1. Apparel (n.) clothing, that which serves as dress or
decoration
(v.) to put clothes on, dress up
Winter ___apparel
_______ should be warm and
cozy.
apparel
Let’s _______________
our cats for the party.
attire, garments (v.) ________________
deck out
SYNONMS: (n.) _________________
Undress, unclothe, strip, denude
ANTONYMS: (v.) ___________________________________
2. besiege (v.) to attack by surrounding with military
forces; to cause worry or trouble
If troops ______________
besiege
their stronghold, the rebel
forces may be forced to surrender.
Blockade, encircle, pressure, hound
SYNONMS: ______________________________________
3. compress(v.) to press together; to reduce in size or
volume;
(n.) a folded cloth or pad applied to an injury
compress
The editor helped to __________________
my rambling
25-page mystery into an 8-page thriller.
compress
A cold _______________
may soothe headache pain.
Condense, shrink, shorten
SYNONMS:(v.)___________________________________
Expand, enlarge
ANTONYMS: (v.) _________________________________
4. denounce (v.) to condemn openly; to accuse formally
denounce the
The United Nations decided to publicly _____________
tyrant’s crimes against the people.
Criticize, censure
SYNONMS:______________________________________
Hail, acclaim
ANTONYMS:_____________________________________
5. dispatch (v.) to send off or out for a purpose; to kill:
(n.) an official message; promptness, speed; the act of
killing
dispatch
We’ll _______________
a repair crew right away.
Report, communication
slay
SYNONMS: (v.) _________(n.)
_________________
Recall, withhold
ANTONYMS: (v.) ____________________________________
6. douse
(v.) to plunge into a liquid, drench; to put out
quickly, extinguish
douse
I’ll ___________________
the flames with the hose.
Submerge, soak, dunk, immerse
SYNONMS:_______________________________________
Dry out, dehydrate, kindle, ignite
ANTONYMS: _____________________________________
7. expressly (adv.) plainly, in so many words; for a
particular purpose
expressly
At the meeting, parents _________________
stated their
approval of students wearing school uniforms.
Clearly, pointedly, explicitly
SYNONMS: _______________________________________
Implicitly, accidentally
ANTONYMS: _____________________________________
8. famished (adj., part.) suffering severely from hunger or
from lack of something
The Vietnamese immigrants, new to a strange American city,
famished
were _______________
for news of home
hungry, starving, ravenous
SYNONMS: _________________________________________
Well fed, full, satisfied, satiated
ANTONYMS: ________________________________________
9. forsake (v.) to give up, renounce; to leave, abandon
forsake
I will never _______________
my children, no matter what
they do or say.
desert, disown
SYNONMS: _______________________________________
keep, hold on to, stand by
ANTONYMS: _____________________________________
10. gainful (adj.) profitable; bringing in money or some
special advantage
gainful
I hope to find ________________
employment that is
pleasing to me.
moneymaking, paying
SYNONMS: ______________________________________
unprofitable, unrewarding, nonpaying
ANTONYMS: _____________________________________
11. Immense (adj.) very large or great; beyond ordinary
means of measurement
immense
Alaska enjoys ___________________
natural resources,
but its severe climate makes those resources difficult to
use.
vast, enormous, immeasurable, gigantic
SYNONMS: _______________________________________
small, tiny, minute, infinitesimal
ANTONYMS: _____________________________________
12. Inept (adj.) totally without skill or appropriateness
The scientist is brilliant in the research laboratory but is
inept
______________
at dealing with people.
clumsy, unskilled, bungling, incompetent
SYNONMS: _______________________________________
skillful, accomplished, adroit
ANTONYMS: _____________________________________
13. ingenious (adj.) showing remarkable originality,
inventiveness, or resourcefulness; clever
ingenious
The students found an ____________________
solution
to the math problem.
imaginative, inventive, resourceful
SYNONMS: ______________________________________
unimaginative, unoriginal, uninventive
ANTONYMS: _____________________________________
14. Instantaneous (adj.) done in an instant; immediate
Most computer software is designed so that users can
instantaneous
obtain nearly _______________________
responses.
prompt, quick, speedy
SYNONMS: ______________________________________
delayed, slow, gradual
ANTONYMS: ____________________________________
15. irk (v.) to annoy, trouble, make weary
Questions that show a student’s lack of attention
irk
____________
the teacher.
bother, irritate, vex
SYNONMS: ______________________________________
please, delight, cheer, gladden
ANTONYMS: _____________________________________
16. Libel (n.) a statement that unfairly or falsely harms
the reputation of the person about whom it is made;
(v.) to write or publish such a statement
libel
The celebrity accused her biographer of ______________.
libel
It is a crime to ___________
others, no matter how you
feel about them.
slur
smear, defame
SYNONMS: (n.)_____________
(v.) ___________________
17. misgiving (n.) a feeling of fear, doubt, or uncertainty
misgiving
They had a _________________
about joining the chorus
because of its demanding schedule.
worry, qualm, hesitation
SYNONMS: ______________________________________
feeling of confidence, assurance
ANTONYMS: _____________________________________
18. Oaf (n.) a stupid person; a big, clumsy, slow
individual
oaf so I was surprised
He generally moved like an ________
to see how graceful he was on the dance floor.
bonehead, dunce, clod, lout
SYNONMS: ______________________________________
19. recede (v.) to go or move backward; to become
more distant
The town residents must with for the flood water to
recede
_________before
they can deal with the terrible mess
left behind.
retreat, go back, back up, ebb
SYNONMS: ______________________________________
advance, come closer
ANTONYMS: ____________________________________
20. Repast (n.) a meal, food
Let’s get together after the show at Callie’s Café for a late
repast
night ______________.
victuals
SYNONMS: ____________________________________