Verb
Definition: to have an intense dislike or hatred for
Synonym: loathe, abhor, despise, detest
Antonyms: relish, savor, esteem
Sentence: Annabelle abominates vegetables so much that she cannot even stand to see them on her plate; this intense dislike seems irrational.

Noun
Definition: the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another; the resultant blend
Synonyms: adaptation
Sentence: She had only been in the country a short while, but her clothes showed her to be a product of acculturation ; her wardrobe was definitely the result of blending with those around her , and her conservative parents did not approve.

Adjective
Definition: resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause of character; accidental, not essential; (medicine) acquired, not congenital
Synonyms: extrinsic, incidental, fortuitous
Antonym: essential, intrinsic, inherent, congenital
Sentence: It was an adventitious meeting that first brought them together, but the accidental beginning led to 80 years of blissful marriage.

Verb
Definition: to assign or refer to (as a cause or source), attribute
Synonyms: impute, credit
Sentence: You may ascribe these holes in the yard to gophers or armadillos, but I blame the dog from next door; it is time you credited the right animal with the damage.

Adjective
Definition: roundabout, not direct
Synonyms: indirect, meandering, winding
Antonyms: straight, direct, as the crow flies
Sentence: I followed a circuitous path through the woods, not because I feared pursuit, but because I was lost; this meandering went on until my father found me.

Verb
Definition: to sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress
Synonyms: feel sorry for, empathize
Antonym: feel no sympathy for
Sentence: Sending someone a greeting card is a simple way to commiserate with them when they are sorrowful; often this simply way of empathizing with them can make them feel better.

Verb
Definition: to direct or order; to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way; to prohibit
Synonyms: bid, charge, adjure
Antonyms: allow, permit
Sentence: I enjoined the children to please stop running in the house because someone was going to get hurt, but it did not seem to make a difference that I had prohibited their actions.

Verb
Definition: to make easy, cause to progress faster
Synonyms: accelerate, facilitate, speed up
Antonyms: hinder, hamper, impede, obstruct
Sentence: The new computers will help to expedite the orders in the company; consequently, we will need less employees since work will progress faster.

Verb
Definition: to make amends, make up for; to avert
Synonyms: redeem, make amends for, make reparation
Sentence: After breaking the special dish at her mother’s house, Trudy expiated her guilt by replacing it; she only hoped this would make amends for her clumsiness.

Noun; Verb
Definition: (n.) a state of great excitement, agitation, or turbulence
(v.) to be in or work into such a state; to produce alcohol by chemical action
Synonyms: (n.) commotion, turmoil, unrest
Antonyms: (n.) peace and quiet, tranquility, placidity
Sentence: Caught in the ferment of the large gathering, the students began to protest loudly; this state of agitation soon escalated into a riot.

Adjective
Definition: resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental
Synonym: accidental
Antonyms: deliberate, intentional
Sentence: Even though Elizabeth was very angry when she left, she said the slamming of the door was inadvertent, and because we know Elizabeth, we believed it was unintentional.
Sorry!!

Adjective
Definition: existing in name only, not real; too small to be considered or taken seriously
Synonyms: titular, inconsequential
Antonyms: actual, exorbitant
Sentence: Because you have great insurance, you will only be charged a nominal fee at the doctor’s office; this inconsequential amount should not cause you difficulties.
That will be
$5.00 for today’s visit.

Adjective
Definition: not decisive or definite, unwilling to take a clear position
Synonyms: cagey, uninformative, playing it safe, playing it close to the vest
Antonyms: positive, definite, committed
Sentence: The principal questioned him quietly, carefully, and at length about his involvement in the cheating incident, but his answers remained noncommittal; we took his uninformative stance as guilt.

Verb
Definition: to steal something that has been given into one’s trust; to take improperly for one’s own use
Synonyms: defraud, misappropriate
Sentence: Investigators discovered that the executive at the firm had come up with a scheme to peculate from the company for years; his plan to misappropriate funds had almost been perfect.

Noun
Definition: a natural or habitual inclination or tendency (especially of human character or behavior)
Synonyms: penchant, propensity
Antonyms: inability, incapacity
Sentence: The child has a penchant for telling huge made-up stories about the monsters he sees in his room at night; this propensity for making up things has caused his teacher to doubt anything he tells her.
And he was huge and had six eyes and a purple tongue and was breathing fire!

Noun
Definition: composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances
Synonyms: poise, self-assurance, equanimity
Antonyms: excitability, hysteria, flappability
Sentence: When the clerk faced the robber with the gun, she handled the situation with great sangfroid , and it is probably that composure that saved her life.

Adjective
Definition: resistant to lawful authority; having the purpose of overthrowing an established government
Synonyms: mutinous, rebellious, subversive
Antonyms: supportive, faithful, allegiant
Sentence: It was considered a seditious act when the southern states chose to withdraw from the Union; this mutinous act started the Civil War.

Adjective
Definition: thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance; lacking a sound basis, poorly supported
Synonyms: flimsy, insubstantial, vague, hazy
Antonyms: strong, solid, substantial, valid
Sentence: After the traumatic accident, he had a tenuous hold on reality for a while; this flimsy grasp of what was real and what was not caused those around him to be very frightened of him.

Adjective
Definition: bitter, sarcastic, highly caustic or biting (like a strong acid)
Synonyms: withering, acerbic, mordant
Antonyms: bland, saccharine, honeyed, sugary
Sentence: The newspaper critic wrote of her painting with such vitriolic comments that it discouraged the pursuit of her passion, but I told her to just ignore his biting remarks.

Verb
Definition: to use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end
Synonyms: inveigle, soft-soap, sweet talk
Antonyms: coerce, browbeat, intimidate, strong-arm
Sentence: We were amazed as we watched her flirt with the traffic officer in an effort to wheedle out of being cited for speeding ; her moment of sweet-talking the policeman paid off, and she got off with a warning.