Unit 6 Vocab
Order by
20 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 abortive | partially or imperfectly developed Syn: miscarried, fruitless, premature Ant: successful, realized, consumed |
| bruit | to spread news, report or unsubstantiated rumors Syn: noise abroad, broadcast, blazon Ant: cover up, conceal, hush up |
| contumelious | insolent or rude in speech or behavior, insultingly abusive; humilating Syn: vituperative, scurrilous, excoriating Ant: laudatory, commendatory, deferential |
| dictum | a short saying; an authoritative statement Syn: maxim, precept, aphorism, axiom |
| ensconce | to settle comfortably and lfirmly in postition; to put or hide in a safe place Syn: nestle, lodge, entrench Ant: unseat, displace, oust |
| iconoclastic | attacking or seeking to overview popular or traditional beliefs, ideas, or institutions Syn: image-breaking, irreverent, heretical Ant: orthodox, conservative, reverent |
| in medias res | in or into the middle of a plot; into the middle of things |
| internecine | mutually destructive; characterized by great slaughter and bloodshed Syn: murderous, savage, ruinous Ant: peaceful, harmonious, constructive |
| maudlin | excessively or effusively sentimental Syn: mushy, mawkish |
| maladroit | lacking skill or dexterity; lacking tact, perception, or judgement Syn: inept, awkward, clumsy, gauche Ant: skillful, dexterous, deft, tactful |
| modulate | to change or vary the intensity or pitch; to temper or soften; to regulate, adjust Syn: adapt, moderate |
| portentous | foreshadowing an event to come; causing wonder or awe; self-consciously weithty, pompous Syn: foreboding, ominous, pretentious Ant: auspicious, propitious, encouraging |
| prescience | knowledge of events or actions before they happen; foresight Syn: foreknowledge Ant: hindsight |
| quid pro quo | something given in exchange or return for something else Syn: swap, trade |
| salubrious | conductive to health or well-being; wholesome Syn: beneficial, healthy, invigorating Ant: harmful, unhealthy, deleterious, noxious |
| saturnalian | characterized by riotous or unrestrained revelry or licentiousness Syn: dissipated, debauched, orgiastic Ant: sedate, prim, decorous, seemly |
| touchstone | a means of testing worth or genuineness Syn: criterion, yardstick, benchmark |
| traumatic | so shocking to the emotions as to cause lasting and substantial psychological damage Syn: jolting Ant: soothing, comforting, agreeable, pleasant |
| vitiate | to weaken, debase, or corrupt; to impair the quality or value of Syn: degrade, undermine Ant: purity, fortify, strengthen, enhance |
| waggish | fond of making jokes; characteristic of a joker; playfully humerous or droll Syn: whimsical, jocular Ant: serious, grave, grim, dour, humorless |
First Time Here?
Welcome to Quizlet, a fun, free place to study. Try these flashcards, find others to study, or make your own.