Vocabulary List 2 – Revolutionary Words
1. adversity – noun
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Definition: 1. Adverse fortune or fate; a condition marked by misfortune, calamity, or distress. 2. An
adverse or unfortunate event or circumstance.
Synonyms: catastrophe, disaster; trouble, misery
Antonyms: prosperity
Example Sentence: 1. He who learns to welcome misfortune learns that adversity is the prosperity of
the great. 2. It’s about facing adversity and taking risks in the name of personal liberation.
2. collaborate – verb
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Definition: 1. Work jointly on an activity, especially to produce or create something. 2. Cooperate
willingly with an enemy as a traitor.
Synonyms: cooperate, assist, join
Example Sentence: It would be really helpful if they stopped snarling at colleagues and decided to
collaborate instead.
3. condone – verb
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Definition: 1. To disregard or overlook, especially something illegal or objectionable. 2. To pardon or
forgive an offense
Synonyms: excuse, pardon
Example Sentence: We will refuse to condone stereotyping, ignorance, and violence.
4. conform – verb
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Definition: 1. To act in accordance or harmony; comply. 2. To act in accord with the prevailing
standards, attitudes, practices, rules, etc. of society or a group.
Synonyms: yield, agree, consent, correspond, agree, tally, adapt, adjust, accommodate
Antonyms: dissent, differ
Example Sentence: He is not afraid to go against the grain and never feels pressure to conform.
5. convene – verb
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Definition: To come together or assemble, usually for some public purpose.
Synonyms: congregate, meet, collect, gather
Antonyms: disperse, dissolve
Example Sentence: Students can meet in their dorm rooms or convene in the library.
6. corruption – noun
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Definition: 1. Moral perversion; depravity. 2. Dishonesty, especially bribery
Synonyms: immorality, dissolution
Antonyms: honesty, purity
Example Sentence: Corruption is rampant, and the central government is only keeping things moving
by threat of prison and firing squad.
7. disdain – noun
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Definition: 1. a feeling or show of superiority and dislike; contempt. 2. Feeling something is unworthy of
notice or response.
Synonyms: contempt, scorn
Antonyms: admiration
Example Sentence: Worldwide ignorance of and disdain for science and precise thinking is appalling.
8. dissent – verb
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Definition: 1. To differ in sentiment or opinion, especially from the majority. 2. To disagree with the
methods, goals, etc., of a political party or government; take an opposing view
Synonyms: disagree, oppose, protest, resist, object
Antonyms: agree
Example Sentence: 1. Without dissent, science cannot make rapid progress. 2. This is a fine line
between filtering inaccuracy and quashing dissent.
9. elicit – verb
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Definition: 1. To draw out or bring forth. 2. To give rise to; to bring to light.
Synonyms: educe, evoke, arouse, kindle
Example Sentence: The easiest way to elicit a response is with a question.
10. hegemony – noun
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Definition: 1. Leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, as in a
confederation. 2. Aggression or expansionism by large nations in an effort to achieve world domination.
Example Sentence: Western hegemony was one of the great asymmetries of world history.
11. iconoclast – noun
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Definition: A person who attacks cherished beliefs, traditional institutions, etc. as being based on error
or superstition.
Synonyms: nonconformist, rebel, dissenter, radical
Example Sentence: 1. Even a cursory review of the accomplishments of this scientific maverick and
iconoclast is a breath-taking endeavor. 2. Equal parts icon and iconoclast, he shocked respectable
opinion even as he seemed to embody the contradictory moods of his era.
12. inevitable – adjective
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Definition: 1. Unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped. 2. Sure to occur, happen, or come.
Synonyms: unavoidable, certain, necessary, unalterable
Antonyms: avoidable, uncertain, unnecessary, alterable
Example Sentence: Due to limited fossil fuels, it is inevitable that humans will see a drastic change in
the way they produce and consume energy in the future.
13. invasive – adjective
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Definition: of or relating to an intrusion
Synonyms: incursive, invading, encroaching, trespassing
Example Sentence: The grey squirrel from North America is seen as an invasive species in England,
threatening the indigenous red squirrel population.
14. pacify – verb
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Definition: 1. To bring or restore to a state of peace or tranquility. 2. To reduce to a state of submission,
especially by military force.
Synonyms: quiet, subdue, soothe, mollify, assuage
Antonyms: anger, enrage
Example Sentence: It requires skill to pacify hostile or irate individuals by making appropriate
statements and minimizing argumentation.
15. predatory – adjective
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Definition: 1. Preying upon other organisms for food. 2. Of, pertaining to, or characterized by plunder,
pillage, robbery, or exploitation. 3. Acting with or possessed by overbearing, rapacious, or selfish
motives.
Synonyms: rapacious
Example Sentence: 1. Experts believe the extinct birds were meat-eaters because their beaks
resemble those of predatory eagles and scavenging vultures. 2. Predatory lending is when a lender
deceptively convinces borrowers to agree to unfair and abusive loan terms, or systematically violates
those terms in ways that make it difficult for borrowers to defend against.
16. prohibit – verb
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Definition: 1. To forbid an action, activity, etc. by authority or law. 2. To prevent, hinder, or forbid the
action of a person.
Synonyms: interdict, forbid, obstruct
Antonyms: permit
Example Sentence: The drug is still manufactured and distributed where laws do not prohibit it.
17. revolt – noun
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Definition: 1. The act of breaking away from or rising against constituted authority, as by open rebellion.
2. An expression or movement of spirited protest or dissent.
Synonyms: uprising, disorder, putsch
Example Sentence: There were economic reasons for the revolt against the local authorities.
18. scrutinize – verb
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Definition: To examine in detail with careful or critical attention.
Synonyms: investigate, study, search, inspect
Example Sentence: Scrutinize your phone bills for any questionable charges and demand an
explanation from any company that imposed such charges.
19. transgression – noun
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Definition: The violation or breach of a law or command
Synonyms: breach, crime, sin
Example Sentence: The parents unjustly blamed violent video games and movies for their child’s
transgressions instead of blaming themselves for being bad role models.
20. tyrant – noun
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Definition: 1. A sovereign or other ruler who uses power oppressively or unjustly. 2. Any person in a
position or authority who exercises power oppressively or despotically.
Synonyms: despot, autocrat, dictator
Example Sentence: He is an egotistical tyrant that will do anything to get what he wants.