Vocabulary Unit 6

Level D9th Grade Vocabulary Workshop

atone

• (v.) to make up for• Syn. – expiate, make amends for

bondage

• (n.) slavery; any state of being bound or held down

• Syn. – servitude, captivity, subjection• Ant. – freedom, liberty, independence

credible

• (adj.) believable• Syn. – plausible, acceptable, likely• Ant. – unbelievable, implausible

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defray

• (v.) to pay for• Syn. – settle, bear the cost, foot the bill

diligent

• (adj.) hardworking, industrious, not lazy• Syn. – assiduous, sedulous• Ant. – lazy, indolent, cursory

doleful

• (adj.) sad; dreary• Syn. – sorrowful, mournful, melancholy• Ant. – cheerful, blithe, jaunty

ghastly

• (adj.) frightful, horrible; deathly pale• Syn. – dreadful, appalling, gruesome, grisly• Ant. – pleasant, agreeable, attractive

hamper

• (v.) to hold back• Syn. – hinder, obstruct, impede, inhibit• Ant. – facilitate, ease, smooth the way

hew

• (v.) to shape or cut down with an ax; to hold to• Syn. – chop, hack, fell, adhere, conform

impoverished

• (adj.) poor, in a state of poverty; depleted• Syn. – poverty-stricken, destitute, indigent• Ant. – rich, wealthy, affluent, prosperous

incessant

• (adj.) never stopping, going on all the time• Syn. – ceaseless, constant, uninterrupted• Ant. – occasional, sporadic, intermittent

intricate

• (adj.) complicated; difficult to understand• Syn. – complex, convoluted• Ant. – simple, uninvolved, uncomplicated

lucid

• (adj.) easy to understand, clear; rational, sane• Syn. – limpid, intelligible• Ant. – murky, muddy, obscure, unintelligible

posthumous

• (adj.) occurring or published after death• Syn. – postmortem• Ant. – prenatal

• A posthumous award

prim

• (adj.) overly neat, precise, proper, or formal; prudish

• Syn. – fussy, fastidious, squeamish• Ant. – dowdy, frumpy, sloppy, untidy

sardonic

• (adj.) grimly or scornfully mocking, bitterly sarcastic

• Syn. – caustic, mordant, acerbic, wry• Ant. – bland, mild, saccharine, good-natured

superfluous

• (adj.) exceeding what is sufficient or required, excess

• Syn. – surplus, supererogatory• Ant. – necessary, essential, vital, indispensable

• Eliminate Superfluous clutter

supplant

• (v.) to take the place of, supersede• Syn. – replace, displace, oust

• Computers have supplanted typewriters at school and work

taunt

• (v.) to jeer at, mock (n.) an insulting or mocking remark

• Syn. – ridicule, deride• Ant. – cheer, applaud, acclaim

tenacious

• (adj.) holding fast; holding together firmly; persistent

• Syn. – obstinate, stubborn, dogged• Ant. – yielding, weak, gentle, lax, slack