Vocabulary Enrichment: Austere to Vulnerable

1. Level F • Unit 7

2. Austere • Adjective • Definition: severe or stern in manner; without adornment or luxury, simple, plain; harsh or sour in flavor • Synonyms: forbidding, rigorous, puritanical, ascetic, unadorned • Antonyms: mild, indulgent, luxurious, flamboyant • Sentence: The austere clothing of the Puritans expressed their humility through their simple and unadorned dress. .

3. Beneficent • Adjective • Definition: performing acts of kindness or charity; conferring benefits, doing good • Synonyms: humanitarian, magnanimous, charitable • Antonyms: selfish, cruel, harmful, deleterious • Sentence: The beneficent acts of charity and kindness by Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres have inspired others to give.

4. Cadaverous Adjective Definition: pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse Synonyms: corpselike, wasted , haggard, emaciated, ghastly Antonyms: robust, portly, rosy, the picture of health Sentence: Mrs. Havisham, a character in Charles Dickens’ novel, Great Expectations, appearance is cadaverous and resembles a corpse.

5. Concoct Verb Definition: to prepare by combining ingredients, make up (as in a dish); to devise, invent, fabricate Synonyms: create, fashion, rustle up • Sentence: Putting on their thinking cap, the sneaky student concocteddevised a plan to cheat on the test. How can I cheat?

6. debase Verb Definition: to lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade, adulterate; to cause to deteriorate Synonyms: cheapen, corrupt, demean, depreciate Antonyms: elevate, uplift, improve, enhance Sentence: The impact of the global economy has debased the value of the U.S. dollar so much that the strength of the dollar has deteriorated significantly, it is just like watching a $100 bill going down the drain.

7. Grandiose Adjective Definition: grand in an impressive or stately way; marked by pompous affection or grandeur, absurdly exaggerated Synonyms: majestic, bombastic, highfalutin Antonyms: simple, modest, humble Sentence: The design of the grand staircase aboard the Titanic was grandioseimpressive and stately, designed to awe passengers on the luxury liner.

8. inconsequential • Adjective • Definition: trifling, unimportant • Synonyms: trivial, negligible, paltry • Antonyms : important, essential, crucial • Sentence: A penny’s value may seem inconsequential and unimportant, but when someone saves all of their pennies over time they might bring a paltry amount of a dollar.

9. infraction • Noun • Definition: a breaking of a law or obligation. • Synonyms: violation, transgression, offense • Sentence: In a football game when there is an infraction of the rules, an official will throw a yellow flag indicating that a violation occurred and a penalty will be enforced for the offense.

10. restitution • Noun • Definition: 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 • Synonyms: reimbursement, redress, restoration • Sentence: The lawyer argued that his client, a bird, was clearly the originator and owner of the “tweet” and should be awarded millions of dollars in restitution for damages from Twitter.

11. Vulnerable • Adjective • Definition: open to attack,; capable of being wounded or damaged unprotected • Synonyms: defenseless, unguarded • Antonyms: invincible, protected, safe, secure • Sentence: The U.S. found itself vulnerable to terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, defenseless Americans died and the Twin Towers in New York City were destroyed.