Saturday, May 12, 2012

vocabulary 14




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                                                 _____________________________


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