Enhance Your Vocabulary: Anomalous, Aspersion, and More - 11th Grade Level F

1. Vocabulary Unit 6 11th Grade Level F

2. anomalous • (adj.) abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual • Syn. – exceptional, atypical, unusual • Ant. – normal, regular, customary • Example below – anomalous chicken eggs

3. aspersion • (n.) a damaging or derogatory statement; the act of slandering or defaming • Syn. – innuendo, claumny, denigration • Ant. – endorsement, testimonial, praise

4. bizarre • (adj.) extremely strange, unusual, atypical • Syn. – grotesque, fantastic, outlandish • Ant. – normal, typical, ordinary

5. brusque • (adj.) abrupt, blunt, with no formalities • Syn. – curt, tactless, ungracious, gruff • Ant. – gracious, tactful, courteous

6. cajole • (v.) to coax, persuade through flattery or artifice; to deceive with false promises • Syn. – wheedle, inveigle, soft-soap • Ant. – coerce, force, strong-arm

7. castigate • (v.) to punish severely; to criticize severely • Syn. – chastise, rebuke, censure, upbraid • Ant. – reward, honor, praise, laud

8. contrive • (v.) to plan with ingenuity, invent; to bring about as the result of a scheme or plan • Syn. – think up, devise, concoct, fabricate • Pinocchio contrived some elaborate stories, but his nose gave him away.

9. demagogue • (n.) a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promised in order to gain power • Syn. – rabble-rouser, firebrand • Hitler was a demagogue.

10. disabuse • (v.) to free from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking • Syn. – undeceive, enlighten, set straight • Ant. – deceive, delude, pull wool over one’s eyes • “He thinks that all women adore him, but my little sister will probably disabuse him of that idea.

11. ennui • (n.) weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest, boredom • Syn. – languor, world-weariness, listlessness • Ant. – enthusiasm, liveliness, excitement

12. fetter • (n.) a chain or shackle placed on the feet; anything that confines or restrains (v.) to chain or shackle, to render helpless • Syn. – (n.) bond (v.) bind, hamper • Ant. – (v.) free, liberate, emancipate

13. heinous • (adj.) very wicked, offensive, hateful • Syn. – evil, odious, abominable, outrageous • Ant. – excellent, wonderful, splendid • Ex: a heinous crime would be particularly horrible

14. immutable • (adj.) not subject to change, constant • Syn. – unchangeable, unalterable, fixed • Ant. – changeable, inconstant, variable

15. insurgent • (n.) one who rebels or rises against authority (adj.) rising in revolt • Syn. – (adj.) revolutionary, rebellious • Ant. – loyalist, loyal, faithful

16. megalomania • (n.) a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, or talent • Syn. – delusions of grandeur • Ant. – humility, modesty, self- abasement

17. sinecure • (n.) a position requiring little or no work; an easy job • Syn. – “no-show” job, cushy job, “plum”

18. surreptitious • (adj.) stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation • Syn. – furtive, covert, clandestine, concealed • Ant. – open, frank, aboveboard, overt

19. transgress • (v.) to go beyond a limit or boundary; to sin, violate a law • Syn. – overstep, exceed, trespass, err • Ant. – obey, toe the line • Ex: Jail is the place for citizens who transgress the laws of the our justice system.

20. transmute • (v.) to change from one nature, substance, or form to another • Syn. – transform, convert, translate • Ant. – maintain unchanged, preserve

21. vicarious • (adj.) performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another • Syn. – surrogate, substitute, imagined, secondhand • Ant. – real, actual, firsthand • Ex: “In search of vicarious excitement, • we watched action and adventure • movies in her basement.