TOEFL Vocabulary Page 15

351. LUDICROUS: Ridiculous; producing laughter - a ludicrous remark that set them all to roaring.

Synonyms: mirthful, droll, comical, absurd

Antonyms: doleful, lugubrious, dismal

352. LUMINARY: An eminent person; a celestial body - the platform graced by a number of luminaries.

353. MACHIAVELLIAN: Sacrificing moral principles in order to attain power; politically cunning; crafty - a machiavellian design, wickedly contrived.

Synonym: unscrupulous

354. MALICIOUS (noun: MALICE): Bearing, or acting with, deliberate ill-will or spite - hurting with malicious intent.

Synonyms:rancorous, malignant, malevolent, virulent, vindictive

Antonym: benign

355. MASQUERADE (verb): To assume a deceptive appearance or character - a thief masquerading as an honest man.

Synonyms: dissemble, feign

(noun): A disguise; a group of people in disguise or fancy costumes - a masquerade so perfect no one could guess his identity.

356. MAUDLIN: Sentimental to the point of tears - turned maudlin at the mention of his lost dog.

Synonym : mawkish, lachrymose

357. MEANDER: To walk about (or talk) aimlessly; to wind about (as a stream) - meandered through the town, looking into shop windows.

Synonym: ramble

358. MEDIOCRE: Average in quality - a mediocre performance, unworthy of his talents.

359. MERCENARY: Acting solely from a consideration of reward or profit - actuated by a mercenary motive.

Synonym: venal

360. MERETRICIOUS: Attracting in a false, cheap, or showy manner- a meretricious beauty that is too flashy to be real.

Synonyms:tawdry, specious

361. METICULOUS: Fussy about minute details - took meticulous pains with his composition.

Synonyms:fastidious, punctilious, overscrupulous, finical, methodical

Antonyms:desultory, perfunctory, slovenly

362. METTLE (adj.: METTLESOME: high-spirited ): Disposition; spirit; courage - His mettle was tried in battle.

Idiom: to be on one's mettle (meaning, “ready to do one's best”)

Synonyms:temperament, ardor

363. MICROCOSM: A little world, or a universe in miniature this village, a microcosm of the great outside world.

Antonym:macrocosm (world on a large scale)

364. MIMIC: To make fun of or copy by imitating - mimicked the comedian's gestures.

365. MISANTHROPIC (noun: MISANTHROPE): Hating or distrusting mankind - condemned for his misanthropic views.

Antonyms: philanthropic, altruistic

366. MISNOMER: A name or term that describes wrongly - To call him a brave man is really a misnomer.

367. MONOLOGUE: A speech by one person - The actor gave his views in a dramatic monologue.

Synonym:soliloquy

Antonyms:colloquy (adj. colloquial): conversation between two or more persons; dialogue: conversation between two persons

368. MOROSE: Gloomy; ill-humored - shunned because of his morose temper.

Synonyms: sulky, crabbed, sullen, splenetic, saturnine

Antonyms: blithe, genial

369. MOTLEY: Of various colors; of mixed ingredients - a motley costume; a motley crowd.

Synonyms: checkered (referring to a varied career), piebald, variegated, diverse, heterogeneous

Antonym: homogeneous

370. MOTTLED: Spotted or streaked with varied colors - a mottled pony.

Synonyms:blotched, dappled

371. MUNDANE: Of, or pertaining to, the world, as contrasted with the spirit - mundane affairs.

Synonyms:earthly, terrestrial, secular, temporal

372. MURKY: Dark; cloudy - a murky cavern.

Synonyms:dismal, tenebrous, fuliginous

Antonyms:resplendent, glowing, lustrous, luminous, fulgent, coruscating

373. MUTABLE: Given to frequent change in nature, mood, or form - mutable in mood as a spring wind.

Synonyms:vacillating, fickle, inconstant, fitful, mercurial, wavering, capricious

Antonyms:constant, steady

374. MYRIAD: Innumerable - the myriad stars in the heavens.

375. NAUTICAL: Pertaining to ships or navigation - a nautical career.

Synonyms: marine, naval, maritime