Sadlier Unit 4 Vocab

Term
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Affinity
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Terms in this set (20)
Affinity
(n) A natural attraction to a person, thing, or activity.
Syn: inclination, penchant
Ant: aversion, distaste

A mom has a natural affinity to any baby and will automatically find them cute.
Image: Affinity
Bilious
(adj) Peevish or irritable; sickeningly unpleasant.
Syn: choleric, irascible, peevish, splenetic Ant: sweet-tempered, genial, pleasant, delightful

As the toddler screamed with his bilious voice, everyone in the library studying got really bothered and annoyed.
Image: Bilious
Cognate
(adj) Closely related in origin, essential nature, or function; such a person or thing
Syn: (adj) allied, affiliated; (n) relative
Ant: (adj) dissimilar, different

Portuguese was easy for me to learn since I realized that there are many cognate words to Spanish.
Image: Cognate
Corollary
(n) A proposition that follows from one already proven.
(adj) Resultant or consequent.
Syn: (n) deduction, conclusion
Ant: (n) axiom, postulate, premise

Once the women and her boyfriend broke up, the women had to deal with the corollary of sadness and loneliness.
Image: Corollary
Cul-de-sac
(n) A blind alley or dead-end street; any situation in which further progress is impossible; an impasse
Syn: blind alley, dead end, impasse
Ant: solution, boon

After getting home late for the third night in a row, the teenager was stuck in a cul-de-sac because he knew he wouldn't be able to get out of getting in trouble this time.
Image: Cul-de-sac
Derring-do
(n) Valor or heroism; daring deeds or exploits (often used to poke fun at false heroics)
Syn: audacity, bravado, pyrotechnics
Ant: cowardice, poltroonery

People who can do the tall loop in dirt biking should receive a special medal of heroism for their derring-do.
Image: Derring-do
Divination
(n) The art or act of predicting the future or discovering hidden knowledge.
Syn: prophecy, augury
Ant: reality, proof

My friend has a passion for divination and spends most of her time practicing the reading of tarot cards.
Image: Divination
Elixir
(n) A potion once thought capable of curing all ills and maintaining live indefinitely.
Syn: nostrum, tonic
Ant: disease, injury

The scientist spent most of his life trying to come with an elixir that would cure every single illness and disease that existed, hoping to eliminate all medications.
Image: Elixir
Folderol
(n) Foolish talk, ideas, or procedures; nonsense; a trifle.
Syn: gibberish, foolery
Ant: sense, significance

Nowadays a watch is folderol, since most people own a smartphone that tells them the time.
Image: Folderol
Gamut
(n) An entire range or series.
Syn: compass, sweep
Ant: limitation, restraint

The store has a gamut of products ranging from children's toys to food.
Image: Gamut
Hoi Polloi(n) The common people, the masses. Syn: rank and file, common people Ant: aristocracy, elite, upper class The hoi polloi in the city don't have as nice houses as the upper class does.Ineffable(adj) Not expressible in words; too great or too sacred to be uttered. Syn: inexpressible, unspeakable Ant: definable, describable After having gotten raped, the young woman was traumatized and told her psychologist that it was an ineffable experience that she can't bring herself to talk about.Lucubration(n) Laborious study or thought, especially at night; the result of such work Syn: burning the midnight oil, application Ant: disdain, disregard I told my friends that I won't be able to go out tonight because I have lucubration to do for the final exam the next morning.Mnemonic(adj) Relating to or designed to assist the memory (n) a device to aid the memory. Syn: (n) reminder, cue Ant: forgetful, oblivious My greatest studying technique is coming up with mnemonics that help me remember the lesson.Obloquy(n) Public abuse indicating strong disapproval or censure. Syn: discredit, opprobrium, dishonor Ant: Praise, acclaim, approbation. Most politicians receive a lot of obloquy and hate because of how sensitive people have become nowadays.Parameter(n) A determining or characteristic element; a factor that shapes the total outcome; a limit, boundary. Syn: criterion, framework Ant: allowance, liberation Streets have a parameter on how fast you can drive in order to avoid accidents.Pundit(n) A learned person; one who gives authoritative opinions. Syn: expert, authority, savant. Ant: dilettante, layman, amateur. I believe that my math teacher is a pundit when it comes to statistics as he always has an answer to every question and has been studying the material for the past 20 years.Risible(adj) Pertaining to laughter; able or inclined to laugh. Syn: droll, ludicrous. Ant: depressing, heartrending, poignant My dad makes risible jokes that never fail to make the whole family laugh.Symptomatic(adj) Typical or characteristic; being or concerned with a symptom of a disease. Syn: indicative, indicating Ant: conceal, mislead High fever, runny nose, and a headache are all symptomatic signs of someone getting a cold soon.Volte-face(n) An about-face; a complete reversal. Syn: turnabout, turnaround Ant: stagnation, inactivity My brother's opinion took a volte-face, as he completely changed sides on what he believed in.

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