1st quarter – 2015/2016

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1. assiduous

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

hardworking

diligentzealous

indifferentnegligent

lazy

(adjective)working

diligently at a task;

persevering; constant;

unremitting

adverb – assiduouslynoun – assiduousness

After five years of failed hypotheses and experiments, the assiduous researcher finally made a breakthrough in her field.

2. caustic

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

corrosivebiting

scathing

gentlemild

bland

(adjective)able to burn or

destroy via chemical

reaction; overly harsh and

critical; incisively sarcastic

adverb – caustically noun – causticity

Devastated by the caustic remarks of his cruel teacher, Timmy scrapped his project idea and went to his room to sulk.

3. chastise

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

beratecastigatediscipline

complimentlaud

praise

(verb)to reprimand or rebuke sharply;

to punish for wrongdoing

chastises/chastised/chastisingnoun – chastiser noun – chastisementadjective – chastisable

I chastised my nephew when he super-glued my rings to my fingers.

4. elucidate

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

expoundclarify

illuminate

obscureconfuse

complicate

(verb)to make

something clear, by explaining or

clarifying

elucidates/elucidated/elucidatingnoun – elucidator/elucidationadjective – elucidative

When creating a Power Point presentation, it is a good idea to create charts and other visual representations of the information to elucidate the ideas that you are trying to share.

5. exalt

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

promoteextollaud

condemndegradeshame

(verb)to raise in rank,

character, or status; to

glorify, honor, or praise

exalts/exalted/exaltingnoun – exalter/exaltation

Christians exalt the power and glory of their God during weekly services.

6. fallacious

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

erroneousillogical

misleading

logicalsoundvalid

(adjective)not true or accurate; tending to mislead;

deceptive

adverb – fallaciously noun – fallaciousness

Many consumers harbor the fallacious belief that credit-card debt will never catch up with them; thus, they continue their wanton spending.

7. hypocrisy

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

bigotrydeceitJudas

franknesstruthfulnessuprightness

(noun) the behavior of people who do things that they tell others not to do or that goes against something they feel or claim

to believe

noun – hypocrite adjective – hypocritical

When his private letters were made public, they revealed his hypocrisy, and he lost the election.

8. insurgent

Synonyms

~Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

rebelrevolutioni

stmutineer

loyalsteadfastobedient

(noun/adjective) a person who

fights against an established

government or authority

noun – insurgence adverb – insurgently

The insurgents hoped to fracture the backbone of the corrupt dictatorship.

9. placid

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

serene tranquil

composed

agitatedclamorousturbulent

(adjective)not easily upset or excited; not moving much;

calm and steady

adverb – placidly noun – placidity/placidness

The placid surface of the lake was disturbed when the boys threw rocks into it.

10. trite

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

banaldull

hackneyed

freshnew

original

(adjective)not interesting

or effective because of

overuse; not fresh or original

triter/tritestadverb – tritelynoun – triteness

When selecting a topic for a position paper, one should avoid trite arguments.

11. colloquial

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

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conversational

dialecticalvernacular

standardcorrectformal

(adjective)used when people are

speaking in an informal style

adverb – colloquiallynoun – colloquialism/colloquialness

When delivering a formal speech, one should avoid colloquial expressions.

12. crass

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

boorishchurlishvulgar

refinedsophisticated

polite

(adjective)having or showing no understanding

of what is appropriate or

acceptable; rude and insensitive

crasser/crassestadverb – crassly noun – crassitude/crassness

He is a loudmouthed jerk given to rude jokes and crass comments.

13. discerning

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

perceptiveastute

insightful

ignorantunaware

overlooking

(adjective)able to see and

understand people, things, and situations

clearly and intelligently

adverb – discerningly

A discerning critic of modern art, Professor Mallot is always invited to premier exhibitions, and the novice artists hope for a favorable review.

14. hyperbole

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

overstatement

exaggeration

embellishment

understatement

(noun)an extravagant exaggeration

adjective – hyperbolic

“Enough food to feed a whole army” is a common example of a hyperbole.

15. incisive

Synonyms

~Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

astutesharp

cutting

dullunintelligent

gentle

(adjective)penetrating,

clear, and sharp; biting or sarcastic

adverb – incisivelynoun – incisiveness

Known for her incisive mind and quick wit, Ellen Degeneres is frequently chosen as a host for awards shows.

16. judicious

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

prudentsensibleshrewd

carelessrash

unsound

(adjective)having or

showing sound judgement

adverb – judiciouslynoun – judiciousness

Judicious planning now can prevent problems later.

17. prerogative

Synonyms

~Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

birthrightchoice

due

dutyobligation

(noun)a right or

privilege, esp. a hereditary or official right

adjective – prerogatived

If you’d rather sell the tickets than use them, that’s your prerogative.

18. tacit

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

implicitunspokenassumed

statedexplicitdirect

(adjective)expressed or understood

without being directly stated

adverb – tacitlynoun – tacitness

With nothing more than a tacit agreement to respect one another’s space and privacy, the two roommates lived harmoniously.

19. tactless

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

blunderinggauche

unpolished

carefuldiscreettactful

(adjective)tending to upset or offend people;

bluntly inconsiderate or

indiscreet

adverb – tactlesslynoun – tact/tactlessness

Martha shunned Kevin after his tactless remark about her second-hand clothing.

20. whet

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

sharpenkindle

stimulate

bluntdampen

dull

(verb)to sharpen; to make keen or more acute

whets/whetted/whettingnoun – whetter

The ads, sales, and book-signings are all strategies used to whet the consumers’ interest.

21. ameliorate

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

alleviatelightenrelieve

aggravateintensifyworsen

(verb)to make better or

more tolerable

ameliorates/ameliorated/amelioratingnoun – amelioratoradjective – ameliorative/ameliorable

The medicine should help ameliorate the pain.

22. assent

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

acquiescenceconcurrence

consent

disagreementdisapproval

refusal

(verb)to agree to

something, esp. after careful

consideration

assents/assented/assentingnoun – assenteradverb – assentinglyadjective – assentive

The general proposed a detail plan, and the President assented and signed the proposition.

23. haphazard

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

randomerraticfluke

deliberateplanned

systematic

(adjective/adverb)having no plan,

order, or direction; chance

adverb – haphazardly noun – haphazardness

Considering the haphazard way you measured the ingredients, it’s lucky the cookies came out as well as they did!

24. incontrovertible

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

indisputableirrefutable

uncontestable

questionableuncertaindubious

(adjective)impossible to

dispute; unquestionable

adverb – incontrovertiblynoun – incontrovertibility noun – incontrovertibileness

The prosecution introduced a number of incontrovertible facts that left the jury with no choice but to convict.

25. intangible

Synonyms

Antonyms

Definition

Other Forms

etherealimpalpableuntouchabl

e

definitepalpable

touchable

(adjective)incapable of

being perceived by the senses,

touched, realized, or

defined

adverb – intangiblynoun – intangibleness/intangibility

Many students fail to realize education’s intangible benefits until it is too late.