SCARLET LETTER VOCAB

By Allen Doyle

Mrs. P

2nd Period

Preternatural

Syn: strange, uncommon, abnormal

Ant: normal, natural, regular

Definition: beyond what is normal or natural

Sentence: Autumn had arrived with preternatural speed.

To Caper

Syn: to skip, to dance, to frolic

Definition: To skip or dance in a lively way

Sentence: The children started to caper after hearing the were getting Ice Cream.

Extant

Syn: surviving, remaining, undestroyed

Ant: Nonexistent, destroyed, gone

Definition: existing

Sentence: Their house was the only one extant after the hurricane.

Pestilence

Syn: disease, sickness

Definition: Plague

Sentence: Millions died of the pestilence.

Vista

Syn: Sight, outlook, scenery

Definition: View

Sentence: There was a great vista from the hotel balcony.

Depravity

Syn: Dishonesty, fraudulence, unscrupulousness

Ant: Honesty

Definition: Corruption

Sentence: The political system has a lot of depravity.

Mountebank

Syn: Swindler, fraud, imposter, trickster

Definition: “Con” Man

Sentence: A shady mountebank from La Vegas ripped us all off!

Profane

Syn: Secular

Ant: Religious, Sacred

Definition: Unholy

Sentence: Skipping church on Sundays to go to football games is profane.

Scrupulous

Syn: Careful, Meticulous

Ant: Careless

Definition: Conscientious

Sentence: The painter had a scrupulous attention to detail.

Sagacity

Syn: Intelligence, Knowledge

Ant: Ignorance

Definition: Wisdom

Sentence: The president is a man of great political sagacity.

To Vilify

Syn: To speak ill of, Criticize,

Bad Mouth

Ant: To commend

Definition: To slander

Sentence: The NFL player was upset, because the announcer always finds a way to vilify him in every game.

Decorous

Syn: Tasteful, Appropriate

Ant: Unseemly

Definition: Proper

Sentence: Big Smo concerts are not decorous.

To Bestow

Syn: To grant,

To endow someone with

Ant: To take, To receive

Definition: To give

Sentence: The ribbon girl is supposed to bestow a ribbon to

the winning horse.

Repose

Syn: relaxation, sleep

Ant: Work

Definition: Rest

Sentence: On the vacation, all she was looking for was repose.

Machination

Syn: Schemes

Definition: Plot

Sentence: The Bloods were always wary of the machinations of rival gangs.

To Abase

Syn: to humiliate

Ant: to praise

Definition: to humble

Sentence: The lady decided that to become a better person, she needed to abase herself.

Pristine

Syn: immaculate, perfect, in mint condition

Ant: Dirty, Spoiled

Definition: Unspoiled

Sentence: Amy's clothes are always so pristine.

To accost

Syn: To speak to

Ant: To ignore

Definition: To greet

Sentence: After not seeing his friend for thirty years, when she showed up at his house, he had to accost him.

Propinquity

Syn: Closeness

Ant: Distance

Definition: Nearness

Sentence: During their camping trip, they grew in their propinquity.

Dexterity

Syn: Ability, Talent

Definition: Skill

Sentence: While in China she perfected her dexterity with chopsticks.

Petulant

Syn: bad-tempered

Ant: good-humored

Definition: Peevish

Sentence: He's as petulant as a spoiled child.

Cadence

Syn: Beat

Definition: Rhythm

Sentence: There was a thumping cadence of the engines

To mollify

Syn: to ease, to reduce

Ant: to inflame

Definition: to soften

Sentence: They doctor tried to mollify the pain of the surgery.

To vex

Syn: To irritate

Ant: To please

Definition: To annoy

Sentence: Alice was vexed by the commercial.

To requite

Syn: To return

Definition: To repay

Sentence: The gambler had to requite his debts.

Probity

Syn: Trustworthiness

Ant: dishonesty

Definition: honesty

Sentence: The preacher is known for his probity.

Mien

Syn: aura, demeanor

Definition: Manner

Sentence: The teacher with a sober mien told him he had failed the test.

Fortitude

Syn: Bravery

Ant: faint-heartedness

Definition: Courage

Sentence: Hunting lions takes great fortitude.

Auditor

Definition: Listener

Sentence: Jim’s voice was so low that his auditors had to give it close attention.

Venerable

Syn: honored, esteemed

Ant: Disrespect

Definition: Respected

Sentence: Peyton Manning is a

venerable quarterback.