Vocabulary Level F Unit 7 austere adjective severe

Vocabulary Level F Unit 7

austere • (adjective) severe or stern in manner; without adornment or luxury, simple, plain; harsh or sour in flavor • SYN: forbidding, rigorous, puritanical, ascetic, unadorned, subdued • ANT: mild, indulgent, luxurious, flamboyant The Puritans dressed in an austere manner.

beneficent • (adjective) performing acts of kindness or charity; conferring benefits, doing good • SYN: humanitarian, magnanimous, charitable • ANT: selfish, cruel, harmful, deleterious Bill Gates is known as a beneficent humanitarian.

cadaverous • (adjective) pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse • SYN: corpselike, wasted, haggard, emaciated, ghastly • ANT: robust, portly, rosy, the picture of health Pictures of the cadaverous Holocaust victims shocked the world during World War II.

concoct • (verb) to prepare by combining ingredients, make up (as a dish); to devise, invent, fabricate • SYN: create, fashion, rustle up Paula Deen has made a fortune by concocting delicious dishes for her television show.

crass • (adjective) coarse, unfeeling; stupid • SYN: crude, vulgar, tasteless, oafish, obtuse • ANT: refined, elegant, tasteful, polished, brilliant The crass nature of the press today is enough to discourage anyone from running for office.

debase • (verb) to lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade, adulterate; to cause to deteriorate • SYN: cheapen, corrupt, demean, depreciate • ANT: elevate, uplift, improve, enhance Don’t debase your character by associating with undesirable people.

desecrate • (verb) to commit sacrilege upon, treat irreverently; to contaminate, pollute • SYN: profane, defile, violate • ANT: revere, honor, venerate, consecrate Vandals desecrated tombstones that were over 100 years old.

disconcert • (verb) to confuse; to disturb the composure of • SYN: upset, rattle, ruffle, faze, perturb • ANT: relax, calm, put at ease Political guests often find Bill O’Reilly’s questions disconcerting.

grandiose • (adjective) grand in an impressive or stately way; marked by pompous affection or grandeur, absurdly exaggerated • SYN: majestic, bombastic, highfalutin • ANT: simple, modest, unaffected, humble Many country western singers have grandiose dreams of making it big in Nashville.

inconsequential • (adjective) trifling, unimportant • SYN: trivial, negligible, petty, paltry • ANT: important, essential, crucial, vital Many of the details you included in the report were inconsequential and unimportant.

infraction • (noun) a breaking of a law or obligation • SYN: violation, transgression, breach, offense It is rare that the referees will catch every infraction on the court.

mitigate • (verb) to make milder or softer, to moderate in force or intensity • SYN: lessen, relieve, alleviate, diminish • ANT: aggravate, intensify, irritate, exacerbate The judge decided to mitigate her sentence because she had shown good behavior.

pillage • (verb) to rob of goods by open force (as in war), plunder; (noun) the act of looting; booty • SYN: (verb) ravage, sack, loot; (noun) booty After the riots, looters began to pillage the town.

prate • (verb) to talk a great deal in a foolish or aimless fashion • SYN: chatter, prattle, blabber, palaver • ANT: come to the point, not waste words After she got home from school, she did nothing but prate on the phone for hours.

punctilious • (adjective) very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety • SYN: precise, scrupulous, exacting, fussy, finicky • ANT: careless, negligent, lax, perfunctory The soldier’s job required exact attention to detail.

redoubtable • (adjective) inspiring fear or awe; illustrious, eminent • SYN: formidable, fearsome, awesome, august • ANT: laughable, risible, contemptible The people felt as if it was time for their redoubtable leader to step down.

reprove • (verb) to find fault with, scold, rebuke • SYN: chide, chastise, upbraid, reproach • ANT: praise, commend, laud, pat on the back The teacher reproved her students for misbehaving.

restitution • (noun) the act of restoring someone or something to the rightful owner or to a former state or position; making good on a loss or damage • SYN: compensation, reimbursement, redress, restoration The teen was ordered by the judge to provide restitution for the property that he destroyed.

stalwart • (adjective) strong and sturdy; brave; resolute; (noun) a brave, strong person; a strong supporter; one who takes an uncompromising position • SYN: (adjective) sturdy, stout, intrepid, valiant; (noun) mainstay • ANT: (adjective) weak, infirm, irresolute, vacillating She will be a stalwart addition to our committee based on her past voting record.

vulnerable • (adjective) open to attack; capable of being wounded or damaged; unprotected • SYN: defenseless, exposed, unguarded • ANT: invincible, protected, safe, secure With so many homes built close to the water, the town was vulnerable to hurricanes.