Vocab The Things They Carried and All Quiet on the Western Front

Tangible

Perceptible by touch; real or concrete rather than imaginary Synonym/Antonym: intangible physical ex. The soldiers carried tangible items like guns and talismans which physically weighed on them throughout the war.

Elusive

Difficult to find catch or achieve; hard to grasp mentally Synonym/Antonym: simple complex ex. The new algebra concept was elusive to the student causing him to seek extra help to understand the subject better.

Volition

The power of choosing or determining; will Synonym/Antonym: freedom constraint ex. She decided to retire from her job of her own volition making the choice to start a new chapter of her life.

Inertia

Lack of movement or energy; resistance to change Synonym/Antonym: stubbornness adaptability ex. His inertia prevented him from changing bad study habits refusing to abandon his old methods.

Amortize

To gradually pay off or reduce a debt Synonym/Antonym: pay off owe/debt ex. He agreed to amortize the mortgage from the bank slowly paying them back over 10 years.

Comport

To behave in a particular way Synonym/Antonym: behave conflict ex. He comported himself with curiosity to learn more about the subject.

Eviscerate

To disembowel; figuratively to devastate emotionally Synonym/Antonym: destroy restore ex. The tsunami eviscerated the small village destroying and wrecking all the buildings in its path.

Platitude

A dull overused remark; cliché Synonym/Antonym: dull inspirational ex. Her motivational speech about diligence used many common platitudes that weakened the message.

Laxity

Carelessness; lack of strictness or discipline Synonym/Antonym: lazy disciplined ex. The laxity of the government led to a large increase in criminal activity due to a lack of proper law enforcement.

Pious

Deeply religious; sometimes hypocritically so Synonym/Antonym: faithful unholy ex. The pious lady prays three times a day and has never missed a day of church showing her devotion to God.

Voracity

Extreme hunger or eagerness Synonym/Antonym: desire satisfied ex. After having taken exams for hours on end the tired students ate lunch with voracity refilling their energy.

Palatial

Resembling a palace; spacious and grand Synonym/Antonym: grand small ex. The palatial halls of the church overwhelmed people who entered due to its sheer size and vastness.

Implacable

Unable to be appeased or pacified Synonym/Antonym: ruthless lenient ex. The implacable and ruthless attacks from the enemy showed no sign of stopping or slowing down.

Indefatigable

Persisting tirelessly; never giving up Synonym/Antonym: enduring weak ex. His indefatigable spirit allowed him to shatter the push-up world record refusing to give up through the pain.

Convalescent

Recovering from illness or injury Synonym/Antonym: recuperating decaying ex. The convalescent patient showed signs of recovery after having survived a deadly infection.

Disconcerted

Unsettled; confused; embarrassed Synonym/Antonym: flustered composed ex. He had a disconcerted attitude after his poor performance during the game refusing to talk with anyone.

Revile

To criticize with abusive language Synonym/Antonym: denounce praise ex. The workers revile at the poor work environments by insulting the CEO of the company believing they are underpaid and mistreated.

Martinet

A strict disciplinarian Synonym/Antonym: strict easygoing ex. Their coach was a martinet who punished the smallest mistakes made by the players with sprints.

Pensive

Deep in serious thought; reflective Synonym/Antonym: reflective unthinking ex. Staring out the window she had a pensive reflection while considering the earlier events that had unfolded.

Aspirant

A person who has ambitions to achieve something Synonym/Antonym: ambitious content ex. The aspirant football players at the combine all hoped to make the league and sign million-dollar contracts.