Term
|
Definition
Talkative, talking much and easily, characterized by a great and continuous flow of
words.
Synonyms: long-winded, glib (Level 3, Word 8), garrulous (Level 4, Word 8),
loquacious, verbose (Level 2, Word 30), effusive.
Antonyms: reticent, terse (Level 3, Word 3), laconic (Level 3, Word 18), taciturn. |
|
|
Term
| COMMISERATE (kuh-MIZ-uh-rayt) |
|
Definition
To sympathize, feel or express sympathy, show sorrow or pity for.
Synonym: condole.
Usage tip: Commiserate is often followed by with: "They commiserated with her." |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
A predicament; specifically, a predicament in which one must choose between equally
undesirable alternatives.
Synonyms: quandary (Level 3, Word 27), quagmire. |
|
|
Term
| TRANSITORY (TRAM-si-tor-ee or TRAN-zi-for-ee) |
|
Definition
Passing, temporary, fleeting, not permanent or enduring.
Synonyms: transient (Level 2, Word 31), ephemeral (Level 4, Word 12), evanescent.
Etymology and related words: Transitory, transient, transit, and transition all come
from the Latin transire, to go or pass over. |
|
|
Term
| PHILANTHROPIC (FIL-an-THRAHP-ik) |
|
Definition
Charitable, benevolent, humane; motivated by or done out of a desire to help or improve
the welfare of others.
Corresponding noun: philanthropy.
Etymology and related words: Philanthropy and philanthropic both come from the
Greek philein, to love (as in philosophy, literally "love of wisdom," and philharmonic,
literally "loving or devoted to music"), and anthropos, man (as in anthropology, the study
of mankind, of human customs, habits, and traditions, and anthropomorphic, shaped like
or resembling a man or human being). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Lack of energy, sluggishness, dullness; an abnormally dull, drowsy, inactive condition or
state of mind.
Synonyms: apathy, stupor, torpor, somnolence, lassitude, languor, stupefaction.
Corresponding adjective: lethargic. |
|
|
Term
| EXONERATE (eg-ZAHN-uh-rayt) |
|
Definition
To free from blame; free from a charge or the imputation of guilt; declare blameless or
innocent.
Synonyms: acquit, absolve, exculpate (ek-SKUHLpayt or EKS-kul-payt).
Etymology: Exonerate combines the Latin ex-, out, with onus, a burden; in modern
usage, removing the burden of guilt. |
|
|
Term
| PUGNACIOUS (puhg-NAY-shus) |
|
Definition
Given to fighting, combative, quarrelsome, ready and willing to fight.
Synonyms: contentious, belligerent, bellicose.
Antonyms: peaceable, clement (Level 2, Word 43), amicable.
Etymology: Pugnacious comes from the Latin pugnare, to box, fight with the fists, ready
to put up his dukes. |
|
|
Term
| CONTRITION (kun-TRISH-in) |
|
Definition
Remorse, penitence, repentance, deep and devastating sorrow for one's sins or for
something one has done wrong. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
To abolish by legal or authoritative action or decree.
Synonyms: cancel, revoke, repeal, annul, nullify, rescind (Level 3, Word 31). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Meddlesome, nosy, intrusive, interfering, prying; specifically, offering unwanted advice
or unnecessary services, especially in a highhanded, overbearing way. |
|
|
Term
| INTRACTABLE (in-TRAK-tuh-buul) |
|
Definition
Hard to manage or control, stubborn, unruly.
Antonyms: obedient, compliant, malleable (Level 2, Word 29), docile, tractable.
Etymology and related words: The antonyms tractable and intractable, and the familiar
words traction and tractor, come from the Latin tractare, to drag around, haul; also, to
manage, control. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Selflessness, unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
Antonym: egoism, self-centeredness; specifically, the doctrine that self-interest is the
proper goal of the individual.
Usage tip: Egoism is distinguished from egotism, which denotes extreme selfinvolvement,
excessive reference to oneself in speech or writing.
Corresponding noun: altruist, a person who puts the needs of others and of society first. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
An award; sign of respect or esteem; expression of praise; mark of acknowledgment;
anything done or given as a token of appreciation or approval. |
|
|
Term
| VERNACULAR (vur-NAK-yuh-lur) |
|
Definition
The native language of a people; especially, the common, everyday, informal language of
ordinary people.
Corresponding adjective: vernacular, of or pertaining to the common, everyday
language of ordinary people; also, native as opposed to foreign. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Wise and careful, having or showing sound judgment.
Synonyms: sensible, levelheaded, prudent (Level 1, Word 47), discreet.
Antonyms: thoughtless, foolhardy, impetuous, temerarious. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
(1) The pupa of a butterfly; the stage during which the insect is enclosed in a case or
cocoon.
(2) A sheltered and undeveloped state or stage of being. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Refined, polite, well-bred, sophisticated; elegantly stylish or fashionable; pertaining or
belonging to high society. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Merry, full of good humor, hearty and fun-loving, jolly.
Synonyms: sociable, jolly, convivial (Level 5, Word 46). |
|
|
Term
| SUBTERFUGE (SUHB-tur-fyooj) |
|
Definition
A deception, trick, underhanded scheme.
Synonyms: stratagem, artifice, ruse (rhymes with fuse and choose). |
|
|
Term
| EBULLIENCE (i-BUHL-yints or i-BUUL-yints) |
|
Definition
Lively enthusiasm, high spirits, bubbly excitement.
Synonyms: exuberance, exhilaration, effervescence. |
|
|
Term
| IMPERVIOUS (im-PUR-vee-us) |
|
Definition
Impenetrable, incapable of being entered or passed through; hence, unable to be moved
or affected by something.
Synonyms: impassable, impermeable, opaque.
Antonyms: penetrable, passable, accessible, permeable, translucent, diaphanous. |
|
|
Term
| REMONSTRATE (ruh-MAHN-strayt) |
|
Definition
To object, protest, reprove, rebuke, argue or plead against.
Synonym: expostulate |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
(1) To rub out, wipe out, erase.
(2) To withdraw from notice, make oneself inconspicuous.
Synonyms: obliterate, expunge. |
|
|
Term
| CHIMERA (ky-MEER-uh, also ki-MEER-uh) |
|
Definition
A foolish fancy, fantastic notion or idea, figment of the imagination.
Synonyms: whimsy, crotchet, maggot, caprice.
Etymology: In Greek mythology, the Chimera was a fire-breathing monster with the
head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. In modern usage chimera may
refer to that fabulous creature or to any absurd and fabulous creation of the mind.
Corresponding adjective: chimerical, imaginary, fantastic, preposterous, absurd. |
|
|
Term
| INCORRIGIBLE (in-KOR-ij-uh-buul) |
|
Definition
(1) Bad beyond correction or reform, hopeless, irreformable.
Synonyms: irredeemable, irreclaimable, unrepentant, inveterate, unregenerate.
(2) Unruly, unmanageable, difficult to control.
Synonyms: obstinate (Level 1, word 34), willful, intractable.
Antonym: corrigible, capable of being corrected, amended, or reformed. |
|
|
Term
| JUXTAPOSE (juks-tuh-POHZ) |
|
Definition
To place side by side or close together, especially so as to compare or contrast.
Etymology and related words: Juxtapose comes from the Latin juxta, near, close by,
and ponere, to put, place, the source also of position and posit (PAH-zit), to put forward
as true, set down as a fact.
Corresponding noun: juxtaposition. |
|
|
Term
| CONVERSANT (kun-VUR-sint) |
|
Definition
Familiar, acquainted, well-informed or well-versed.
Etymology and related words: Conversant comes from the Latin conversari, to
associate with, the source also of converse and conversation.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the synonyms conversant and versed. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Intended for or designed to be understood only by a select group, known only by a few
people; hence, not public, secret, confidential.
Synonyms: mysterious, impenetrable, inscrutable (Level 3, Word 48), cryptic, abstruse,
arcane, recondite (REK-un-dyt).
Antonyms: plain, apparent, accessible, manifest, discernible (Level 3, Word 32), lucid
(Level 3, Word 45), perspicuous. The direct antonym is exoteric. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Favorable, fortunate; marked by favorable circumstances or good fortune; conducive to
success; boding well.
Synonym: propitious. |
|
|
Term
| ITINERANT (eye-TIN-ur-int) |
|
Definition
Wandering, traveling about, moving from place to place, especially to perform work.
Synonyms: migratory, wayfaring, vagrant, nomadic, ambulatory, peripatetic (Level 9,
Word 47).
Etymology and related words: Itinerant and itinerary come from the Late Latin verb
itinerari, to travel, go on a journey. An itinerary is a route or course taken on a journey,
especially a detailed plan or list of places to visit while traveling.
Corresponding noun: Itinerant, an itinerant person, a wanderer, wayfarer, someone who
travels from place to place. |
|
|
Term
| CULL (KUHL, rhymes with gull) |
|
Definition
| To pick out, select from various sources, gather, collect. |
|
|
Term
| PROMULGATE (pruh-MUHL-gayt or PRAHM-ul-gayt) |
|
Definition
To make known, publish, proclaim, make public in an official manner.
Synonyms: announce, advertise, broadcast, disseminate, bruit (like brute). All these
words suggest bringing something to the attention of the public, making it widely known. |
|
|
Term
| GRATUITOUS (gruh-T(Y)OO-i-tus) |
|
Definition
(1) Free; given without charge or obligation.
(2) Without legitimate cause or reason; uncalledfor, unjustified, baseless, unwarranted. |
|
|
Term
| NOMENCLATURE (NOH-men-KLAY-chur) |
|
Definition
A system of names, especially a system of names used in a science, art, or branch of
knowledge. |
|
|
Term
| DROLL (rhymes with coal and hole) |
|
Definition
Amusing, humorous, comical; especially, funny or witty in an odd or outrageous way.
Synonyms: ridiculous, ludicrous, farcical, waggish.
Antonyms: sober, sedate, staid (rhymes with fade), austere (Level 3, Word 17).
Corresponding noun: drollery. |
|
|
Term
| INSATIABLE (in-SAY-shuh-buul) |
|
Definition
Greedy, hungry, unable to be satisfied or appeased.
Synonyms: ravenous, voracious, unquenchable, unappeasable.
Antonym: satiable, capable of being satisfied. |
|
|
Term
| BEGUILE (bi-GYL, rhymes with a smile) |
|
Definition
(1) To deceive, delude, or mislead.
Synonyms: dupe, gull, hoodwink, swindle, bamboozle, ensnare, cozen (pronounced like
cousin).
(2) To charm, amuse, or delight.
Synonyms: enchant, enrapture, enthrall, ensorcel (en-SOR-sul). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Seeking or wanting revenge, vengeful, characterized by a desire to get even |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Fully or richly supplied, well-stocked, chock-full, filled to capacity.
Synonyms: stuffed, crammed, gorged, abounding, brimming, teeming, laden,
surfeited. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
To prevent, make impossible, exclude or shut off all possibility of something
happening.
Synonyms: avert, obviate, forestall.
Antonyms: incite, instigate, engender. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
To punish or criticize severely.
Synonyms: chasten, chastise, rebuke, reprimand, reprove, censure (Level 3, Word 28).
Antonyms: approve, reward, praise, commend, laud, extol, eulogize. |
|
|
Term
| COLLOQUIAL (kuh-LOH-kwee-ul) |
|
Definition
Conversational; pertaining to, characteristic of, or used in spoken language; hence,
informal, casual, natural. |
|
|
Term
| OBFUSCATE (uhb-FUHS-kayt or AHB-fuh-skayt) |
|
Definition
To make obscure, cloud over, darken, make unclear or indistinct.
Synonyms: confuse, complicate, muddle, bewilder, shroud, eclipse, adumbrate (ad-
UHMbrayt or AD-uhm-brayt).
Antonyms: expose, unveil, clarify, elucidate. |
|
|
Term
| FACILE (FAS'l, rhymes with castle) |
|
Definition
| Easy, easily done; performed or achieved in an easy, effortless way; working or acting in a smooth, free, and unrestrained manner. Synonyms: quick, ready, fluent, nimble, dexterous, expert, adroit (Level 3, Word 41). Antonyms: difficult, awkward, unwieldy, laborious, irksome, obstinate (Level 1, Word 34), onerous (Level 4, Word 13), intractable (Level 5, Word 12), refractory (ri-FRAKtuh- ree). |
|
|
Term
| CONVIVIAL (kun-VIV-ee-ul) |
|
Definition
Sociable, merry, festive.
Synonyms: jovial (Level 5, Word 19), genial, companionable, affable, gregarious.
Antonyms: unsociable, reserved, solitary, aloof. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| To avoid, shun, abstain from; keep away from something harmful, wrong, or distasteful. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Enormous, huge, tremendous, immense; extraordinary in size, extent, force, or degree.
Synonyms: mammoth, monumental, colossal, gargantuan, elephantine (EL-uh-FAN-tin,
EL-uh-FAN-teen, or EL-uh-FAN-tyn, in order of preference), herculean (hur-KYOOlee-
in or HUR-kyoo-LEE-in), Brobdingnagian (BRAHB-ding-NAG-ee-in; antonym:
Lilliputian). The last four synonyms listed are discussed in detail. |
|
|
Term
| IDIOSYNCRASY (ID-ee-oh-SIN-kruh-see) |
|
Definition
A peculiarity; distinctive characteristic of a person or group; an identifying trait or
mannerism. |
|
|
Term
| APPROBATION (AP-roh-BAY-shin) |
|
Definition
Approval, acceptance; especially, official approval or authorization.
Synonyms: commendation, endorsement, sanction, ratification, acclamation.
Antonyms: rejection, opposition, disapprobation, renunciation, repudiation, disavowal,
abjuration. |
|
|
Term
| LEGERDEMAIN (LEJ-ur-duh-MAYN) |
|
Definition
Sleight of hand; a cleverly executed trick or deception.
Synonyms: magic, prestidigitation, thaumaturgy. |
|
|
Term
| PUERILE (PYOOR-ul or PYOO-ur-ul) |
|
Definition
Childish, immature; hence, foolish, silly. Etymology: Latin puerilis, youthful, from puer,
a child.
Synonyms: ("childish or immature") infantile, juvenile; ("foolish or silly") inane;
frivolous, asinine, fatuous, sophomoric, callow (Level 4, Word 30). |
|
|
Term
| COMPLICITY (kuhm-PLIS-i-tee) |
|
Definition
Conspiracy, partnership in wrongdoing, criminal participation, direct association in guilt,
the state of being an accomplice. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
To transform; specifically, to change from one nature, form, or substance into another,
especially to a higher, better, or more refined one. Etymology: Prefix trans-, "across"
or "beyond," and Latin mutare, to change. Literally, transmute means "to change
across the board" or "to change something beyond what it is." |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Difficult to understand, hard to grasp mentally, deep, profound, incomprehensible,
unfathomable.
Synonyms: inscrutable (Level 3, Word 48), esoteric (Level 5, Word 29), occult,
cryptic, enigmatic, arcane, recondite, acroamatic.
Antonyms: manifest, discernible (Level 3, Word 32), lucid (Level 3, Word 45),
perspicuous. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
To instruct, improve, teach, enlighten; especially, to instruct or improve intellectually,
morally, or spiritually. |
|
|
Term
| SUPERCILIOUS (SOO-pur-SIL-ee-us) |
|
Definition
| Haughty, proud, scornful, contemptuous, disdainful. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
To disguise; conceal under a false appearance; speak or behave hypocritically; cover up
the facts or one's true feelings or motives; mask under a pretense or deceptive manner.
Synonyms: feign, affect, simulate, camouflage, equivocate, prevaricate. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Empty, vacant; devoid of substance, interest, intelligence, expression, or meaning.
Synonyms: blank, unintelligent, shallow, stupid, senseless, inane, fatuous.
Corresponding noun: vacuity, emptiness, an absence of matter or intellectual content. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Roomy, spacious, ample, able to contain or hold a great deal.
Synonyms: When used literally, capacious is a synonym of spacious and roomy: a
capacious house; their capacious office. When used figuratively, capacious is a
synonym of broad and comprehensive: a capacious intellect; a capacious view; a
capacious treatment of a subject. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Helping or pertaining to the memory, assisting or improving the ability to recall. |
|
|
Term
| SONOROUS (suh-NOR-us or SAHN-uh-rus) |
|
Definition
Resonant; deep, full, and rich in sound; having, or capable of producing, a powerful,
impressive sound. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
To warn or notify of a fault or error, especially in conduct or attitude; to criticize or
reprove gently but earnestly.
Synonyms: advise, counsel, caution, apprise, exhort, expostulate. |
|
|
Term
| PARADIGM (PAR-uh-dim or PAR-uh-dym) |
|
Definition
| An example, model, or pattern. |
|
|
Term
| CIRCUITOUS (sur-KYOO-i-tus) |
|
Definition
Roundabout, indirect, not straightforward, following a roundabout and often extended
course.
Synonyms: devious, meandering, sinuous, tortuous, serpentine, labyrinthine (like a
labyrinth or maze). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
To clear from blame, free from suspicion of wrongdoing or dishonor; uphold or maintain
the truth or innocence of something or someone in the face of criticism or imputations of
guilt. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Rural, rustic, of or pertaining to country life.
Synonyms: pastoral, provincial, agrarian, idyllic, Arcadian.
Antonyms: urban, municipal, civic, metropolitan, cosmopolitan. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
To banish, send into exile, expel from a place; to bar, exclude, or reject from a group or
from acceptance by society. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
An excess, surplus, overabundance, oversupply.
Synonyms: superabundance, profusion, superfluity, surfeit (Level 8, Word 49).
Antonyms: scarcity, insufficiency, dearth (Level 3, Word 12), paucity (Level 10, Word
2). |
|
|
Term
| PROCLIVITY (pro-KLIV-i-tee) |
|
Definition
An inclination, liking, leaning; a strong natural bent or tendency, often toward
something disagreeable, objectionable, or wicked.
Synonyms: partiality, penchant (Level 3, Word 9), predisposition, predilection (Level
8, Word 42), propensity. |
|
|
Term
| COMMENSURATE (kuh-MEN-shur-it) |
|
Definition
Proportionate, corresponding in amount, measure, or degree; also, equal, of the same size
or extent. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Constant, uninterrupted, continuous, unceasing.
Etymology: Incessant combines the privative prefix in-, not, and the Latin cessare, to
stop, cease.
Synonyms: interminable, relentless, unremitting, continuous.
Antonyms: occasional, irregular, intermittent, incidental, sporadic, fitful, erratic. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A flatterer, parasite, toady, fawning follower, hanger-on. |
|
|
Term
| TANGENTIAL (tan-JEN-shul) |
|
Definition
| Not closely related, only slightly connected, digressive, divergent. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Defensible, reasonable; able to be defended, maintained, or upheld (as, a tenable law, a
tenable reason).
Antonym: untenable, indefensible |
|
|
Term
| IMPALPABLE (im-PAL-puh-buul) |
|
Definition
Incapable of being felt or understood, not able to be perceived either by the sense of
touch or by the mind.
Synonyms: untouchable, imperceptible, intangible.
Antonyms: palpable, perceptible, manifest, tangible. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Hateful, detestable, offensive, revolting, arousing strong dislike or aversion.
Synonyms: disgusting, obnoxious, objectionable, disagreeable, contemptible,
repellent, repugnant, loathsome, abominable, abhorrent, heinous, opprobrious,
flagitious, execrable. |
|
|
Term
| UBIQUITOUS (yoo-BIK-wuh-tus) |
|
Definition
Existing or seeming to exist everywhere at the same time.
Antonym: nonexistent.
Synonyms: ever-present, universal, pervading, omnipresent. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
To turn over in the mind, think about again and again, consider carefully or at length.
Synonyms: ponder, contemplate, meditate, deliberate, muse, cogitate, mull. |
|
|
Term
| REMUNERATION (ri-MYOO-nuh-RAY-shin) |
|
Definition
Payment, compensation, or reward.
Synonyms: reimbursement, recompense, consideration, indemnification, emolument
(Level 8, Word 3). |
|
|
Term
| PECCADILLO (PEK-uh-DIL-oh) |
|
Definition
A small sin, slight offense, minor fault or flaw.
Synonyms: failing, frailty, foible (Level 3, Word 23). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Lying down on the back, with the face turned upward. |
|
|
Term
| BANAL (BAY-nul or buh-NAL) |
|
Definition
Common, ordinary, unoriginal; flat, dull, and predictable; lacking freshness or zest.
Synonyms: trite, commonplace, conventional, humdrum, hackneyed, shopworn,
stereotyped, insipid, vapid, bromidic.
Antonyms: creative, imaginative, unconventional, unorthodox, ingenious, innovative,
novel, pithy. |
|
|
Term
| HETERODOX (HET-ur-uh-dahks) |
|
Definition
Having or expressing an opinion different from the accepted opinion; not in agreement
with established doctrine or belief.
Corresponding noun: heterodoxy, an opinion or belief contrary to what is accepted and
established.
Antonym: orthodox, agreeing with established opinion, adhering to accepted beliefs. |
|
|
Term
| GRANDILOQUENT (gran-DIL-uh-kwint) |
|
Definition
Characterized by lofty, high-flown language; full of grand or high-sounding words.
Synonyms: bombastic, grandiose, florid, turgid.
Antonyms: plain-spoken, forthright, unaffected, candid. |
|
|
Term
| LUGUBRIOUS (luh-GOO-bree-us) |
|
Definition
Mournful and gloomy; expressing sadness or sorrow, often in an exaggerated, affected, or
ridiculous way.
Synonyms: dismal, melancholy, dreary, funereal, doleful, dolorous, disconsolate,
plaintive, woeful, lachrymose, saturnine.
Antonyms: cheerful, jubilant, joyous, gleeful, mirthful, jovial (Level 5, Word 19),
sanguine. |
|
|
Term
| INFINITESIMAL (IN-fin-i-TES-i-mul) |
|
Definition
Too small to be measured or calculated.
Synonyms: tiny, minute, microscopic, minuscule. |
|
|
Term
| GOAD (GOHD, rhymes with road) |
|
Definition
To prod or urge to action, stimulate, arouse, stir up.
Synonyms: egg on, spur, incite, impel, instigate.
Antonyms: soothe, pacify, appease, assuage (Level 2, Word 37), mollify. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
To pretend to be sick or incapacitated so as to avoid work or duty; to shirk or dodge
responsibility by feigning illness or inability. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
To state positively, declare with confidence.
Synonyms: assert, affirm, avow, profess, contend, asseverate. |
|
|
Term
| CACOPHONY (kuh-KAHF-uh-nee) |
|
Definition
A harsh, jarring sound, especially a harsh and unpleasant blend of sounds.
Synonyms: dissonance, discord, disharmony, stridency.
Antonyms: silence, tranquility, serenity, placidity, quiescence. |
|
|
Term
| REFRACTORY (ri-FRAK-tur-ee) |
|
Definition
Stubborn and disobedient, actively resisting authority or control, unruly, impossible to
work with or manage.
Synonyms: willful, headstrong, ungovernable, rebellious, obstinate (Level 1, Word
34), intractable (Level 5, Word 12), perverse, recalcitrant, intransigent,
contumacious.
Antonyms: obedient, submissive, compliant, deferential, malleable (Level 2, Word
29), docile, tractable, acquiescent, obsequious. |
|
|
Term
| ICONOCLAST (eye-KAHN-uh-klast) |
|
Definition
A person who attacks cherished or popular beliefs, traditions, or institutions; someone
who destroys or denounces an established idea or practice.
Etymology: Greek eikonoklastes, an imagebreaker, a person who smashes icons or
images.
Synonyms: radical, extremist, insurgent, firebrand. |
|
|
Term
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Definition
To weaken, drain of energy, deprive of force or vigor.
Synonyms: exhaust, deplete, devitalize, debilitate.
Antonyms: energize, invigorate, stimulate, revive, enliven, animate, vitalize, fortify. |
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Term
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Definition
Lightness or gaiety of manner or expression; specifically, a lightness or lack of
seriousness that is inappropriate or unbecoming.
Etymology and related words: Latin levitas, lightness, from levis, light, the source also
of levitate and levitation.
Synonyms: silliness, foolishness, frivolity, flippancy, tomfoolery, triviality, jocularity.
Antonyms: seriousness, earnestness, sobriety, solemnity, gravity. |
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Term
| EQUANIMITY (EE-kwuh-NIM-i-tee) |
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Definition
Composure, calmness, evenness of mind and temper.
Etymology: French, through the Latin aequanimitas, calmness, ultimately from aequus,
even or level, and animus, mind or spirit.
Synonyms: poise, self-possession, serenity, tranquility, placidity, imperturbability,
sangfroid (saw(n)-FWAH). |
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Term
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Definition
A criticism, critical comment, especially an unfavorable or hostile observation or
remark.
Synonyms: reproof, censure, condemnation, disapprobation, castigation,
objurgation, animadversion.
Antonyms: praise, compliment, commendation, acclamation, plaudit. |
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Term
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Definition
Rich, wealthy, very well-to-do, having substantial means.
Antonyms: indigent, destitute, impecunious. These words are distinguished in the
discussion of indigent (Level 3, Word 39). |
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Term
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Definition
To belittle, depreciate, discredit, lower in estimation or value, speak of or treat as inferior.
Synonyms: abuse, ridicule, scorn, slander, defame, censure (Level 3, Word 28),
denigrate, malign, vilify, traduce, calumniate. |
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Term
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Definition
Rambling, roving, covering a wide range of topics, wandering from one subject to
another.
Synonyms: desultory (DES-ul-tor-ee), digressive. This discussion distinguishes these
synonyms from the key word, discursive. |
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