Unit 5 vocabulary

Question 1

acuity

Answer 1

(n.) sharpness (particularly of the mind or senses)

SYNONYM: acuteness
ANTONYMS: dullness, obtuseness

Question 2

delineate

Answer 2

(v.) to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially

SYNONYMS: picture, render

Question 3

depraved

Answer 3

(adj.) marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principles

SYNONYMS: perverted, degenerate, vicious, corrupt
ANTONYMS: moral, virtuous, upright, uncorrupted

Question 4

enervate

Answer 4

(v.) to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring

SYNONYMS: impair, cripple, paralyze
ANTONYMS: invigorate, strengthen, buttress

Question 5

esoteric

Answer 5

(adj.) intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret

SYNONYMS: cryptic, arcane, recondite
ANTONYMS: accessible, comprehensible, intelligible

Question 6

fecund

Answer 6

(adj.) fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive

SYNONYMS: fertile, teeming, prolific
ANTONYMS: infertile, barren, unproductive

Question 7

fiat

Answer 7

(n.) an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of will or consciousness

SYNONYMS: dictum, ukase

Question 8

figment

Answer 8

(n.) a fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion

SYNONYMS: invention, fancy

Question 9

garner

Answer 9

(v.) to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use

SYNONYMS: collect, accumulate, accrue
ANTONYMS: scatter, squander, waste, dissipate

Question 10

hallow

Answer 10

(v.) to set apart as holy or sacred, sanctify, consecrate; to honor greatly, revere

SYNONYMS: venerate, bless
ANTONYMS: defile, profane

Question 11

idiosyncrasy

Answer 11

(n.) a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify

SYNONYMS: quirk, mannerism

Question 12

ignominy

Answer 12

(n.) shame and disgrace

SYNONYMS: humiliation, disrepute, odium
ANTONYMS: honor, acclaim

Question 13

mundane

Answer 13

(adj.) earthly, wordly, relating to practical and material affairs; concerned with what is ordinary

SYNONYMS: prosaic, humdrum, routine, sublunary
ANTONYMS: heavenly, spiritual, transcendental

Question 14

nuance

Answer 14

(n.) a subtle or slight variation (as in color, meaning, quality), delicate gradation or shade of difference

SYNONYMS: shade, nicety, refinement

Question 15

overweening

Answer 15

(adj.) conceited, presumptuous; excessive, immoderate

SYNONYMS: arrogant, unbridled, inflated
ANTONYMS: restrained, understated, meek

Question 16

penchant

Answer 16

(n.) a strong attraction or inclination

SYNONYMS: proclivity, predilection
ANTONYMS: disinclination, aversion

Question 17

reputed

Answer 17

(adj.) according to reputation or general belief; having widespread acceptance and good reputation; (part.) alleged

SYNONYMS: putative, reputable
ANTONYMS: proven, corroborated, authenticated

Question 18

sophistry

Answer 18

(n.) reasoning that seems plausible but is actually unsound; a fallacy

SYNONYM: specious reasoning

Question 19

sumptuous

Answer 19

(adj.) costly, rich, magnificent

SYNONYMS: lavish, munificent, opulent, splendid
ANTONYMS: skimpy, stingy, niggardly, spartan

Question 20

ubiquitous

Answer 20

(adj.) present or existing everywhere

SYNONYMS: pervasive, universal
ANTONYMS: restricted, limited, rare, scarce