Name:_____________________________
Unit 5A VOCABULARY
1. abstemious
(adj.) moderate, sparing (as in eating and drinking); characterized by abstinence and self-discipline
She came from a long line of quiet, thrifty, and __________________ farming folk.
SYNONYMS: temperate, sober, moderate
ANTONYMS: indulgent, immoderate, intemperate
2. censurable
(adj.) deserving of blame or correction
Because he was unaware of what he had done, we decided that his behavior was not
________________________.
SYNONYMS: blameworthy, discreditable, reprehensible
ANTONYMS: commendable, laudable, meritorious
3. contingent
(adj.) likely but not certain to happen, possible; dependent on uncertain events or conditions; happening by
chance
(n.) a representative group forming part of a larger body
________________________ on our parents’ approval, we plan to take a trip through Alaska next
summer.
The meeting was delayed due to the late arrival of the California ____________________.
SYNONYMS: (adj.) conditional, dependent; (n.) a detachment
ANTONYMS: (adj.) independent of, unconnected with, certain
4. corroborate
(v.) to confirm, make more certain, bolster, substantiate, verify
He could tell the court where I was and for how long, but he still needed a witness to
__________________ his statements.
ANTONYMS: (adj.) refute, contradict, undermine, discredit
5. denizen
(n.) an inhabitant, resident; one who frequents a place
A lover of marine life, she knew all the names of the scaly _______________ of our lake.
SYNONYMS: resident, dweller, habitué
ANTONYMS: alien, outsider, stranger, foreigner
6. discursive
(adj.) passing aimlessly from one place or subject to another, rambling, roving, nomadic
Within the ____________________ account of his life, there was a fairly complete history of the whole
village.
SYNONYMS: digressive, diffuse, wandering, episodic
ANTONYMS: short and to the point, succinct
7. disseminate
(v.) to scatter or spread widely
I decided that it was a bad idea to use my position in order to ________________________ my personal
views.
SYNONYMS: disperse, publicize, broadcast, circulate
ANTONYMS: bring together, concentrate, muster, conceal, hide
8. dowdy
(adj.) poorly dressed, shabby; lacking smartness and good taste
The actor wore ________________________ clothing and sunglasses so that no one would recognize
him.
SYNONYMS: frumpy, tacky, frowsy, drab
ANTONYMS: chic, stylish, elegant, fashionable
9. florid
(adj.) highly colored, reddish; excessively ornate, showy
The _________________ style of architecture in the old part of town was a welcome change from the
grim, newer blocks we had seen.
SYNONYMS: flushed, ruddy, flowery, frilly, flamboyant
ANTONYMS: pale, ashen, pallid, sallow, austere, stark
10. foist
(v.) to impose by fraud; to pass off as worthy or genuine; to bring about by stealth, dishonesty, or coercion
During the 19th century the unscrupulous Jay Gould ___________________ thousands of worthless
railroad shares on an unsuspecting public.
SYNONYMS: pass off, palm off, fob off
Completing the Sentence
From the words for this unit, choose the one that best completes each of the following sentences. Write the word in the
space provided.
1. Though this may not be the smartest-looking blouse I own, I thought to myself, it certainly doesn’t make me look
______________________!
2. The old fellow did indeed look like a typical _________________ of the racetrack, as described in Damon
Runyon’s famous stories.
3. No honest mechanic will try to ___________________ inferior replacement parts on his customers.
4. Unless you can produce witnesses to ______________________ your claim that you stopped at the red light, the
mere assertion will have little or no effect on the jury.
5. Among all those pale and sallow people, her highly __________________ complexion stood out like a beacon.
6. I don’t like to criticize your behavior, but I feel obliged to tell you that your discourtesy to that confused tourist
was highly _______________________.
7. The purpose of this program is to ___________________________ throughout the community information about
job-training opportunities for young people.
8. His talk on world affairs was so disorganized and _____________________ that it left us more confused than
ever.
9. Her good health in old age is due in large part to the _____________________ habits of her younger years.
10. Since we wished our gourp to have some say in the town council’s final decision, we sent a small
_____________________ of our most articulate and convincing speakers to the hearings.
Synonyms:
Choose the word from this unit that is the same or most nearly the same in meaning as the boldface word or expression
in the given phrase. Write the word on the line provided.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
a long and digressive novel
tacky window decorations
substantiate an old rumor
a flowery introduction
an habitué of the public library
broadcast the child’s baby picture
palm off fake diamonds
a temperate use of such words
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Antonyms:
Choose the word from this unit that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the boldface word or expression in the given
phrase. Write the word on the line provided.
9. judged the actions as commendable
10. payment independent of need
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