 GROUP 1 
BRAGGART: n. one who boasts a great deal
- Leo is such a braggart; he boasts all day about his exploits on the basketball
court.
- Even if you are a champion swimmer, avoid sounding like a braggart on your
college application essay.
INSIPID: adj. lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate, or challenge; dull
- The conversation at dinner was so insipid that Monica fell asleep at the table.
- What kept the Hagans from going to church on Sunday was the minister,
whose insipid sermons made them want to go back to bed.
PUGNACIOUS: adj. eager to fight; belligerent
- Walter and Willa are a pugnacious pair, always squabbling and fighting.
- Beware of pugnacious salesmen who’ll bully you into buying things you don’t
need.
NEFARIOUS: adj. very mean and wicked
- Of all the rotten scoundrels in the story, Sebastian was the most nefarious.
- His desire to get a conviction caused the nefarious police officer to plant
incriminating evidence at the scene of the crime.
EXTOL: v. to praise highly; laud
- It’s my intention to extol Bonnie’s successful attempt to get into Harvard.
- In his eulogy, Marc Antony said that he came to bury Caesar not to extol him.
TORPID: adj. lacking energy; relating to inactivity; feeling sluggish
- It was not hot and muggy—a torpid, sleep-inducing day.
- Harold felt too torpid to do anything but sit on the beach and count the waves.
- Lying in the sun, a sweet torpidity overcame me, and I soon fell asleep.
ZEALOUS: adj. filled with enthusiasm; fervent
- A zealous bodybuilder, Derek works out in the weight room during every
spare moment.
- If everyone was as zealous a worker as Scott, there would be no need for a
supervisor.
VORACIOUS: adj. greedy; gluttonous; ravenous; insatiable
- Because Molly skipped breakfast and lunch, she had a voracious appetite at
dinner.
- Tucker is a voracious eater. Every day he polishes off a half-dozen
hamburgers, a pound of potato salad, and a giant bowl of chocolate mousse.
- Sally reads mysteries voraciously. No sooner does she finish one than she
starts a reading another.
PRUDENT: adj. careful; cautious; and wise
- It is prudent not to drive when the roads are covered with ice.
- Because he was tired and sleepy, Charles made the prudent decision to stop
for coffee.
EXPEDITE- v. To make easy and quick to speed up.
- In order to expedite matters we hired three additional workers.
- When someone is preparing our favorite dishes, we like to come into the kitchen
to help expedite the meal.
 GROUP 2 
DIGRESS: v. to wander off from the subject or topic spoken about
- We don’t have time to digress from the main issue right now.
- The digressions in Carl’s speech interested me more than the main topic.
- Mr. Helms habitually digresses from the point of the lesson.
Synonym: stray, deviate
Antonym: stay on course
INSOLENT: adj. boldly disrespectful in speech or behavior; rude
- When Ernie told the principal to “bug off,” his insolence earned him a
suspension from school.
- “No insolent remarks on the ball field,” warned the coach. “Teammates will
respect each other even if they strike out.”
- Before she met with that wild crowd, Meghan was quiet and demure. Now
she’s an insolent, foul-mouthed, roughneck.
Synonym: brazen, cocky
Antonym: polite, respectful
ODIOUS: adj. loathsome; evil; revolting in a disgusting way
- John has the odious habit of clipping his toenails in class.
- I can’t imagine a more odious crime than child abuse.
- The Weird Sisters from Macbeth were odious characters who tricked Macbeth
into killing in order to become King of Scotland.
Synonym: horrid, creep
Antonym: appealing, pleasant
EFFERVESCENT: adj. lively; full of uplifted spirit; vivacious
- Distressed over losing the car keys, Beth was less effervescent than usual.
- The root beer has lost its effervescence and tasted like bad cough syrup.
Synonym: bubbly, animated
Antonym: listless, flat
GUILE- n. crafty deceit; cunning
- Many clever figures from Greek mythology relied upon guile as an expedient.
- My aversion to the guile which Elton used exacerbated our shaky relationship.
- Iago’s guile and duplicity were successful in destroying Othello.
Synonym: treachery, deception
Antonym: honesty, candor
EPICUREAN: adj. having to do with relishing the pleasure of eating and drinking (n.
epicure)
- A McDonald’s hamburger and fries may taste good to some people, but it is
not my idea of an epicurean meal.
- As a die-hard epicure, Clyde eats at only the very best restaurants.
Synonym: connoisseur, gourmet
Antonym: austere
INCISIVE: adj. sharp; keen; penetrating
- Incisive criticism by the newspaper’s film reviewer led us to a renewed
appreciation of the movie.
- Following Huntley’s incisive analysis, the bond traders were immediately
motivated into a frenzy of selling.
Synonym: profound, bright
Antonym: dull, imperceptive
FERVENT: adj. filled with passionate emotion
- The minister asked her congregation to pray fervently for the safe return of the
lost child.
- He’s a fervent cat breeder; nothing is as important to him as raising cats.
- She’s a nut for crossword puzzles, but she hasn’t always been so fervent about
doing them.
Synonym: enthusiastic, zealous
Antonym: indifferent, apathetic
ESOTERIC: adj. understood by only a select few
- Dr. Thorpe’s scholarship was so esoteric that it attracted little attention.
- I avoid books with esoteric themes, but enjoy those which are realistic and
easy to comprehend.
Synonym: abstract, cryptic
Antonym: obvious, familiar
SYCOPHANT: n. a self-server who tries to gain the favor of others through the use of
flattery or by being over attentive
- The king couldn’t distinguish the honest advisors from the sycophants who
flattered him for personal gain.
- Myron couldn’t get a promotion on his merits, so he got one by being a
sycophant to his boss.
- Jason made a sycophantic speech full of praise and flattery for the chairman.
Synonym: adulator, suck up
Antonym: arrogant
 GROUP 3 
COLLOQUIAL: adj. pertaining to common everyday speech; conversational
- The book is filled with colloquial expressions that reflect the speech of the
people from the deep South.
- Two examples of colloquial greetings are “Dude, how’s it goin’?” and
“Wuzzz up!”
Synonym: informal
Antonym: formal
OSTENTATIOUS: adj. having to do with showing off; pretentious
- Don’t you agree that wearing a diamond bracelet, two ruby rings, and a
sapphire studded ear rings is a bit ostentatious?
- Meredith talks about nothing but her father’s yacht, ski trips to Aspen, Club
Med vacations, and other ostentatious displays of wealth.
Synonym: showy, flashy
Antonym: humble, modest
COMPLACENT: adj. Self-satisfied; overly pleased with oneself; contented to a fault
- The complacent camper paid no attention to the bear prowling around his
campsite, and the bear ate him up.
- Kelly is so complacent with her photography she doesn’t see how her subjects
have become hackneyed.
Synonym: unconcerned, smug
Antonym: insecure, ambitious
HACKNEYED: adj. made commonplace by overuse; trite
- Miss Cole, our poetry teacher, said, “Because poets aim to create new
insights, they shun hackneyed language.”
- Then she added, “If you think imaginatively, you’ll avoid hackneyed phrases
such as “ruby lips” and “rosy-fingered dawn.”
- Only hack writers rely on hackneyed expressions; that’s what makes them
hacks.
Synonym: cliché
Antonym: original
BANE: n. Poison; torment; cause of harm. Baneful: harmful
- Nelson is the bane of my existence since he daily ruins the enjoyment I find in
life.
- It’s baneful to jump out of a plane without a parachute.
Synonym: painful
Antonym: harmless
ENIGMA: n. a puzzle; a baffling situation
- Why a bright student would make such terrible errors is an enigma.
- If I could solve the enigma of my sensible brother’s recently bizarre behavior,
I’d be a genius.
Synonym: bewilderment
Antonym: certainty
MALICIOUS: adj. Spiteful; intentionally mischievous or harmful (the noun form malice
means “active ill will” or “spite”)
- The malicious behavior of the accused brought a stern reprimand from the
judge, who then imposed the maximum penalty.
- The widespread and pointless destruction of the house left no doubt as to the
malicious intent of the burglar.
- The malicious con man led the widow through a labyrinth of schemes to
deprive her of her fortunes.
Synonym: hateful
Antonym: kind, helpful
ANECDOTE: n. a short account of a humorous or revealing incident.
- The old lady kept the motorcycle gang thoroughly amused with anecdote after
anecdote about her cute little dog.
- Fred told an anecdote about the time Sally got her big tow stuck in a bowling
ball.
- The vice president put the crowd at ease with an anecdote about his childhood
desire to become a vice president.
Synonym: story
CONSECRATE: v. to make or declare sacred
- The Veterans Day speaker said the battlefield had been consecrated by the
blood of the soldiers that died there.
- The priest consecrated the building by sprinkling holy water on it.
- The college chaplain delivered a sermon at the consecration ceremony for the
new chapel.
Synonym: sanctify
Antonym: defile
BELITTLE: v. to make to seem little; to put someone down
- We worked hard to put out the fire, but the fire chief belittled our efforts
saying he wished he had brought some marshmallows.
- The chairman’s belittling comments made everyone feel small.
Synonym: depreciate
Antonym: praise
 GROUP 4 
CONTEMPTUOUS: adj. lacking respect; scornful
- Accustomed to filet mignon, Fido glared contemptuously at the bowl of dog
chow in front of him.
- When rival cliques are contemptuous of each other, there’s going to be
trouble.
- Parents should teach tolerance, not breed contempt for people’s differences.
Synonym: condescending
Antonym: deferential
BANAL: adj. an idea or expression that has become stale due to overuse; trite;
hackneyed
- To wake up and realize your adventure was all a dream is a banal ending for a
short story.
- Banality is boring because it is so predictable.
Synonym: clichéd
Antonym: original
DELETERIOUS: adj. harmful to one’s health or overall welfare; pernicious
- Many processed foods contain chemicals and other ingredients that can be
deleterious to our health.
- The arrogance of the new principal had a deleterious effect on the morale of
the school’s staff and students.
Synonym: detrimental
Antonym: beneficial
HEDONIST: n. one who lives solely for pleasure
- An avowed hedonist, Kyle has often enjoyed trips to the Virgin Islands.
- “I’m interested in life and liberty, of course,” said the hedonist, “but I’m
dedicated to the pursuit of happiness.
- Abandoning her life as a hedonist, Margaret joined a convent.
Synonym: sensualist
Antonym: ascetic
AUSPICIOUS: adj. favorable, promising, pointing to a good result
- A clear sky in the morning is an auspicious sign on the day of a picnic.
- The first quarter of the football game was not auspicious; the home team was
out scored by seventy points.
Synonym: advantageous
Antonym: ominous
CENSURE: v. to criticize strongly
- A letter of censure, criticizing his behavior, was put in his file.
- For harassing his secretary, Mr. Packard was censured, but not fired, from his
job.
- After being publicly censured, the woman vowed never to shop lift again.
Synonym: admonish
Antonym: praise
CONTRITE: adj. admitting guilt; especially feeling remorseful. Contrition: n.
- Maria was contrite about her mistake, so we forgave her.
- Saying you’re sorry is an act of contrition.
Synonym: repentant
Antonym: unapologetic
DUBIOUS: adj. full of doubt; uncertain. Dubiety: noun form.
- I was fairly certain I could fly if I flapped my arms hard enough, Mary was
dubious, however, and said I might as well flap my legs as well.
- We were dubious about the team’s success and, as it turned out, our dubiety
was justified—they lost.
Synonym: questionable
Antonym: indisputable
ECLECTIC: adj. consisting of selections from various sources
- Will’s eclectic tastes are reflected in his collection of CDs which contain
everything from Chopin and Def Leopard to Blink 182.
- My fixation with baseball has ebbed, and now I am a more eclectic sports fan.
- With an eclectic interest in books, Sheila has collected everything from
Shakespeare to Superman.
Synonym: diverse
Antonym: limited
GARBLED: adj. confused; mixed up (e.g. garbled facts, statements, letters of alphabet)
- The garbled message failed to facilitate the ambulance’s arrival.
- Morton’s testimony was so garbled that the judge ordered it stricken from the
record.
- After having been hit on the head, the normally articulate woman’s words
were badly garbled.
Synonym: incoherent
Antonym: clear
 GROUP 5 
ELOQUENCE: n. artful ease with speaking; speech that can impact people’s feelings
- Even the most eloquent graduation speeches are quickly forgotten.
- Although he sounds eloquent, he’s still full of hot air.
- Among American presidents, Lincoln wins the prize for eloquence.
Synonym: expressiveness, articulation Antonym: inarticulation
DIDACTIC: adj. intended to teach; morally instructive
- The priest’s conversation was always didactic; he never said anything that
wasn’t intended to teach a lesson.
- The new novel is painfully didactic; the author’s aim is always to instruct and
never to entertain.
- Ms. McFealey was a didactic teacher that didn’t just teach English, but she
also some life lessons to better our future.
Synonyms: enlightening, educational
Antonyms:
CANTANKEROUS: adj. bad-tempered; quarrelsome
- Cantankerous Timmy is my two year-old brother. He whines a lot and throws
his oatmeal all over the kitchen.
- Grandma and grandpa are a cantankerous old couple, always fighting and
scolding.
- When my dad gets up on the wrong side of the bed, he’s cantankerous the
whole day.
Synonyms: irritable, disagreeable
Antonyms: cheerful, easygoing
IMMATERIAL: adj. insignificant; unimportant
- Any activity that didn’t involve gourmet food or luxurious living was
regarded as immaterial to the hedonist.
- The prosecutor objected to the attorney’s exhibit, disparaging it as amateurish
and immaterial.
- Even my gullible uncle recognized Ida’s argument as inconsequential and
immaterial.
Synonyms: irrelevant, inconsequential
Antonyms: significant, relevant
ENERVATE: v. to weaken; lessen the strength of
- Ali would enervate his opponents by allowing them to punch themselves into
weariness.
- Our battalion was so fit that not even a ten-mile forced mach could enervate
us.
- Strenuous dieting will enervate most people.
Synonyms: tire, exhaust
Antonyms: energize, empower
DEPRAVITY: n. extreme wickedness or corruption
- Mrs. Persnicki wondered whether the depravity of her class of eight-year-olds
was the result of their watching too many cartoons.
- The depravity of the lawyer became known when he forged documents to help
win the highly publicized, career-building case.
Synonyms: immorality, debauchery
Antonyms: virtue, righteousness
BENIGN: adj. gentle; not harmful; kind; mild
- Betty has a benign personality; she’s not at all unpleasant to be with.
- Charlie was worried that he had cancer, but the bump on his leg turned out to
be benign.
Synonyms: gracious, good-hearted
Antonyms: malicious, hateful
SOPORIFIC: adj. sleep-inducing; sleepy
- A sweet, sugary dessert is soporific as a sleeping pill for Dad. Ten minutes
after dinner, he’s out like a light.
- Driving on a flat interstate highway for a long time is soporific. I, for one,
have a hard time staying awake.
- Coffee is a good anti-soporific; at least, it keeps me awake.
Synonyms: dull, soothing
Antonyms: invigorating, stimulant
FIDELITY: n. faithfulness; loyalty
- The motto of the US Marine Corps is semper fidelis, which is Latin for always
loyal.
- A high-fidelity record player is one that is very faithful in reproducing the
original sound of whatever was recorded.
- The crusader’s life was marked by fidelity to the cause of justice.
Synonyms: allegiance, devotion
Antonyms: disloyalty, untrustworthy
VOLITION: n. will; conscious choice
- Insects, lacking volition, simply aren’t as interesting as humans are.
- The question the jury had to answer was whether the killing had been an
accident or an act of volition.
Synonyms: preference, discretion, intent
Antonyms: indecision, apathy