1. abstain (v.) to stay away from doing something by
one’s own choice
abstain
I find it hard to ____________
from these tempting and
delicious desserts!
avoid, decline, resist, refrain from
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
ANTONYMS: __________________________________
yield to, give in to, indulge in
2. accommodate
(v.) to do a favor or service for,
help out; to provide for, supply with; to have space for; to
make fit or suitable
That van is the ideal vehicle for carpooling because it
can ______________
accommodate nine passengers.
oblige, lodge, house, adapt
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
ANTONYMS: __________________________________
disoblige, inconvenience, trouble
3. allegiance
(n.) the loyalty or obligation owed to a
government, nation, cause, etc.
At a festive yet solemn ceremony, fifty new citizens
swore ______________
to their adopted nation.
allegiance
obedience, devotion, fidelity
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
4. amalgamate (v.) to unite; to combine elements into a
unified whole
amalgamate
Two small companies will ________________
into
one large corporation on June 1.
merge, consolidate
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
ANTONYMS: __________________________________
divide, separate, carve up, break up
5. append (v.) to attach or add as a supplement or extra
item
We were dismayed when our teacher decided to
_______________
an additional assignment to our
append
already huge load of homework.
detach from, disconnect
ANTONYMS: __________________________________
6. commemorate (v.) to preserve, honor, or celebrate
the memory of
commemorate Grandpa’s life by
Each May we ______________
lighting a special candle for him that burns for 24 hours.
memorialize
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
ANTONYMS: __________________________________
dishonor, forget, overlook
7. enumerate
(v.) to count; to name one by one, list
enumerate
These booklets _____________
and compare all
the high-tech features that new televisions can offer.
check off, spell out, specify
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
8. exalt
(v.) to make high in rank, power, character, or
quality; to fill with pride, joy, or noble feeling; to praise,
honor
exalt
Let us now __________
the heroes for their
courage and character in the face of all this adversity.
elevate, raise, uplift
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
ANTONYMS: __________________________________
lower, cast down, humble, degrade,
__________________________
demote, depose
9. extort (v.) to obtain by violence, misuse of authority,
or threats
extort
The kidnappers tried to ____________
a huge
sum of money in return for releasing their prisoners
safely.
blackmail, coerce, bilk, “shake down”
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
10. far-fetched (adj.) strained or improbably (in the
sense of not being logical or believable), going far a-field
from a topic
No one will believe the _______________
excuse
far-fetched
you just gave!
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
unlikely, hard to swallow
likely, probable, plausible, credible
ANTONYMS: _________________________________
11. glum
(adj.) depressed, gloomy
The losing team wore ________
glum expressions on
their faces as the final buzzer sounded.
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
dejected, morose, melancholy
ANTONYMS: _________________________________
cheerful, merry, rosy, sunny
12. replica (n.) a copy, close reproduction
We visited a life-size ___________
of the
replica
Mayflower, the Pilgrim ship docked near Plymouth,
Massachusetts.
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
duplicate, imitation
ANTONYMS: _________________________________
original, prototype
13. responsive (adj.) answering or replying; reacting
readily to requests, suggestions, etc.; showing interest
and understanding
The host of the charming inn was _____________
responsive
to our every wish.
sympathetic, open, receptive
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
insensitive, unsympathetic
ANTONYMS: _________________________________
14. sanctuary (n.) a sacred or holy place; refuge or
protection from capture or punishment; a place of refuge
or protection
The exhausted refugees found ______________
sanctuary
in a local church.
shrine, haven
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
15. self-seeking (adj.) selfishly ambitious
That ________________
politician will promise just
self-seeking
about anything to win a few more votes.
selfish, opportunistic, gold-digging
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
ANTONYMS: _________________________________
unselfish, selfless, altruistic
16. submissive (adj.) humbly obedient; tending to give
in to authority, obeying without protest
The little dog rolled over on its back to show that it
was _______________
to its owner.
submissive
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
meek, compliant, servile, subservient
ANTONYMS: _________________________________
rebellious, defiant, insubordinate
17. tally (v.) to count up; to keep score; to make
entries for reckoning; to correspond or agree
(n.) a total or score
They will ________
tally the votes after 9 P.M.
Our teacher keeps an accurate _________
of all of
tally
our absences.
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
(v., n.) total, record
18. taskmaster (n.) one whose job it is to assign work
to others; one who uses his or her power to make
people work very hard
The crusty old boss was a harsh ____________
taskmaster
but also an efficient manager.
supervisor, overseer, slave driver
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
19. transform (v.) to change completely in
appearance or form; to make into something else
transform the parched
A heavy rain could ____________
yellow fields into a lush green landscape again.
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
alter, convert
ANTONYMS: _________________________________
maintain, preserve
20. upheaval
(n.) a sudden, violent upward
movement; great disorder or radical change
The sudden change in leadership caused dramatic
social and economic ________________.
upheaval
SYNONYMS: _________________________________
confusion, disruption, chaos
ANTONYMS: _________________________________
tranquility, peace and quiet