Studied by 53 peopleapprobation
(n.) the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval
SYN: commendation, sanction
ANT: disapproval, condemnation, censure
assuage
(v.) to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench
SYN: mitigate, alleviate, slake, allay
ANT: intensify, aggravate, exacerbate
coalition
(n.) a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose
SYN: alliance, league, federation, combine
ANT: splinter group
decadence
(n.) decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence
SYN: degeneration, corruption
ANT: rise, growth, development, maturation
elicit
(v.) to draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person)
SYN: call forth, evoke, extract, educe
ANT: repress, quash, squelch, stifle
expostulate
(v.) to attempt to dissuade someone from some course or decision by earnest reasoning
SYN: protest, remonstrate, complain
hackneyed
(adj.) used so often as to lack freshness or originality
SYN: banal, trite, commonplace, corny
ANT: new, fresh, novel, original
hiatus
(n.) a gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing)
SYN: pause, lacuna
ANT: continuity, continuation
innuendo
(n.) a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense)
SYN: insinuation, intimation
ANT: direct statement
intercede
(v.) to plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement
SYN: intervene, mediate
jaded
(adj.) wearied, worn-out, dulled (in the sense of being satiated by excessive indulgence)
SYN: sated, surfeited, cloyed
ANT: unspoiled, uncloyed
lurid
(adj.) causing shock, horror, or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow in color; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restraint
SYN: gruesome, gory, grisly, baleful, ghastly
ANT: pleasant, attractive, appealing, wholesome
meritorious
(adj.) worthy, deserving recognition and praise
SYN: praiseworthy, laudable, commendable
ANT: blameworthy, reprehensible, discreditable
petulant
(adj.) peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset
SYN: irritable, testy, waspish
ANT: even-tempered, placid, serene, amiable
prerogative
(n.) a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence
SYN: perquisite, perk
provincial
(adj.) pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; of a simple, plain design that originated in the countryside; (n.) a person with a narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area; a soldier from a province or colony
SYN: narrow-minded, parochial, insular, naive
ANT: cosmopolitan, catholic, broad-minded
simulate
(v.) to make a pretense of, imitate; to show the outer signs of
SYN: feign, pretend, affect
transcend
(v.) to rise above or beyond, exceed
SYN: surpass, outstrip
umbrage
(n.) shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion
SYN: irritation, pique, annoyance
ANT: pleasure, delight, satisfaction
unctuous
(adj.) excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable
SYN: mealymouthed, servile, fawning, greasy
ANT: gruff, blunt
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