Assuage

uh-swaij

[image]

to ease, relieve, or lessen

Taking TestTakers will assuage your nervousness about the SATs.

Synonym: migitate (91)

Munificent

myoo-ni-fi-sent

[image]

very generous

Munificent Mona donated much money to the needy.

Antonyms: miserly (94), parsimonious (125)

Enhance

en-hants

[image]

to improve

Learning the local customs can greatly enhance the pleasure of traveling in a foreign land.

Antonym: diminish (309)

Obscure

ob-skyoor

[image]

difficult to understand; difficult to see

Nostradamus made dozens of obscure prophecies concerning the end of the world.

Synonyms: esoteric (14), enigmatic (59), cryptic (161), inscrutable (331), abstruse (338)

Antonym: comprehensible (159)

Capricious

kuh-prish-uss

 [image]

tending to change one's mind suddenly

The capricious cat suddenly decided to take a cat-nap.

Synonym: mercurial (283)

Corrupt

kuh-rupt

[image]

to change from good to bad

Rock and roll corrupts the soul.

Corrupt also means morally bad -- like a corrupt politician.

Synonyms: depraved (176), nefarious (284)

Antonym: virtous (111)

Ascend

uh-send

[image]

to move upwards

If you ascend a cliff carelessly, you may send yourself to your death.

Memorizing tip: ascend is the opposite of descend.

Extricate

ek-stri-kait

[image]

to free from difficulty

With a good lawyer, you can extricate yourself from many legal difficulties.

Memorizing tip: extricate sounds like extract

Quiescence

kwee-ess-unts

[image]

inactivity

After the frantic rush of Christmas gift-buying, the shopping mall fell into a period of quiescence.

Memorizing tip: think of quietness. The two words don't mean the same thing, but they are related.

Synonym: dormant (187)

Disperse

di-spurss

[image]

to spread widely

The police used clubs and tear gas to disperse the protesters.

Synonyms: disseminate (177), dissipate (298)