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Accost
Definition: to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way
Example: The nobleman was _____________ by beggars on the way to the castle.
Synonyms: approach, confront
Antonyms: evade, avoid, shun
Affinity
Definition: (n.) a natural attraction to a person, thing, or activity; a relationship, connection
Example: The mysterious ________________ between the two leaders could not be explained.
Synonyms: inclination, penchant
Antonyms: distaste, aversion
Brackish
Definition: (adj.) having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink.
Example: The shipwrecked passengers adrift on the lifeboat became ill after drinking___________ water.
Synonyms: briny, saline
Antonyms: fresh, clear, sweet
Carping
Definition: (adj.) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n) petty, nagging criticism
Example: Most artists choose to ignore the _______________ of critics and simply go on with their work.
Synonyms: nit-picking, caviling
Antonyms: approving, uncritical
Coherent
Definition: (adj.) holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful.
Example: The physics teacher gave a surprisingly ____________________ description of quantum mechanics.
Synonyms: connected, unified, consistent, cohesive
Antonyms: muddled, chaotic, disjointed
Commensurate
Definition: (adj.) equal in size, extent, duration, or importance; proportionate; measurable by the same standards
Example: All employees got raises ________________ with their efforts.
Synonyms: comparable, corresponding, coordinate
Antonyms: Opaque, coarse, dense
Dichotomy
Definition: (n.) a division into two contradictory or mutually exclusive parts; a branching or forking in an ancestral line
Example: Many of the world’s great works of literature examine the ________________ between good and evil.
Synonyms: Schism, division, bifurcation
Antonyms: Uniformity, oneness
Ensconce
Definition: (v.) to settle comfortably and firmly in position; to put or hide in a safe place
Example: After a very long, difficult day at work, I gratefully ________________ myself in snug, warm bed.
Synonyms: Nestle, lodge, entrench
Antonyms: unseat, displace, oust
Faux pas
Definition: (n.) a slip in manners or conduct; a social blunder
Example: No sooner had I arrived at the party than I embarrassed myself by committing a dreadful ________________.
Synonyms: Indiscretion, gaffee
Antonyms: Coup, tour de force
Iconoclastic
Definition: (adj.) attacking or seeking to overthrow popular or traditional beliefs, ideas, or institutions
Example: The writer’s ________________ opinions always seem to stir controversy.
Synonyms: image-breaking, irreverent, heretical
Antonyms: Orthodox, conservative, reverent
Incendiary
Definition: (adj.) deliberately setting or cause fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir strife or rebellions; (n.) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonists; one who causes strife
Example: The arsonist planted an _________________ device in the basement of the store.
The radical ________________ was sentenced to life imprisonment
Synonyms: (adj.) inflammatory, provocative (n.) firebrand
Antonyms: (adj.) soothing, quieting (n.) peacemaker
Largesse
Definition: (n.) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions
Example: The university was the fortunate beneficiary of the ________________ of many of its graduates.
Synonym: liberality, munificence, bounty
Antonyms: Stinginess, miserliness
Malleable
Definition: (adj.) capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced
Example: The ___________ minds of the young students were at the mercy of the charismatic professor.
Synonyms: pliable, impressionable, adaptable
Antonyms: rigid, inflexible, unyielding, intractable
Noisome
Definition: (adj.) offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious
Example: The __________ atmosphere of the slaughterhouse overwhelmed the visitors.
Synonyms: fetid, noxious, vile, loathsome
Antonyms: wholesome, pleasant, sweet-smelling
Portentous
Definition: (adj.) foreshadowing an event to come; causing wonder or awe; self-consciously weighty, pompous
Example: No one realized just how ___________________ the strange events of last week would turn out to be.
Synonyms: foreboding, ominous
Antonyms: auspicious, propitious, encouraging
Raconteur
Definition: (n.) a person who tells stories and anecdotes with great skill
Example: The author, a noted __________________ , was much sought after as a dinner party guest.
Synonyms: storyteller, anecdotalist
Antonyms: listener, eavesdropper
Tenable
Definition: capable of being held or defended
Example: The researcher put forth a __________ theory, but their conclusions would be reviewed carefully by others
Synonyms: defensible, justifiable, maintainable
Antonyms: indefensible, unjustifiable
Truncate
Definitions: (v.) to shorten by or as if by cutting off, lop
Example: A family emergency forced us to __________ our summer vacation
Synonyms: trim, abbreviate
Antonyms: lengthen, elongate, extend
Unconscionable
(adj.) not guided or restrained by conscience, prudence, or reason; unscrupulous; immoderate
Top management's looting of the employees' retirement fund can only be described as ____________.
Synonyms: unjustifiable, indefensible, unforgivable
Antonyms: justifiable, reasonable, honorable
Vacuous
Definition: (adj.) devoid of matter, substance, or meaning; lacking ideas or intelligence; purposeless
Example: From the _____________ expression on your face, no one would guess that you have such a sharp mind.
SYNONYMS: void, empty
ANTONYMS: perceptive, intelligent
arrogate (ar-uh-geyt)
(v.) to claim or take without right
The ambitious noblemen will put the young king under house arrest and _______________ royal privileges to themselves.
SYNONYMS: expropriate, usurp, commandeer
ANTONYMS: relinquish, renounce, abdicate, abandon
articulate (ahr-tik-yuh-leyt)
(v.) to pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; to connect by a joint or joints; (adj.) expressed clearly and forcefully; able
to employ language clearly and forcefully; jointed
Few people can ____________________ their emotions during times of stress.
The most ____________________ student in the class was chosen to mediate the debate.
SYNONYMS: (v.) pronounce, elucidate; (adj.) eloquent
ANTONYMS: (v.) mumble, slur; (adj.) tongue-tied, halting
belabor (bi-ley-ber)
(v.) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly
His tendency to _______________the small points often made him miss the big picture.
SYNONYMS: overwork
ANTONYMS: praise
cavort (kuh-vawrt)
(v.) to romp or prance around exuberantly; to make merry
The actors in the musical ____________________ on stage. SYNONYMS: gambol
ANTONYMS: sulk, pout, mope
credence (kreed-ns)
(n.) belief, mental acceptance
The government and the public failed to give
____________________ to the reports of an impending water shortage.
SYNONYMS: credit, trust, confidence
ANTONYMS: disbelief, skepticism, incredulity
decry (di-krahy)
(v.) to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate
Every arm of government and every educational institution should ____________________ bigotry in all its forms.
SYNONYMS: denounce, censure, devalue
ANTONYMS: tout, commend, extol, laud, praise
emulate (em-yuh-leyt)
(v.) to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model
Most beginning writers try to ____________________ a great writer and later develop their own individual styles.
SYNONYMS: copy, mimic, rival, match, measure up to
ANTONYMS: reject, shun, forbid
encomium (en-koh-mee-uh m)
(n.) a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute
On Veterans Day, the President delivered a heartfelt _________________ to those who died for their country.
SYNONYMS: panegyric, eulogy, commendation
ANTONYMS: condemnation, castigation, criticism
gambit (gam-bit)
(n.)in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of a
minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type
Asking an interesting stranger about his or her job is a popular party__________________.
SYNONYMS: ploy, stratagem, ruse, manuever
germane (jer-meyn)
(adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting
Bringing up examples from the past is not ____________________ to the present discussion.
SYNONYMS: pertinent
ANTONYMS: irrelevant, extraneous, inappropriate
histrionic (his-tree-on-ik)
(adj.) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic
Upon receiving his award, the young actor gave a ____________________ speech.
SYNONYMS: affected, stagy
ANTONYMS: low-keyed, muted, untheatrical, subdued
invidious (in-vid-ee-uh s)
(adj.) offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment
Teachers should avoid making ___________________ comparisons between their students.
SYNONYMS: malicious, spiteful, prejudicial, pejorative
ANTONYMS: complimentary, flattering, ameliorative
myopic (mahy-op-ik-oh-pik)
(Adj.) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment
The ___________ foreign policy of the last administration has led to serious problems with our allies.
SYNONYMS: shortsighted
ANTONYMS: farsighted
primordial (prahy-mawr- dee-uh l )
(adj.) developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest age; fundamental, basic
The ____________________ stages of most civilizations are founded on common needs met by common goals.
SYNONYMS: original, primeval, primal
ANTONYMS: modern
propriety (pruh-prahyi-tee)
(n.) the state of being proper, appropriateness; (pl.) standards of what is proper or socially acceptable
The social worker questioned the ____________________ of the police’s request to see confidential records.
SYNONYMS: fitness, correctness, decorum
ANTONYMS: unseemliness, inappropriateness
sacrilege (sak-ruh-lij)
(n.) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred
The anthropologist was accused of committing a ____________________ when she disturbed an ancient burial ground.
SYNONYMS: desecration, profanation, defilement
ANTONYMS: worship, purification, adoration
suppliant (suhp-lee-uh nt)
(adj.) asking humbly and earnestly;
(n.) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, a suitor
He made a _____________ address to the parole board.
Stranded in the deserted city of Moscow, Napoleon had to turn to the Czar not as a conqueror but as a
______________.
SYNONYMS: petitioner, seeker, solicitor, suitor
ANTONYMS: self asserting, clamant
taciturn (tas-i-turn)
(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little
Abraham Lincoln has the reputation of having a dour and _____________ personality.
SYNONYMS: tight-lipped, uncommunicative, laconic ANTONYMS: garrulous, loquacious, prolix, verbose
talisman (tal-is-muh n)
(n.) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish
Most people do not believe that rabbit's feet and other ___________ actually bring good luck.
SYNONYMS: lucky charm, amulet
ANTONYMS: curse, plague, jinx
viscous (vis-kuh s)
(adj.) having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity
The varnish left a ____________________ residue on the wood that was hard to remove.
SYNONYMS: gummy, sticky, thick
ANTONYMS: runny, watery, aqueous
Acquisitive
(adj.) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property
Animadversion
(n.) a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval
Banal
(adj.) hackneyed, trite, commonplace
Cacophonous
(adj.) harsh-sounding, raucous, discordant, dissonant
Celerity
(n.) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action
Dissemble
(v.) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression
Eschew
(v.) to avoid, shun, keep away from
Evince
(v.) to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke
Feckless
(adj.) lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak
Halcyon
(n.) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj.) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent
Intransigent
(adj.) refusing to compromise; irreconcilable
Maelstrom
(n.) a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction
Nefarious
(adj.) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards
Pejorative
(adj.) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling
Piquant
(adj.) stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative
Progeny
(n.) descendants, offspring, children, followers, Disciples
Summarily
(adv.) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely
Temporize
(v.) to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise
Unwonted
(adj.) not usual or expected; not in character
Verbiage
(n) language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness; a manner of expression
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