Vocabulary Icebreaker
Name _______________________
Date _________________
PART ONE
Read over the following list of words below.
1. Use thesaurus.com and write a very brief definition for each word.
2. Use thesaurus.com and write a couple of synonyms for each word.
3. Use thesaurus.com and write a couple of antonyms for each word.
Example:
Impecunious – Definition – poverty-stricken
Synonyms – poor, homeless, impoverished
Antonyms – rich, wealthy
Diffident -
You will be introducing yourself to the whole class using the four words you selected and the examples
you created.
diffident
judicious
petulant
lugubrious
tenacious
sagacious
dejected
impecunious
insolent
decorous
intransigent
insouciant
belligerent
impervious
supercilious
altruistic
demure
unassuming
discreet
ingenuous
munificent
circumspect
perspicacious
intrepid
laconic
indigent
ebullient
benevolent
fastidious
PART TWO
Choose two words that describe you and two words that do not describe you. Explain how each word
does or does not pertain to you. The brief explanation must show that you know the meaning of the word.
(This activity requires that you use the dictionary… use your technology!)
Example:
I am very gregarious. I can start a conversation with complete strangers while waiting in line to buy
groceries.
I am not lackadaisical. If anything, I work too hard.
PART THREE
Complete the following sentences with information that describes you. (You are responsible for
knowing the italicized word in order to complete each sentence.).
I have a propensity toward _______________________________________________.
I have an affinity for ____________________________________________________.
I have an antipathy to ___________________________________________________.
I have been known to be remiss in _________________________________________.
Now, select two words and make up two sentences on your own.
_____________________________________________________________.
_____________________________________________________________.
Rubric for Assessment
Vocabulary Icebreaker
Outcome
English 8.3 make informed choices of language to create a range
of interesting effects in imaginative writing
and other ways of representing (Word Choice – purposeful
selection and broadening of vocabulary)
English 4.4 use cueing systems and a variety of strategies to
construct meaning in reading and viewing
increasingly complex print and media texts (Recognizing that
word choice/vocabulary is important!)
4
3
2
1