivered a well-time masterstroke ______________________________
4. fooled by a worthless panacea ______________________________
5. when mammoths roamed the
Earth
______________________________
6. accused of outright double-dealing
_____________________________
7. an intrinsic capacity for
learning
_____________________________
8. dared to controvert the
scientific evidence
_____________________________
9. without the withered look
of advanced age
_____________________________
10. fascinated by the trivia of
celebrity gossip
_____________________________
11. transcendent vision of
another world
_____________________________
12. the raucous roar from the
trading floor
_____________________________
13. transferred to an
underground facility
_____________________________
14. warned of an impeding investigation
_____________________________
15. open to the enticement of
lobbyists
_____________________________
Antonyms
16. a realistic blueprint for
change
_____________________________
17. proceeded at a relaxed pace
_____________________________
18. was willing to make a
compromise _____________________________
19. demanded an immediate acceleration _____________________________
20. the hidden cause of the
problem
_____________________________
