VOCABULARY UNIT 10

Adept

• (adj) thoroughly skilled; (n) an expert
• Syn: (adj) masterful, proficient
• Ant: (adj) clumsy, unskilled, maladroit; (n) novice
• The painter was adept and produced many great pieces.

Aspire

• (v) to have ambitious hopes or plans, strive toward a higher goal, desire earnestly; to ascend
• Syn: yearn, aim for, soar
• My parents always told me to aspire an become the best I can be.

Bleak

• (adj) bare, dreary, dismal
• Syn: grim, cheerless, gloomy, desolate, barren
• Ant: rosy, cheerful, sunny, promising, encouraging
• The black and white photo was bleak and had nothing on it.

Chide

• (v) to blame; scold
• Syn: upbraid, reprimand, rebuke, chastice
• Ant: approve, praise, compliment, pat on the back
• The boy broke the window, so his mom chided him and told him to be careful.

Despicable

• (adj) worthy of scorn, contemptible
• Syn: low, cheap, sordid, detestable
• Ant: praiseworthy, commendable, meritorious
• The shoes were despicable and costed me nothing.

Dimunitive

• (adj) small, smaller than most others of the same type
• Syn: undersized, miniature, tiny, compact
• Ant: oversized, gigantic, huge, enormous
• The dog was diminutive and could fit inside a tea cup.

Emancipate

• (v) to free from slavery; too release or liberate
• Syn: set loose, unchain, unfetter
• Ant: enslave, snare, chain, shackle
• Abraham Lincoln emancipated all of the slaves.

Erroneous

• (adj) incorrect, containing mistakes
• Syn: mistaken, fallacious, all wrong
• Ant: accurate, correct, exact, unerring
• The teacher marked the student's test as erroneous and he got failed.

Exploit

• (v) to make use of, develop; to make improper use of for personal profit; (n) a feat, deed
• Syn: (v) turn to advantage, misuse
• The business man was arrested for exploiting the use of the taxes.

Extemperaneous

• (adj) made or delivered on the spur of the moment
• Syn: spontaneous, off-the-cuff
• Ant: planned, prepared, practiced
• The girl forgot to write her speech and had to make one up extemporaneously.

Impair

• (v) to make imperfect, damage, unbeatable
• Syn: injure, disable, cripple, enervate
• Ant: improve, strengthen, promote, advance
• The boy's arm was impaired when it was broken.

Invincible

• (adj) not able to be defeated, unbeatable
• Syn: unconquerable, indomitable, insuperable
• Ant: vulnerable, conquerable, surmountable
• Superman is invincible and can never be beaten.

Languid

• (adj) drooping; without energy, sluggish
• Syn: lazy, listless, slack, lethargic
• Ant: lively, energetic, vigorous, enlivening
• In the morning, I am languid and can never get up.

Mire

• (n) mud; wet, swampy ground; a tough situation; (v) to get stuck
• Syn: (n) swamp, bog, sloughh
• The mire contained many snaked and alligators.

Obtrusive

• (adj) forward; undesirably prominent; thrust out
• Syn: brash, conspicuous, protruding,
• Ant: reserved, deferential, recessed
• The boy was obtrusive and stepped in the conversation.

Preamble

• (n) an introduction to a speech or piece of writing
• Syn: opening, prologue, preliminary
• Ant: ending, closing, epilouge
• The preamble stated what was going to be said in the essay.

Render

• (v) to cause to become; to perform; to deliver officially; to process, extract
• Syn: present, furnish, submit, make, effect
• The musician rendered on the stage and sang for hours.

Rugged

• (adj) rough, irregular; severe, stern; strong; stormy
• Syn: rocky, blunt, harsh, hardy, tough
• Ant: smooth, flat, soft, mild, tender, delicate
• The cliffs were rugged and very hard to climb on.

Skeptical

• (adj) inclined to doubt; slow to accept something as true
• Syn: suspicious, incredulous
• Ant: believing, credulous, gullible, ingenuous
• The man looked very skeptical and was announced guilty.

Slipshod

• (adj) untidy indress, personal habits; careless, sloppy
• Syn: messy, untidy, slovenly, slapdash, cursory
• Ant: tidy, neat, orderly, careful, painstaking
• My room is very slipshod and my mom always tells me to clean it.