Adjective
- Doing something different than
the conventional or established
form
Synonyms- odd, weird, different
Antonyms- normal, conventional,
same
Sentence-
The girl with the
green hair is
eccentric.
“Most people enjoy the
inferiority of their friends.”
--Lord Chesterfield
Adjective
- Can’t stand or tolerate; incapable
of being endured
Synonyms- intolerable, unbearable,
painful
Antonyms- sufferable, tolerable,
pleasant
Sentence-
Having homework
every night is
insufferable.
“All cruelty springs
from weakness.”
--anonymous
Adjective
- Laughable or hilarious because of
obvious absurdity
Synonyms- absurd, ridiculous
Antonyms- logical, reasonable,
sensible
Sentence-
Mooning the Governor
of Kentucky is
ludicrous.
“It is better to remain
silent and be thought a
fool than to speak out
and remove all doubt.”
--anonymous
Insatiable- Adjective
- Impossible to satisfy; greedy
Synonyms- wanting, unsatisfied
Antonyms- fulfilled, pleased,
satisfied
Sentence-
His insatiable thirst
drove him straight to
the water fountain
when the bell rang.
“A good scare is worth
more to a man than
good advice.”
--Ed Howe
Meticulous- Adjective
- Extremely careful about details;
picky
Synonyms- precise, attentive,
painstaking
Antonyms- careless, messy,
undetailed.
Meticulous
Sentence-
In order to be a good
writer one must be
meticulous about his or
her work.
“Minds are like
parachutes, they only
function when they
are open.”
--Sir James Dewar
Emulate- verb
-to strive to equal or excel beyond
another, especially through
imitation.
Synonyms- imitate, copy, simulate
Antonyms- original, new, fresh
Emulate
SentenceA lot of young people try to
emulate their peers.
“There are a thousand
reasons for failure, but not a
single excuse.”
--anonymous
Havoc- noun
-widespread destruction; chaos
Synonyms- mayhem, violence,
disturbance
Antonyms- order, peace
Sentence-
The tornado wreaked
havoc in the small
town of Morehead.
“The only learning
that really sticks is
that which is selfdiscovered.”
--Carl Rogers
Charisma - noun
-a special and rare quality of
personal magnetism and charm
Synonyms- grace, charm, allure
Antonyms- dull, plain, drab
Sentence-
The beauty pageant
winner was chosen
because she had
charisma.
“Remember, no one can
make you feel inferior
without your consent.”
--Eleanor Roosevelt
Facetious- adjective
joking; witty; humorous
Synonyms- silly, foolish
Antonyms- formal, serious
Sentence-
When the teacher said,
“You don’t have to do any
more work this year!” she
was being facetious.
“Always keep your head
up, but be careful to
keep your nose at a
friendly level.”
--Max Foreman
adjective
being persistent to one’s occupation or
studies
Synonyms- energetic, hard-working,
active, lively
Antonyms- inactive, lazy, negligent,
idle
Sentence-
If you are diligent, you will
find yourself very
successful in school and
in life.
“Experience is what you
get when you don’t get
what you want.”
--Dan Stanford
Incredulous- adjective
-disbelieving; skeptical; expressing
disbelief
Synonyms- doubtful, amazement,
suspiciously
Antonyms- believable, gullible, naïve,
unsuspicious
Sentence-
I find it incredulous that
she saw a flying saucer.
“If it blows up, it’s
chemistry; if it dies, it’s
biology; if it doesn’t
work, it’s physics; if it
isn’t finished, it’s writing.”
--anonymous
Obscure- adjective
-hidden; not noticed; dark
Synonyms- dim, faint, unknown
Antonyms- clear, revealing
Sentence-
A black cat in a coal
mine is certainly
obscure.
“The essence of true
friendship is to make
allowances for
another’s little lapses.”
--anonymous
empathy--noun empathize-verb
empathetic-adjective
Being able to identify with or
experience feelings or thoughts of
another
Synonyms- understanding, sympathy,
Antonyms- animosity, unfriendly
Empathy
Sentence-
Counselors must be able to
empathize with their clients in
order to help them.
“We cannot control or
change the things that
happen around us; we can
only change how we react to
them.”
--anonymous
adjective
fallen into partial ruin or decay,as
from neglect
Synonyms- broken, decayed
Antonyms- rebuilt, new
Sentence-
The old, dilapidated house
reminded me of a place I knew
that had been abandoned for
years.
“The greatest of all faults,
I should say, is to be
conscious of none.”
--anonymous
adjective
possessing or showing sound
judgment and keen perception
Synonyms- wise, smart, sensible
Antonyms- foolish, ignorant
Sagacious
Sentence-
A judge must be sagacious
to do a good job.
“It’s not what you are that
keeps you from succeeding
in life; it’s what you think
you’re not.”
--anonymous
adjective
Bad beyond reform; can’t be fixed
Synonyms- hopeless; incurable
Antonyms- manageable;
reformable; curable
Sentence-
The incorrigible little boy bit
the teacher on the arm
when she tried to pull him
off the table.
“The secret of
contentment is realizing
that life is a gift, not a
right.”
--anonymous
Adjective
holding to firmly; cohesive
Synonyms- inflexible, determined;
strong; stubborn; persistent
Antonyms- flexible, surrendering,
weak
Sentence-
That man is tenacious of his
opinions and turns away
from new ideas.
“You cannot build a
reputation on what you’re
going to do.”
--anonymous
adjective
secure or satisfied with one’s self
Synonyms- smug, confident
Antonyms- insecure, unsure
Sentence-
Michael Jordan, former
basketball star, was very
complacent in his decision
to retire.
“There are always two
choices; one is easy, and
its only reward is that it is
easy.”
--anonymous
adjective
extremely bold or daring;
adventurous
Synonyms- brave, reckless
Antonyms- cautious, timid
Sentences-
She had the audacity to ask my
boyfriend to the prom.
He audaciously chased the lion
out of the jungle.
“To be loved; be lovable.”
--anonymous
adjective
clearly expressed in few words
Synonyms- concise, compact,
brief
Antonyms- wordy, lengthy
Sentence-
Her succinct style made
her a great speaker and
writer.
“You are only young
once, but you can stay
immature forever.”
-anonymous
Verb
To give up or give in to
Synonyms- yield, surrender,
collapse
Antonyms- conquer, overcome,
win
Sentence-
The tree succumbed to the
tremendous weight of the
snow causing its branches
to break.
“The nice thing about
egotists is that they don’t
talk about other people.”
-Lucille S. Harper
Verb
To examine closely; to inspect
critically
Synonyms- analyze, investigate,
probe
Antonyms- glance
“The test of courage
comes when we are
in the minority.”
-Anonymous
Sentence-
I hate it when my parents
constantly scrutinize my
every move.
Adjective
exceptionally bad, monstrous, evil
Synonyms- awful, beastly,
revolting
Antonyms- inoffensive, beautiful,
pleasing
“The sun never
sets. It is we who
rise and think to
shine.”
--Earle Birney
The atrocious deed left the
man without a head—the
axe murderer had won.
Adjective-Having two or more
possible meanings
Synonyms- puzzling,
unclear, vague
Antonyms- clear, definite,
explicit
The sentence “Mike decided to
take his new convertible to the
drive-in movie, which turned
out to be a real horror story” is
an ambiguous statement.
“It’s what you learn after you
know it all that counts.”
-John Wooden
Adjective/noun
Of the highest order, quality, or
degree; superior to all others
Synonyms- best, accomplished,
supreme
Antonyms- lowest, second-class
Sentence-
Brightest is the
superlative of bright.
“Lots of folks confuse bad
management with destiny.”
-Kim Hubbard
Adjective- dependent upon
conditions or events not yet
established
Synonyms- possible, likely
Antonyms- certain, definite,
Sentence-
The baseball game is
contingent on the weather.
“If a window of opportunity
appears, don’t pull down
the shade.”
-Anonymous
Adjective
Showing forceful expression or
intense emotion; strong
Synonyms- powerful, emotional,
intense
Antonyms- apathetic, weak,
impassionate
Sentence-
Her vehement denial of the
crime made me believe she
was innocent.
“Often the best way to win
is to forget to keep
score.”
--Marianne Espinosa Murphy
Adjective
Having an oddly dreamlike or
unreal quality
Synonyms- bizarre, unreal
Antonyms- realistic, tangible
Sentence-
The gray, floating clouds made
things appear surreal.
“Remember that everyone
you meet is afraid of
something and has lost
something.”
-anonymous
Adjective
Eager to fight; hostile or aggressive
Synonyms- argumentative,
combative, warlike, quarrelsome
Antonyms- cooperative, helpful, kind,
nice
Sentence-
Because the student was
being belligerent, the teacher
sent him to the office.
“Success is not the result of
spontaneous combustion.
You must first set yourself on
fire.”
-anonymous
Noun
Conclusion, finale, end, outcome
Synonyms- solution, resolution
Antonyms- beginning, origin
Sentence-
I cried during the denouement
of the play.
“If you think you can,
you can. If you think
you can’t, you’re right.”
-anonymous
“Kindness is a language we
all understand. Even the
blind can see it and the deaf
can hear it.”
-Mother Teresa