simplistic (adjective)
 Variants: simplistically (adverb)
 Definition: oversimplified; avoiding or ignoring
complexities
 Synonym: unsophisticated, naive
 Antonym: sophisticated, complicated
 His simplistic plan for economic improvement failed
to account for foreign investment and the GNP.
incredulous (adjective)
 Variants: incredulously (adverb); incredulousness
(noun)
 Definition: unwilling or unable to believe; showing
disbelief
 Synonym: skeptical
 Antonym: credulous, gullible
 The politician’s lavish promises provoked incredulous
responses rather than the admiration he sought.
ascetic (adjective)
 Variants: ascetically (adverb)
 Definition: Reflecting self-denial (as in religious
discipline); choosing minimal comforts
 Synonyms: austere, Spartan
 Antonym: self-indulgent, hedonistic
 Her modest room reflected the ascetic values she
advocated.
vicarious (adjective)
 vicariously (adverb), vicariousness (noun)
 Definition: Experienced through someone else rather
than first hand; endured as substitute for someone
else; delegated
 synonym: second-hand [experience]
 antonym: actual [experience]
 Because she loved her son, she found vicarious
pleasure in his tremendous successes.
allocation (noun)
 Variants: allocate (verb), allocatable (adjective);
allocator (noun)
 Definition: the act of setting aside for a special
purpose; designation
 Synonym: allotment, apportionment
 Antonym: abandonment
 Sentence: The mayor insisted the park district include
an allocation of land in order to build a playground.
 The mayor insisted the parked district allocate land for
a playground.
admonish (transitive verb)
 Variants: admonishment (noun)
 Definition: To caution, criticize, or counsel gently
against
 Synonym: chastise, reproach, rebuke
 Antonym: approve, commend, praise
 The anti-tobacco lobbyist admonished the President
for his inability to quit smoking.
presumptuous (adjective)
 presumptuously (adv.), presumptuousness (noun)
 overconfident, excessively forward, taking too much
for granted
 Syn: arrogant
 Ant: humble, modest
 Darcy’s presumptuous manner understandably offends
Elizabeth Bennet.
subversive (adjective,noun)
 variants: subvert (verb), subversively (adverb)
 Definition: tending or seeking to subvert, overthrow or
destroy (an established government, institution,
belief, etc)
 Synonym: rebellious, disloyal
 Antonym: loyal, faithful
 Sentence: The Canadian government—indeed, the
majority of Canadian citizens—believed the Nisei to
be subversive operatives.
vacuous (adjective)
 Variants: vacuously (adverb)
 Definition: without contents, empty
 Synonym: bare, blank, devoid
 Antonym: full, abundant
 Sentence: When the class looked at her with vacuous
stares, the teacher knew the lesson had failed.
avocation (noun)
 Variants: avocational (adjective)
 Definition: something a person does in addition to a
principal occupation, especially for pleasure
 Synonym: pastime, hobby
 Antonym: job, occupation
 Sentence: Oddly enough, the math teacher’s avocation
was the study of Old Norse epics.
impetus (noun)
 Variants:
 Definition: a moving force; impulse, stimulus
 Synonym: encouragement, incentive, motivation
 Antonym: hindrance, block
 Sentence: Dr. Martin Luther King’s speeches were the
impetus behind the civil rights movement.
reticent (adjective)
 Variants: reticently (adverb), reticence (noun)
 Definition: inclined to keep one’s thoughts and
feelings to oneself, secretive, quiet
 Synonym: reluctant, restrained, reserved
 Antonym: communicative, forward, unrestrained
 Sentence: The reticent student hid in the back row,
unwilling to participate in the class discussion.
physiognomy (noun)
 Variants: physiognomic (adj), physiognomically (adv)
 Definition: The features of somebody’s face especially
used as indicators of character or temperament.
 Synonym: aspect, look, visage
 Antonym: none
 Sentence: In Great Expectations, Pip is frightened by
the convict, for his physiognomy is menacing.
insipid (adjective)
 Variants: insipidness (noun), insipidly (adverb)
 Definition: without distinctive, interesting, or
stimulating qualities
 Synonym: bland, dull
 Antonym: exhilarating
 Sentence: Cauliflower’s insipid taste requires cheese or
spices to make it palatable.
tedium (noun)
 Variants: tedious (adjective), tediously (adverb)
 Definition: quality or condition of being wearisome or
boring
 Synonym: dullness, monotony
 Antonym: entertainment, excitement, diversion
 Sentence: In order to take the tedium out of exercise,
aerobic instructors rely on loud, exciting music.
cajole (verb)
 Variants: cajolery(noun), cajolingly(adverb)
 Definition: to persuade by flattery or promises
 Synonym: wheedle, coax, flatter
 Antonym: bully, force, repel
 Sentence: The boy cajoled her into giving him some of
her cookies.
blasé (adjective)
 Variants: none
 Definition: not impressed or worried by something,
usually because of previous experience
 Synonym: unconcerned, nonchalant
 Antonym: uptight, worried
 Sentence: Paris Hilton’s blasé attitude towards
spending money is typical of the very wealthy: they do
not have to worry about paying bills.
indolent (adjective)
 Variants: indolence (n), indolently (adv)
 Definition: Lethargic and not showing any interest.
Also describes a disease that is slow to develop and
causes no pain.
 Synonym: sluggish, apathetic, lazy
 Antonym: industrious, productive
 Sentence: It is difficult to move from summer’s
indolence to the necessary productivity of the school
year.
choleric (adjective)
 Variants: choler (noun)*, cholerically (adverb)
 *NOT cholera—that’s a disease!
 Definition: showing or tending to show anger or
irritation
 Synonym: bad-tempered, irascible
 Antonym: phlegmatic, impassive
 Sentence: Ivan Ilyich’s choleric manner intimidates
his family.
phlegmatic (adjective)
 Variants: phlegmatically (adverb)
 Definition: unemotional, difficult to excite to action
or display of emotion
 synonym: indifferent, undemonstrative
 antonym: energetic, lively
 Sentence: Obasan’s phlegmatic approach to life
irritates the crusading Emily.
impasse (noun )
 Variants: none
 Definition: predicament from which there is no
escape; impassible road or way
 Synonym: stalemate, deadlock
 Antonym: progress
 Sentence: After days of deliberation, the jury reached
an impasse, necessitating a new trial.
adulation (noun)
 Variants: adulate (verb)
 Definition: excessive flattery or adoration
 Synonym: obsequiousness, sycophancy
 Antonym: insult, offense
 Sentence: Robert Pattinson is the object of young
girls’ adulation.
censure (noun, verb)
 Variants: censure (transitive verb)
 Definition: judgment involving condemnation
 Synonym: rebuke, reproach
 Antonym: honor, acclamation
 Sentence: Following the lawyer’s emotional outburst,
the judge had no choice but to censure him.
dissimulation (noun)
 Variants: dissimulate (verb), dissimulative (adjective),
dissimulator (noun)
 Definition: act of deceiving/concealing true feelings
and intentions
 synonym: deception, deceit, disguise, dissembling
 antonym: frankness, honesty, truthfulness
 Sentence: As he becomes more desperately ill, Ivan
Ilyich finds dissimulation more difficult, and his
family is frightened by the anger he reveals.
droll (adjective)
 variants: droller, drollest (more adjectives), drolly
(adverb)
 definition: humorous, amusing in an odd way
 synonym: amusing, clownish, comical
 antonym: serious
 sentence: The professor entertained the class with his
droll impersonations of literary characters.
expectorate (verb)
 variants: expectoration (noun), expectorant (noun)
 definition: to expel matter, esp. phlegm
 synonym: flush out, eject
 antonym: inject, inhale, consume
 sentence: The doctor instructed the patient to
expectorate regularly to speed healing.
surfeit (noun)
 variants: surfeiter (I have never seen this!)
 definition: too great an amount or supply; excess;
overindulgence, esp. in food or drink
 synonym: satiate, excess, surplus
 antonym: deficit, insufficiency
 sentence: In the child’s opinion, his plate held a surfeit
of vegetables.
corroborate (trans. verb)
 variants: corroboration, corroborative, corroborant
 definition: to make more certain the validity of,
confirm, support
 synonym: confirm, support, substantiate
 antonym: contradict
 Sentence: To corroborate the rumor about Malfoy, the
trio made a Polyjuice potion.
morose (adjective)
 variants: moroseness, morosely
 definition: ill-tempered, gloomy, sullen
 synonym: glum, gloomy, depressed
 antonym: happy, cheerful
 sentence: The students were morose when the teacher
returned their tests.
auspicious (adjective)
 variants: auspiciously (adv), auspiciousness (n)
 definition: favored by fortune
 synonym: fortunate, prosperous
 antonym: ominous, unfortunate
 Sentence: The couple was married on 09/09/09, as
they believed the date to be an auspicious one.
vigilance (noun)
 variants: vigilant (adjective) vigilantly (adverb)
 definition: keenly watchful to detect danger; wary
 synonym: observant, attentive
 antonym: negligent, careless
 Sentence: The watchmen needed to remain vigilant to
protect their camp from any surprise attacks.
recourse (noun)
 variants: none
 definition: that which one turns to for help in
desperation
 synonym: refuge, resort
 antonym:
 sentence: Is Sonia’s only recourse prostitution, and is
Raskolnikov’s only recourse confession?
equivocal (adjective)
 variants: equivocalness (n), equivocally (adv),
equivocation (n)
 definition: allowing the possibility of multiple
meanings, susceptible to double interpretations
 synonym: ambiguous, dubious, questionable,
suspicious
 antonym: unquestionable, definite, clear
 sentence: Svidrigailov’s conversation is equivocal;
Raskolnikov cannot figure out his true intentions.
dubious (adjective)
 variants: dubiously (adverb), dubiousness (noun)
 definition: full of doubt or uncertainty
 synonym: doubtful, questionable, unsure
 antonym: certain, definite, sure, trustworthy
 sentence: He enjoyed the dubious distinction of
having the lowest GPA of the graduating class.
corporeal (adjective)
 variants: corporeality (noun); corporeally (adverb)
 definition: the physical body; material or physical
rather than spiritual
 synonym: bodily, physical
 antonym: mental, spiritual
 sentence: The doctor examined the corporeal remains
for clues to its identity.
chasten (verb)
 variants: chastener (n)
 definition: to punish in order to correct or make
better; chastise; subdue; refine as to make purer
 synonym: punish, discipline, correct
 antonym: commend, praise
 Sentence: The sadistic headmaster chastened errant
students with a leather strap.
resolute (adjective)
 variants: resolutely (adverb), resoluteness (noun)
 definition: having or showing a fixed, firm purpose;
determined; unwavering
 synonym: faithful, unyielding
 antonym: uncertain, unsure
 sentence: The Second Apparition advises Macbeth to
be “bloody, bold and resolute” for only a man not of
woman born can harm him.
languid (adjective)
 variants: languidness (n), languidly (adv)
 definition: without vigor or vitality; without spirit or
interest
 synonym: weak; listless; indifferent; sluggish
 antonym: energetic, lively
 sentence: His languid movements annoyed the movie
director, who envisioned a violent, wild scene.
dissolute (adjective)
 variants: dissolutely(adverb), dissoluteness (noun)
 definition: dissipated and immoral; debauched
 synonym: debauched, depraved, degenerate
 antonym: decent, upright, moral
 sentence: Svidrigailov’s reputation for dissolute
behavior disgusts Dunya.
extol (verb)
 variants: extoller (n); extolment (n)
 definition: to praise highly; laud
 synonym: praise, laud, acclaim
 antonym: disparage, denigrate
 sentence: Many journalists extol the virtues of our
President.
amorous (adjective)
 variants: amorousness (n), amorously (adv)
 definition: full of love, showing love or sexual desire
 synonym: passionate, ardent
 antonym: detached, unloving
 sentence: The amorous behavior displayed in high
school hallways is often disturbing.
scrupulous (adjective)
 variants: [from scruple] scrupulously (adv),
scrupulousness (n);
 definition: extremely careful to do the precisely right,
proper or correct thing in every last detail; obsessively
hesitant in deciding what is morally right
 synonym: careful, conscientious, meticulous
 antonym: careless, rash
 sentence: The scrupulous student double-checked all
his essay’s quotations to avoid plagiarism.
ponderous (adjective)
 variants: ponderously (adverb), ponderousness (noun)
 definition: very heavy; unwieldy because of weight
 synonym: heavy, weighty, dull and labored
 antonym: light
 sentence: Marley’s Ghost tells Ebenezer Scrooge that
the chain Scrooge bears is a ponderous one.
brevity (noun)
 related: brief (adjective), briefly (adverb)
 definition: the quality of being brief or concise
 synonym: conciseness, terseness
 antonym: length
 sentence: “Brevity is the soul of wit.”
deportment (noun)
 variants: deport (verb)
 definition: the manner of conducting or bearing
oneself
 synonym: manner, bearing, posture, behavior
 antonym: none
 sentence: Because she was a mature 12 year old, the
girl’s deportment did not accurately reflect her age.
prodigal (adjective)
 variants: prodigally (adverb), prodigality (noun)
 definition: exceedingly, recklessly wasteful
 synonym: wasteful, extravagant
 antonym: cautious, thrifty
 sentence: The prodigal shopper saved no money for
the gas she desperately needed for her return home.
intercession (noun)
 related: intercede (verb), intercessional (adjective)
 definition: the act of interceding, pleading or prayer on
behalf of another
 synonym: intervention, mediation
 antonym: none
 sentence: The marriage counselor’s intercession was
necessary for the fighting couple.
solicitous (adjective)
 variants: solicitously (adverb), solicitude (noun)
 definition: showing care, attention or concern
 synonym: attentive, considerate
 antonym: uncaring, unconcerned
 sentence: Although it was second semester senior
year, she maintained a solicitous attitude towards her
grades.
primeval (adjective)
 variants:
 definition: of the earliest times or ages
 synonym: primordial, primal, primitive
 antonym: modern
 sentence: Sally walked in the primeval forest, where
ancient groves awed her.
deprecate (transitive verb)
 related: deprecatingly (adverb), deprecation (noun)
 definition: to feel and express disapproval of
 synonym: denounce, denigrate
 antonym: approve, praise
 sentence: The staunch Republican deprecated the
policies of the Democratic Congress.
capitulate (verb)
 variants: capitulation (noun)
 definition: to surrender, especially on conditions
agreed upon
 synonym: acquiesce, submit, yield
 antonym: stand firm, remain resolute
 sentence: The class proposed watching a movie, and
the exhausted teacher willingly capitulated.
sardonic (adjective)
 variants: sardonically (adverb)
 definition: bitterly ironic, derisively mocking
 synonym: scornful, satirical, caustic
 antonym: respectful
 sentence: Despite his thirst for knowledge, the tough
teenager maintained a sardonic attitude towards
school when he was with his friends.
furtive (adjective)
 related: furtively (adverb), furtiveness (noun)
 definition: done by stealth
 synonym: secretive, sly, surreptitious
 antonym: open, direct
 sentence: Modestly lowering her eyes, the girl
continued to shoot furtive glances towards the
handsome new student.
ethereal (adjective)
 variants: ethereally (adverb); etherealize (verb)
 definition: light, delicate; heavenly
 synonym: unearthly, airy
 antonym: earthly, substantial
 sentence: The singer’s ethereal voice made me think
of heaven.
confound (verb)
 variants: confounded (adjective)
 definition: to mix up or lump together
indiscriminately; to make feel confused; to damn: used
as a mild oath
 synonym: puzzle, confuse
 antonym: clarify
 sentence: The rapid-fire delivery of the lecture
confounded all the students.
wry (adjective)
 related: wryly (adverb), wryness (noun)
 definition: made by twisting or distorting the features
(a wry face); dry, ironic (as in humor)
 synonym: ironic, cynical
 antonym: straight-forward
 sentence: Her wry expression signaled her amusement
with the awkward situation.
 sentence: Taking his words at face value, the audience
misunderstood his wry remarks.
veracity (noun)
 variants: veraciously (adverb); veracious (adjective)
 definition: habitual truthfulness; honesty
 synonym: truth
 antonym: dishonesty, false
 sentence: The man’s known veracity made him a
reliable witness.