Vocabulary
Chapter 1:
Read the sentences carefully for
context clues and choose the meaning
closest to that of the boldfaced word.
affinity
• Part of speech: Noun
• Definition: a natural liking for or
attraction to a person, thing, idea, etc.
• Sentence: If we interviewed Olympic
swimmers, we would probably find that
they have a natural affinity for water.
• Synonyms: partiality, fondness
• Antonyms: dislike, aversion
fledgling
• Part of speech: adjective
• Definition: young, new, or inexperienced
• Sentence: Beauty schools often allow
their fledgling hairdressers to practice on
new clients for a reduced price.
• Synonyms: novice, beginner
• Antonyms: expert, professional
hackneyed
• Part of speech: adjective
• Definition: made commonplace or trite;
stale
• Sentence: If your writing is riddled with
hackneyed phrases, perhaps you should
consider using a thesaurus.
• Synonyms: overdone, overused
• Antonyms: rare, unique
incessant
• Part of speech: adjective
• Definition: continuing without
interruption; ceaseless; unending
• Sentence: Her incessant whining grates on
my nerves.
• Synonyms: unceasing, constant,
continuous, never-ending, perpetual
• Antonyms: intermittent
opulence
• Part of speech: noun
• Definition: wealth, riches, or affluence
• Sentence: For most people, the American
Dream involves a certain amount of
opulence.
• Synonyms: luxury, abundance
• Antonyms: poverty, destitution
proximity
• Part of speech: noun
• Definition: nearness in place, time,
order, occurrence, or relation
• Sentence: The proximity of the
curtains to the fireplace was a cause
of concern to the safety inspector.
sagacious
• Part of speech: adjective
• Definition: having or showing acute mental
discernment and keen practical sense;
shrewd
• Sentence: The prophets of the Bible are
widely regarded as sagacious men.
• Synonyms: wise, discerning, clever,
intelligent, judicious, acute, sharp, keen
• Antonyms: unwise, foolish
supplant
• Part of speech: verb
• Definition: to take the place of (another),
as through force, scheming, strategy, or
the like; to replace (one thing) by
something else.
• Sentence: The leader of the small country
would like to supplant democracy with his
own brand of dictatorship.
• Synonyms: remove, succeed
unassailable
• Part of speech: adjective
• Definition: not subject to denial or
dispute
• Sentence: The fact that certain movie
stars are the epitome of the male physique
is unassailable.
• Synonyms: indisputable, incontestable
• Antonyms: refutable
voluminous
• Part of speech: adjective
• Definition: of great volume, size, or
extent
• Sentence: Teachers and students alike
are often overwhelmed with voluminous
quantities of books and paper.
• Synonyms: extensive, copious, ample
• Antonyms: abbreviated, sparse