Term
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Definition
to give up a position, right, or power.
a. When the people of his nation rallied against him, Gadhafi had no choice but to abdicate his position as dictator of Egypt.
b. Synonyms: resign, yield, quit, relinquish, cede |
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Term
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Definition
something different from usual
a. When Nina’s test scores dropped from 95’s to 78’s, her mother knew that it was an aberration to look into |
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Term
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Definition
bitter, sharp in taste or temper
a. Although many people mistook Mr. Pakaluk’s sarcasm for acerbic temperament, he was a really sweet man once you got to know him.
b. Synonyms: caustic, cutting, tart |
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Term
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Definition
)- to agree, to comply quietly
a. The only reason that Mike acquiesced to Sarah’s conditions was to avoid conflict, even if he felt otherwise
b. Synonyms: accede, consent, submit |
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Term
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Definition
to corrupt or make impure
a. Many people say that the Indian government is highly adulterated with bribes and celebrity government officials.
b. Synonyms: contaminate, dilute |
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Term
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Definition
to make larger or greater in power
a. Dictators of countries are always looking to aggrandize their power so that they have complete control over whatever happens in a country.
b. Synonyms: advance, elevate, exalt, glorify, magnify |
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Term
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Definition
symbolic representation
a. In the Odyssey, the female characters, such as Circe and the Sirens, are an allegory for the temptation that women represent, and the consequences that result from succumbing to the temptation.
b. Synonyms: metaphor and symbolism |
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Term
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Definition
preceding, previous, before, prior to
a. Traditionally, a wedding engagement is anterior to a wedding ceremony.
b. Synonyms: foregoing, previous |
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Term
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Definition
dislike, hostility, extreme opposition or aversion
a. The antipathy that some of the Indians had for the British was expressed through nonviolence as opposed to futile, violent demonstrations, which actually worked.
b. Synonyms: antagonism, enmity, malice |
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Term
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Definition
passionate, fervent, enthusiastic
a. Having watched every singly one of their games for the past four years, Matt was probably the Juju Marlin’s most ardent fan.
b. Synonyms: fervid, intense, vehement |
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Term
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Definition
great emotion or passion
a. Odysseus’s ardor to glorify himself is shown when he drastically exaggerates his heroic qualities when relating his tales to the King on the island with the young girls.
b. Synonyms: enthusiasm, zeal |
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Term
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Definition
harsh, severe, stern
a. Boarding school in England was very different from public school in America. The rules were very astringent, and Gina had a hard time getting used to them.
b. Bitter, caustic, sharp |
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Term
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Definition
monstrous, shockingly bad, wicked
a. Madame Sevelier knew that the young girl would not be a good candidate for her school when she walked through the door. Her disheveled appearance coupled with her atrocious habit of cracking gum were two strikes against her from the start.
b. Synonyms: appalling, deplorable, direful, horrible |
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Term
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Definition
to waste away, wither from disuse
a. One of the side effects of chemotherapy is muscular atrophy, because your body goes through so much and you get no exercise.
b. Synonyms: degenerate, deteriorate |
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Term
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Definition
having favorable prospects, promising
a. In Hindu culture, special events, such as weddings and engagement ceremonies are done on auspicious days determined by the position of the stars.
b. Synonyms: encouraging, hopeful, positive, propitious |
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Term
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Definition
greed
a. During the Gold Rush, many Chinese hopefuls sailed over from the Eastern side of the world and set up shop making money. Because of past actions, they are now stereotyped as being avaricious.
b. Synonyms: cupidity, rapacity |
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Term
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Definition
trite, overly common
a. When Mrs. Niksch and Roopa began suggesting famous movie phrases as themes for the upcoming issues of Overture, Kimberly and I knew that they were far too banal to be considered.
b. Synonyms: hackneyed, inane, shopworn |
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Term
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Definition
to harass, plague
a. When Amma made any kind of promise, Hima would beleaguer her to stick to it, putting both of them in a bad mood. So, Amma stopped making promises
b. Synonyms: beset, besiege |
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Term
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Definition
: hostile, tending to fight
a. After Sanjana received her math test back, she was in a belligerent mood, snapping at everyone who inquired about the test.
b. Synonyms: aggressive, bellicose, pugnacious, combative |
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Term
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Definition
to give of leave through a will, to pass down.
a. Bill Gates once said that he would bequeath only 10% of his immense fortune to his children, and donate the other 90% to charities.
b. Synonyms: bestow, pass on, transmit |
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Term
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Definition
to beg, plead, implore
a. The class beseeched Mr. Ellington for extra credit on the test, but he flat-out refused.
b. Synonyms: entreat, petition, supplicate. |
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Term
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Definition
to cheat, defraud
a. When a well-known con artist entered the hotel, everyone stiffened up, as if protecting themselves from being bilked.
b. Synonyms: dupe, fleece, swindle |
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Term
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Definition
blessing, something to be thankful for
a. After meditating on Lord Shiva for years, Ravana received a boon that would make him the most powerful mortal ever to live.
b. Synonyms: benefit, favor, treasure, windfall |
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Term
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Definition
1. : act of breaking, violation
a. In the movie “Smart House,” Sarah entering the hub is perceived as a security breach, and the house goes into lockdown.
b. Synonyms: contravention, dereliction, gap, lapse, rift |
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Term
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Definition
rough and abrupt in manner
a. When the deadline for the monthly magazine issue approached, Karly was very stressed out and adopted the brusque manner with everyone.
b. Synonyms: blunt, cuff, gruff, rude, tactless |
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Term
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Definition
rhythmic flow of poetry, marching beat
a. The band director set a new cadence for the song so all of the marching band members had to take a few minutes and work on the speed and fall of the new steps.
b. Synonyms: inflection, rhythm |
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Term
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Definition
to flatter, coax, persuade
a. Veronica often shamelessly cajoled her father into giving her money for shopping sprees.
b. Synonyms: blandish, wheedle |
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Term
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Definition
purification, cleansing
a. Meditation and yoga retreats result in an emotional and spiritual catharsis for most attendees.
b. Synonyms: purgation, release |
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Term
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Definition
with lordly disdain
a. Anne was annoyed by the teacher’s cavalier attitude towards her borderline grade.
b. Synonyms: disdainful |
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Term
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Definition
directed or moving towards the center
a. Centripetal force causes something to seek the center, whereas centrifugal is center-fleeing.
b. Synonym: centralizing |
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Term
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Definition
shame, embarrassment, humiliation
a. Much to the President’s chagrin, the video of him picking his nose during an international UN conference went viral, and even his own children made fun of him.
b. Synonyms: discomfiture, mortification |
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Term
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Definition
quack, fake
a. In this fragile economy and terrible times, it’s not uncommon to be conned by charlatans promising to complete expensive services for a low price.
b. Synomyms: fraud, humbug, imposter |
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Term
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Definition
secretive, concealed for a darker purpose
a. The Watergate Scandal was a clandestine operation until it was exposed.
b. Synonyms: covert, underground. |
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Term
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Definition
merciful leniency
a. The defendant begged for clemency, but the judge did not grant him any kind of reprieve, not willing to overlook his murderous past.
b. Synonym: indulgence, pardon |
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Term
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Definition
accompanying
a. The collateral damage from targeting killing is one of the main disadvantages of employing that strategy.
b. Synonyms: ancillary |
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Term
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Definition
physical grace and beauty
a. Madame Reporte’s School for Manners taught girls to achieve proper decorum, even if their comeliness wasn’t as present as it should be.
b. Attractiveness, seemliness |
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Term
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Definition
existing since birth
a. All of the mutations in the baby’s genome were congenital, not changes from the environment
b. Synonyms: innate |
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Term
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Definition
speculation, prediction
a. Geometry is all about making conjectures and then trying to prove or disprove them.
b. Synonyms: hypothesis, postulation, supposition |
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Term
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Definition
to evoke a spirit, cast a spell
a. The wizard conjured a mouse to taunt the little boy and scare him into giving the wizard his candy.
b. Synonyms: summon |
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Term
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Definition
to explain or interpret
a. It’s not good to write important things in emails, because they can be easily misconstrued and you will find yourself in some very deep yogurt.
b. Synonyms: analyze, translate |
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Term
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Definition
accomplished, complete, perfect
a. Although a neurosurgeon goes through so much schooling that they are in their mid-thirties before they start their careers, they are in no way consummate, because there is just so much to learn!
b. Synonyms: exhaustive, flawless, ideal, thorough |
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Term
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Definition
to call together, summon
a. For her daughter’s sixteenth birthday, Farah convoked all of their closet friends to come to their house for a surprise party.
b. Synonyms: assemble, convene, gather |
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Term
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Definition
twisted, complicated, involved
a. All baroque music, especially Bach’s, is chock-full of mordents, trills, and all kinds of ornaments, making it so convoluted that it can be nearly impossible to play.
b. Synonyms: baroque, elaborate, intricate |
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Term
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Definition
abundant, plentiful
a. As soon as the school year started, Ms. Tiederman started assigning copious amount of homework such that her students were up into the early hours of the morning.
b. Synonyms: abounding, ample |
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Term
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Definition
to confirm, verify, prove
a. The witness was obviously scared by the lawyer’s daunting demeanor, although all the lawyer was doing was corroborating the facts of the murder.
b. Synonyms: comfirm, prove, substantiate, warrant |
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Term
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Definition
facial expression, look of approval or support.
a. The witness was obviously scared by the lawyer’s daunting countenance, although all the lawyer was doing was corroborating the facts of the murder.
b. Synonyms: face, expression |
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Term
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Definition
gradual increase in volume of sound
a. The music had a great big crescendo leading up to the end, making for a very grandiose finish.
b. Synonyms: progressively greater |
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Term
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Definition
): guilty, responsible for wrong
a. Rena was held culpable for stealing the last cookie, although she had been out of the house for the past week.
b. Synonyms: answerable, blameworthy |
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Term
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Definition
1. cranky person
a. Mr. Potter seemed like an old curmudgeon, but those who really knew him knew that was a real sweetheart.
b. Synonyms: coot, crab, grouch |
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Term
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Definition
1. hastily done, superficial
a. The model gave her new manager a cursory smile, before walking off to grab a teen magazine.
Synonyms: careless, shallow |
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Term
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Definition
to discourage, intimidate
a. Irina tried not to cry when she finally came to terms with the daunting pile of work in front of her, knowing that she would be in the office for a while.
b. Synonyms: consternate, demoralize, dishearten |
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Term
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Definition
to degrade or lower in quality or stature
a. Once she noticed the miniscule scratch in the stone, she immediately debased its quality on her sheet, marking it much lower than its former perfect form.
b. Synonyms: adulterate, defile, demean, denigrate |
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Term
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Definition
to weaken, enfeeble
a. Although he had taken the oath of the US Postal Service, trekking through the snow everyday was starting to debilitate Rick’s morale.
b. Synonyms: devitalize, drain, enervate, exhaust, sap |
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Term
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Definition
to discredit, disprove
a. MythBusters is all about debunking common myths using science.
b. Synonyms: belie, confute, contradict, contravert, explode |
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Term
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Definition
respectful and polite in a submissive way
a. All new interns must be deferential to their supervisors until they have earned the right engage in intelligent conversation with them.
b. Synonyms: courteous, obsequious |
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Term
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Definition
skillful, dexterous
a. The handyman deftly unscrewed the bent screw in the elevator and patched it with a chewing gum putty, but just until the new parts arrived the following week.
b. Synonyms: adept, adroit, expert, proficient, nimble |
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Term
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Definition
to submerge, overwhelm, flood
a. All procrastinators will agree that it isn’t fun to be deluged in the immense depths of a research project the night before it is due.
b. Synonyms: engulf, immerse, inundate, swamp, whelm |
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Term
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Definition
to slur or blacken someone’s reputation
a. Clinton was greatly denigrated when it came out that he had been cheating on his wife, to the point where he was almost impeached.
b. Synonyms: belittle, disparage, malign, slander |
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Term
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Definition
sinfulness, moral corruption
a. The fact that Mitt Romney asked his wife, Ann for an open marriage, shows his depravity, and proves that he would not make a good president.
b. Synonyms: debauchery, corruption, decadence, degradation, enormity |
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Term
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Definition
to belittle, disparage
a. Humble people will not deprecate the work of those who helped them rise to the top, instead acknowledging them for help in every stage.
b. Synonyms: denigrate, discount, minimize |
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Term
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Definition
to lose value gradually
a. New cars usually depreciate at a value of 20-30% so it is much better to buy a fixed-up used car.
b. Synonyms: lessen |
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Term
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Definition
to abuse something sacred
a. To even attempt to put your feet toward an idol of god is to desecrate him.
b. Synonyms: defile, degrade, profane, violate
63. despondent (adj): discouraged, dejected |
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Term
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Definition
discouraged, dejected
a. After Sonia got her test scores back, she was despondent, refusing to eat at all for three days
b. Synonyms: dejected, depressed, desolate, forlorn, sad |
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Term
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Definition
tyrannical ruler
a. Atilla the Hun was truly a despot, ruling his subjects mercilessly, taking input from only himself.
b. Synonyms: authoritation, autocrat, dictator, totalitarian |
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Term
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Definition
very poor, poverty stricken
a. It’s true that some people in third-world countries are destitute, but a few in those same countries really do live the high life.
b. Synonyms: broke, impecunious, insolvent, needy, penurious |
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Term
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Definition
skilled physically or mentally
a. Piano player need to have dexterous fingers to be able to have a good repertoire.
b. Synonyms: adroit, adept, deft, nimble, skilled. |
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Term
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Definition
fiendish, wicked
a. Fremont is a diabolical persona in the Class of 2015’s homecoming skit, but his evil plans are foiled in the end.
b. Synonyms: evil |
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Term
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Definition
bitter verbal attack
a. Senorita Brunner really put her students in their places with her diatribe about leaving work if she didn’t have to pay for her mortgage.
b. Synonyms: fulmination, harangue, jeremiad, philippic, tirade |
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Term
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Definition
: small
a. Most small dogs, although diminutive, are very aggressive and know how to defend themselves against the bigger dogs.
b. Synonyms: minuscule, short, tiny, wee |
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Term
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Definition
bewildering, perplexing, slightly disturbing
a. The fact that both of the Kratt brothers were 40 years old and still doing their public television show for kids with no aims to get anywhere further was slightly disconcerting.
b. Synonyms: upsetting |
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Term
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Definition
to belittle, to speak disrespectfully about
a. Although Amy was clearly the better candidate for valedictorian, Sean was a bad sport about it, trying to disparage her every chance he got.
b. Synonyms: denigrate, deride, derogate, ridicule |
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Term
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Definition
to spread far and wide
a. The way technology has evolved over the years has enabled us to disseminate information to an incredibly huge number of people within a minute through mass emails.
b. Synonyms: circulate, diffuse, disperse |
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Term
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Definition
difference of opinion
a. Congress is usually in deadlock about minute issues, and the frustrating thing about it is that the dissension doesn’t change. Nobody budges on their stance.
b. Synonyms: disagreement |
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Term
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Definition
to scatter, to pursue pleasure to excess
a. When Michaela found out that Paivi had been lying to her about knowing that Mrs. Brown was going to die, all the concern and pity she felt for her dissipated.
b. Synonyms: carouse, consume, disperse, dissolve, squander |
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Term
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Definition
threat of force of intimidation, imprisonment
a. The Andersons only succumbed to the pressure put on them by the ATC under great emotional duress, knowing that their children would be killed if they didn’t comply with the regulations that ATC put out for them.
b. Synonyms: coercion, compulsion, constraint, pressure |
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Term
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Definition
1. to fade away, recede
a. One of the best things about going to the beach is sitting back and just watching the tide ebb and flow, go out and come in.
b. Synonyms: abate, retreat, subside, wane, withdraw |
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Term
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Definition
law, command, official public order
a. Hammurabi’s Code was a series of edicts for all of the community to follow, filled with all sorts of cruel and unusual punishments.
b. Synonyms: decree, dictum directive, fiat, ukase. |
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Term
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Definition
stuffed doll, likeness of a person
a. Guy Fawkes day is that day in Britain for everyone to enjoy a bonfire and burn an old effigy of Guy Fawkes
b. Synonyms: dummy, figure, image. |
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Term
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Definition
conspicuously bad
a. The SAT Bootcamp claiming to be the “basttt in the area,” was egregious. If they couldn’t even spend enough money to have a correctly spelled sign, how were they supposed to teach students properly
b. Synonyms: blatant, flagrant, glaring, gross, rank |
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Term
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Definition
to plead, beg, implore
a. The class entreated Mr. Ellington for extra credit on the test, but he flat-out refused.
b. Synonyms: beseech, implore, importune, petition, request |
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Term
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Definition
not earthly, spiritual, delicate
a. Photos taken over long exposures blur the movement of water, giving the picture an ethereal, fantastical look.
b. Synonyms: airy, diaphanous, gossamer, intangible, sheer |
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Term
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Definition
to aggravate, intensify the bad qualities of
a. Multitasking while studying, in terms of being on Facebook, will only exacerbate the already abysmal time-management skills of the average teenager.
b. Synonyms: deepen, escalate, worsen |
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Term
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Definition
to remove from a grave, uncover a secret
a. Gin was appalled when she exhumed the pictures of her family and the phone conversation the Dak had with the FBI and the Yard.
b. Synonyms: disinter, unearth |
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Term
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Definition
to clear of blame, absolve
a. Although Lillian had no way to exonerate herself from breaking all of the friendships in the her group, she knew she was innocent, and tht’s what got her through that horrible time.
b. Synonyms: acquit, exculpate, vindicate |
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Term
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Definition
to free from, disentangle
a. The monkey found himself tangled in the intricate web of ropes that were his playground, and he worked hard to extricate himself so he could continue playing.
b. Synonyms: disencumber, disengage, release, untangle |
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Term
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Definition
careful with detail
a. Like Atul Gawande says, surgeons must be fastidious and go over every single detail to prevent accidents like leaving instruments inside the patient or operating on the wrong side of the body.
b. Synonyms: meticulous, painstaking, precise, punctililous, scrupulous. |
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Term
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Definition
foul-smelling, putrid
a. The fetid odor that the week-old carcass emitted caused Shana to lose her lunch, throwing up all over the principal’s shoes.
b. Synonyms: funky, malodorous, noisome, rank, stinky |
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Term
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Definition
weak, flabby, weak
b. Synonyms: floppy, soft |
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Term
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Definition
strong point, something a person does well
a. Since math wasn’t exactly her forte, Serrina learned to use her calculator very well.
b. Synonyms: métier, specialty |
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Term
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Definition
to fall helplessly, to sink
a. The four year-old panicked and began to founder in the lake before her father dove in and saved her.
b. Synonyms: immerse, miscarry, plunge |
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