Day 11 - Vocabulary List
disenfranchise (v)
DEFINITION: To lose the right to vote.
SENTENCE: The Jim Crow laws disenfranchised African-American voters by requiring racially
segregating polling areas, among others.
SYNONYMS: n/a
ANTONYMS: n/a
coerce (v)
DEFINITION: To force to act or think in a certain way by use of pressure, threats, or torture; to
compel
SENTENCE: Stalin used terror to coerce the Russian people to unquestioningly follow his
leadership.
SYNONYMS: force, urge, intimidate
ANTONYMS: leave alone, follow
egalitarian (n, adj)
DEFINITION: Favoring social equality; belief in a society in which all people have equal political,
economic, and civil rights
SENTENCE: American utopian leaders dreamed of creating egalitarian communities, in which
everyone had the same rights.
SYNONYMS: equitable, democratic, impartial
ANTONYMS: unequal, varying
belligerent (adj)
DEFINITION: Hostile and aggressive; warlike
SENTENCE: When North Korea defied world opinion by conducting an underground test of a
nuclear bomb, world leaders denounced the action as belligerent.
SYNONYMS: aggressive, cantankerous, antagonistic
ANTONYMS: cooperative, kind, helping
inquisition (n)
DEFINITION: A severe interrogation; a systematic questioning
SENTENCE: Senator McCarthy conducted an inquisition in the 1950s to supposedly weed out
Communists with harsh questions.
SYNONYMS: interrogation, questioning, inquiry
ANTONYMS: n/a
ameliorate (v)
DEFINITION: To make a situation better
SENTENCE: Amelia was able to ameliorate the tense situation by speaking calmly.
SYNONYMS: assuage, mollify, mitigate
ANTONYMS: worsen, hurt, aggravate
exacerbate (v)
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Day 11 - Vocabulary List
DEFINITION: To make a situation worse
SENTENCE: Batman learned that his efforts exacerbated Gotham's crime problem by leading to
an escalation of violence to challenge him.
SYNONYMS: aggravate, exasperate, worsen
ANTONYMS: ameliorate, assuage, mollify, mitigate
contiguous (adj)
DEFINITION: Sharing an edge or boundary; touching
SENTENCE: Hawaii and Alaska are the only two states in the USA that are not contiguous with
another state.
SYNONYMS: adjacent, bordering
ANTONYMS: divided, separated
desiccate (v)
DEFINITION: To thoroughly dry out; to make lifeless, totally arid
SENTENCE: The Dry Valleys exist because 100 mph downwinds desiccate all moisture.
SYNONYMS: dry, dehydrate
ANTONYMS: moisten, wet, moisturize
pertinent (adj)
DEFINITION: Relevant; to the point
SENTENCE: When you’re in a college interview, make sure to ask pertinent questions about the
specific college.
SYNONYMS: relevant, applicable, pertaining
ANTONYMS: irrelevant, pointless, trivial, unrelated
complicity (n)
DEFINITION: Association or participation in a wrongful act
SENTENCE: The criminal’s mother was charged with complicity after she helped her son
escape from the police.
SYNONYMS: collaboration, collusion, involvement
ANTONYMS: innocence, ignorance, noninvolvement.
exonerate, exculpate (v)
DEFINITION: To free from guilt or blame
SENTENCE: Dumbledore was not able to exonerate Sirius Black of the murder of Peter
Pettigrew and 12 Muggles for many years.
SYNONYMS: absolve, acquit, vindicate
ANTONYMS: condemn, charge, blame
indisputable (adj)
DEFINITION: Not open to question; undeniable; irrefutable
SENTENCE: It’s an indisputable fact that Ted will eventually meet the mother of his children,
because he has been telling the story for seven years and has all the proof.
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Day 11 - Vocabulary List
SYNONYMS: absolute, actual, incontrovertible
ANTONYMS: dubious, questionable, doubtful
precedent (n)
DEFINITION: An act or instance that is used as an example in dealing with later similar
instances
SENTENCE: Jefferson set the precedent of shaking the President's hand rather than bowing;
now everyone follows his example.
SYNONYMS: antecedent, model, example
ANTONYMS: subsequent, following
unprecedented (adj)
DEFINITION: Without previous example; describing something that has never happened before
SENTENCE: Will Smith has achieved unprecedented success in the film industry as an African
American action star.
SYNONYMS: unparalleled, unique, remarkable
ANTONYMS: mundane, usual, unexceptional
malfeasance (n)
DEFINITION: Misconduct or wrongdoing especially by a public official
SENTENCE: President Nixon was charged with several charges of malfeasance when he
installed recording devices at the Watergate democratic headquarters.
SYNONYMS: misconduct, impropriety, misbehavior
ANTONYMS: honor, virtue
arrest (v)
DEFINITION: To bring to a stop; halt
SENTENCE: Environmentalists hope to arrest the reduction of the ozone layer.
SYNONYMS: constrain, stop, limit
ANTONYMS: encourage, continue, incite
gravity (n)
DEFINITION: A serious situation or problem
SENTENCE: When her daughter was diagnosed with leukemia, Isobel recognized the gravity of
the situation and agreed to donate bone marrow to save her daughter.
SYNONYMS: weighty, grievous, important
ANTONYMS: light, insubstantial, unimportant
precipitate (v)
DEFINITION: To cause an event to happen
SENTENCE: The discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba precipitated the Cuban Missile Crisis,
during which a nuclear war could have happened.
SYNONYMS: trigger, cause, advance
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Day 11 - Vocabulary List
ANTONYMS: check, slow, wait
relief (n)
DEFINITION: Elevation of a land surface
SENTENCE: Relief maps of the USA show rises in the mountains in the east and west.
SYNONYMS: n/a
ANTONYMS: n/a
check (v)
DEFINITION: To restrain; halt; hold back; contain
SENTENCE: During the Cold War, the US policy of containment was designed to check the
expansion of Soviet power and influence.
SYNONYMS: arrest, stop, limit
ANTONYMS: continue, hasten, expedite
flag (v)
DEFINITION: To become weak, feeble, or spiritless
SENTENCE: Whenever Beyonce wins an award, she thanks her parents for never letting her
enthusiasm for music flag.
SYNONYMS: decline, recede, weaken
ANTONYMS: increase, spirited, excite
discriminating (adj)
DEFINITION: Characterized by the ability to make fine distinctions; refined taste
SENTENCE: Some people are known for their discriminating tastes in rare wine, fine clothes,
and valuable art.
SYNONYMS: astute, discerning, keen
ANTONYMS: inclusive, uncritical, unperceptive
eclipse (v)
DEFINITION: To overshadow; outshine; surpass
SENTENCE: Sometimes Amy feels that her own achievements will be eclipsed by those of her
older sister, who is much more accomplished than Amy herself.
SYNONYMS: outdo, outshine, exceed
ANTONYMS: fall behind, fail
coin (v)
DEFINITION: To devise a new word or phrase
SENTENCE: Shakespeare is credited with coining many new words for the English language;
no one before him had ever used words such as “assassin” before.
SYNONYMS: create, compose, establish
ANTONYMS: destroy, erase, undo
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