Vocab Unit 5

1-10

Amnesty• (n.) A general

pardon for an offense against a government

• SYN: reprieve

• I-Am-Nasty, but my friends usually pardon my habits!

Autonomy• (n.) Self

government, political control

• SYN: home rule

Axiomatic• (adj.) Self-evident,

expressing a universally expected principle

• SYN: taken for granted

• If you automatically take an ax to your hand during a fit of rage, you will have taken for granted this important part of your body.

Blazon• To adorn or

embellish, to display conspicuously

• SYN: broadcast, trumpet

• His zodiac sign was blazoned on the back of his jean jacket in Bedazzler jewels.

Caveat• A warning or

caution to prevent misunderstandings or discourage behavior

• SYN: admonition, word to the wise

Equitable• (adj.) Fair, just,

embodying principles of justice

• SYN: right, reasonable, evenhanded

• EQUAL

Extricate• (v.) To free from entanglements or

difficulties• SYN: disentangle, extract

Filch• (v.) To steal,

especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts

• SYN: pilfer, purloin, swipe

Flout• (v.) To mock, treat

with contempt• SYN: sneer at,

snicker at, scorn

• FAIL OUT• Those who fail out

at the the Flugtag may be flouted by those in attendance!

Fractious• (adj.) Tending to be

troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary, unpredictable

• SYN: refractory, recalcitrant, peevish

• The Republican Party has become fractious, or quarrelsome within itself, with the rising popularity of the Tea Party and Libertarians.

Precept • (n.) a rule of

conduct or action• Receipt: It is a

precept, or rule of conduct, that a cashier hand you your receipt after purchasing food at Wawa.

Salutary • (adj.) beneficial,

helpful; healthful, wholesome

It may be beneficial to salute one’s superior officer.

Scathing

(adj.) bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm

Scourge • (v.) to whip, punish

severely; (n.) a cause of affliction or suffering; a source of severe punishment or criticism

• Scourge=SCOLD

Sepulchral • (adj.) funereal,

typical of the tomb; extremely gloomy or dismal

• SEParate body and soul

• Sepulchral and Funereal have the same ending.

Soporific • (adj.) tending to

cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy; (n.) something that induces sleep

• SO-BORING: Boring situations make people fall asleep.

Straitlaced • (adj.) extremely

strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish, purtanical

WATCH SPELLING!!!

Transient • (adj.) lasting only a

short time, fleeting; (n.) one who stays only a short time

• Rides on public transit are (hopefully) very brief.

Unwieldy • (adj.) not easily

carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity

• UNWIELDY• WILD- Not easily

managed

Vapid • (adj.) dull,

uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force

• VAPID is the opposite of RAPID.