Upbraid

reprimand        rebuke

reproach     scold     chide

dismal    surly

morose   resentful   gloomy

unmannerly   unfriendly

bad-tempered

ex: a bunch of _____, spoiled brats

Paucity

scarcity, dearth, shortage, rareness, poverty

insufficiency, inadequacy

ex: _____ of evidence

Corroborate

support, back up, uphold

confirm, verify, ratify, bear witness

additional support

ex: Thomas _______ the boy'saccount of attack

Insipid

tasteless, unflavoured, unappetizing

watered-down

ex: they drank endless mugs of ______ coffee

Perennial

everlasting, perpetual

persisting, permanent, constant, continual

unfailing, unchanging

ex: the ______ fascination with crime

Pristine

immaculate, in perfect condition

as new, unspoilt, spotless, flawless

unblemished, untouched

ex: a ______ white handkerchief

Opulent

luxurious, lavishly appointed

splendid, magnificent, grand, expensive, fancy

ex: his parents' opulent home in Beverly Hills

rowdy, noisy, boisterous, unruly, wild

ex: a hilariously ______ hen night(?)

ex: outbursts of ______ laughter

Impeccable

flawless, unblemished, untarnished, ideal

virtuous, pure, moral, sinless, upright

ex: a youth of _______ character

complicated, complex, intricate, impenetrable, labyrinthine, tangled, confusing, bewildering

baffling, puzzling, perplexing

ex: an extraordinarily _______ narrative

chaos, disorder, confusion, havoc

bedlam, pandemonium, hullabaloo!!!

ex: furious TV bosses watched stunned as the band created _________ onstage

perfect, supreme, ultimate, faultless

skillful, skilled, superlative

talented, gifted

ex: he conducted his strategy with ______ skill

riddle, puzzle, wordgame, brain-twister

maze

  confusing and difficult problem or question

ex: Roderick enjoyed _____ and crosswords

talkative, voluble, verbose, chatty, gossipy, babbling

ex: a _______ old man who chattered like a magpie

socialable, companionable, amiable, genial, congenial, hospitable, neighbourly

ex: he was fun-loving and _________

Daunting

intimidate, discourage, frightened

ex: it will take more than December sleet and gales to ______ the crews

compliant, yielding, obedient, docile

timid, humble, cooperative

ex: her _____ husband

Discern

perceive, recognize, notice

identify    determine, distinguish

 become aware of

ex: in the dim light he could _______ a handful of ghostly figures

enraged, very angry, irate, furious

ex: Leonora glared back at him, _______

Delude

deceieve, mislead, fool

dupe, trick, defraud, cheat, swindle

ex: you're lying-why do you persist in tryng to ______ me?

essence, most important point, central point, main point

core, essential part

ex: the ______ of the matter

Tirade

criticism, censure, lecture, upbraiding

long angry speech of criticism, or accusation

ex: she rounded on Nathan with a devastating ____

liking, fondness, preference, appetite, passion, love, desire,   for something

ex: he has a _______ for champagne

Abysmal

very bad, dreadful, awful, terrible, atrocious, lamentable, poor, inadequate

ex: some of the teachiong was _________

humdrum, dull, boring, tedious, uninteresting

prosaic, repetitious

ordinary, everyday, routine

ex: the _______ aspects of daily life

brief, short, to th eoint, concise, succint, compact, incisive, commary, condensed

ex: he issued a ______ statement to the press

Novel

new, original, unusual, unfamiliar,different, fresh, imaginative, innovative

ex: the practice would not be considered unusal today, but in 1945, it was _______

sharpen, make sharper, improve

ex: he was carefully _______ the curved blade

Introverted

shy, reserved, withdrawn, quiet, tmid, bashful, unsocialable, pensive, self-absorbed

ex: an ______ and thoughtful person

embarrass, humiliate, chagrin, shame, disconfort

abash, horrify, appal

ex: I'd be ______ if my friends found out I was learning ballroom dancing

impede, interfere, hamper, hinder, obstruct

thwart, frustrate, interfere with

ex: NHS changes must not be allowed to _______ new medical treatments

Imbue

permeate, penetrate, diffuse

ex: a society ________ with a sense of fairness

uncultivated, undeveloped, dormant, resting,

empty, bare, untended

ex: ________ farmland

Occult

the supernatural, supernaturalism, magic, witchcraft, sorcery, wizadry,

ex: his sister was a spiritualist with a strong interst in the _____

apply, bring to play, use, make use of, utilize, spend

ex: he ______ considerable emotional pressure on me

fight, skirmish, tussle, melee

ex: a drunken ______

foul, nasty, umpleasant

disagreeable, horrid, dreadful, abominable

atrocious, obnoxious, repulsize, off-putting

revolting, loathsome

ex: a ____ smell

ex: he shouldn't be allowed to get away with such _______ behavior

frown, glare, grimace, dirty look

ex: she stamped into the room with a ______ on her face