Vocabulary Workshop

1. Vocabulary Workshop Unit 5 Level D

2. Accomplice • n. a person who takes part in a crime • Synonym: partner in crime, confederate In the movie, Despicable Me, the minions become accomplices for the girls and their partners in crime.

3. Annihilate • v. to destroy completely • Synonym: obliterate, decimate, demolish • Antonym: foster, promote, encourage, nurture • With a few easy blows, the crane annihilated the building destroying it completely.

4. Arbitrary • adj. unreasonable; based on one's wishes or whims without regard for reason or fairness • Synonyms: capricious, high-handed, autocratic.Antonyms: reasoned, rational, objective, equitable. • People who are arbitrary in their attitudes are often unreasonable and difficult to deal with.

5. Brazen • (adj.) shameless, impudent; made of brassSynonyms: saucy, bold.Antonyms: deferential, respectful, self-effacing. • Some critics argue that Miley Cyrus’s behavior is brazen at times, shameless and offensive in many people’s opinion.

6. Catalyst • n. a substance that causes or hastens a chemical reaction • Synonyms: stimulus, spur, instigator • When baking soda and vinegar aremixed together the chemical reactions creates a catalyst producing a mass of foam.

7. Exodus • n. a large-scale departure or flight • Synonyms: emigration, escape • Antonyms: immigration, influx, arrival, entrance • Vacation season can create a mass exodus of workers to holiday location as masses depart cities.

8. Facilitate • v. to make easier; to assist • Synonyms: ease, smooth the way, simplify • Antonyms: hamper, hinder, obstruct, impede • The service dog helped to facilitate the athletes participation in the race assisting her since she was blind an unable to run it alone.

9. Incorrigible • (adj.) not able to be corrected; beyond control.Synonyms: unruly, intractable, incurable, inveterate.Antonyms: tractable, docile, curable, reparable. • The teacher found it difficult to control the children’s incorrigible behavior once the food fight began in the cafeteria.

10. Latent • (adj.) hidden, present but not realized.Synonyms: dormant, inactive, undeveloped.Antonyms: exposed, manifest, evident. • Using a fingerprint kit, investigators can reveal latent prints hidden from view.

11. Militant • (adj.) given to fighting; active and aggressive in support of a cause;(n.) an activist. Synonym: truculent.Antonyms: unassertive, peaceable, passive. On the television show “Whale Wars,” militantactivistsaggressively support the cause to ban whale hunting.

12. Morose • (adj.) having a gloomy or sullen manner; not friendly or sociable.Synonyms: morbid, doleful.Antonyms: cheerful, blithe, jaunty, buoyant. • The morose look on the cat’s face revealed its gloomy and sullen feelings.

13. Opaque • Adj. not letting light through; not clear or lucid; dense, stupid • Synonyms: hazy, cloudy, foggy, murky, dull, obtuse • Antonyms: transparent, clear, bright, perceptive • Using an opaque cup can protect liquid affected by light as an opaque cup will not let light through. opaque translucent transparent

14. Paramount • adj. chief in importance, above all others • Synonyms: supreme, foremost, primary, dominant • Antonyms: secondary, subordinate, ancillary • It is paramount that one pay attention to important messages when there is a special news bulletin or a weather alert.

15. Prattle • (v.) to talk in an aimless, foolish, or simple way; to babble; (n.) baby talk, babble. Synonyms: (v.) chatter. The speaker lost focus and prattled on talking aimlessly for far too long, audience members became easily bored and a few were even heard snoring.

16. Rebut • v. to offer arguments or evidence that contradicts an assertion; to refute • Synonyms: disprove, shoot holes in • Antonyms: confirm, substantiate, corroborate • The player disputed the umpires call of a strike and presented evidence showing the replay video he offered rebutting the original call the player was vindicated.

17. Reprimand • v. to scold; find fault with; a rebuke • Synonyms: reproach, admonish • Antonyms praise, pat on the back • Professor Snape often enjoys reprimanding Ron Weasley and Harry Potter, finding fault with them and scolding them.

18. Servitude • (n.) slavery, forced labor.Synonyms: captivity, bondage, thralldom.Antonyms: freedom, liberty. • The servitude of many Africans into slavery and forced labor is a very dark period in the history of the world.

19. Slapdash • (adj.) careless and hasty. Synonyms: cursory, perfunctory, sloppy, slipshod.Antonyms: painstaking, meticulous, thorough, in-depth. • In the morning some people are careless and hasty, this slapdash behavior can spell disaster for morning coffee when in a hurry one falls spilling everything.

20. Stagnant • adj. not running or flowing; foul from standing still; inactive, sluggish, dull • Synonyms: still, motionless, inert, inanimate • Antonyms: flowing, running, fresh, lively • Stagnant water is often foulfrom inactivity since the lack of water flowing into it makes it impossible to remain clean and clear.

21. Succumb • (v.) to give way to superior force, yield. Synonyms: submit, die, expire.Antonyms: overcome, master, conquer. • When dieting it is difficult to not to succumb to temptation when weighing a decision whether on not to eat a donut or an apple.