adj. courteous and
pleasant, sociable,
easy to speak to
Synonyms: genial,
amicable,
agreeable, cordial
Antonyms: surly,
cantankerous,
dour, inhospitable
v. To increase in
greatness, power, or
wealth; to build up or
intensify; to make
appear greater
Synonyms: augment,
amplify, enhance, exalt
Antonyms: reduce,
decrease, diminish
During World War II
Adolf Hitler was able to
aggrandize himself
because of his powerful
rhetorical skills
adj. shapeless, without
definite form; of no
particular type or
character; without
organization
Synonyms: formless,
unstructured,
nebulous, inchoate
Antonyms: definite,
well-defined, clear-cut
In science class, I made
an amorphous glob of
liquid that would turn
into a solid if you applied
pressure.
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(n.) an original model
on which something
was patterned or
replicated; the ideal
example of a particular
type of person or thing;
A recurrent symbol or
motif in literature
Syn: model, prototype,
epitome
Gatsby’s love for Daisy
embodies the archetype of
long-lost love. Gatsby is
an archetype of a “selfmade” man.
n. That which surrounds
(as an atmosphere); a
distinctive air or personal
quality
Synonyms: ambience,
atmosphere
Despite his hard life, the
child had an aura of
kindness about him.
n. illegal traffic, smuggled
goods;
adj. illegal, prohibited
Synonyms: illicit, bootleg,
unlawful
Antonyms: legal, lawful,
licit
During prohibition,
many people sold
contraband alcohol and
made millions of dollars.
adj. scholarly, learned,
bookish, pedantic
Synonyms: profoundly
educated, well-read
Antonyms: ignorant,
uneducated, illiterate
While Albert Einstein
was extremely
erudite, he also had a
fun side.
adj. thin, light, delicate,
insubstantial
n. A very thin, light cloth
Synonyms: filmy,
diaphanous, sheer, airy,
feathery, gauzy
Antonyms: thick, dense,
solid, massive
Flowers tend to be
extremely gossamer.
(adj.) incapable of being
understood; impossible to see
through physically
Synonyms: impenetrable,
incomprehensible, enigmatic
Antonyms: comprehensible,
intelligible, penetrable
The inscrutable metal door
sealed away the secrets behind
it.
(adj.) relating to, characteristic of,
or situated on an island; narrow or
isolated outlook or experience
Synonyms: narrow-minded,
parochial, provincial
Antonyms: catholic, cosmopolitan,
liberal
The survivors became very insular
after having been on the island for
ten years.
(adj.) incapable of being changed
or called back
Synonyms: irreversible,
unrecallable, unalterable
Antonyms: reversible, changeable
Getting a tattoo seems irrevocable
if you ask me.
(n.) a natural inclination or
predilection toward
Synonyms: natural bent, proclivity,
penchant
Antonyms: natural incapacity or
inability
I had a propensity for the decision of
asking for directions rather than
driving around aimlessly.
(adj.) peevish, complaining, fretful
Synonyms: petulant, touchy, cranky,
irritable
Antonyms: uncomplaining, stoical,
serene, placid
The children were quite querulous on
the road trip to their grandma’s
house.
(V.) to argue or plead with
someone against
something, protest against,
object to.
Synonyms:
reason against,
expostulate
When Elizabeth began to
with Annie
about our project, I quickly
interceded as to not have
them cause any problems in
the group.
After making a false
accusation, I had to
repudiate my earlier
statement to set things
straight.
Synonyms: disavow,
abjure, renounce
Antonyms: avow,
affirm, aver, avouch.
(V.) to disown,
reject, or deny the
validity of
(Adj.) able to return to
an original shape or
form; able to recover
quickly
After the biking accident,
resilient Emily was able to
compete in the race after just
two weeks of recovery.
Synonyms:
springy, elastic,
buoyant, bouncy
Antonyms: rigid,
stiff, inflexible,
unyielding.
(V.) to re-echo, resound; to reflect or
be reflected repeatedly
The choirs’ singing
reverberated off
of the walls of the
enormous church.
Synonyms: rumble,
thunder, boom,
echo
(Adj.) Coarsely abusive,
vulgar or low (especially
in language), foul
mouthed
His scurrilous words left me
frozen with my mouth hanging
open.
Synonyms: obscene, filthy , abusive,
vituperative
Antonyms: decorous, seemly, tasteful,
dignified
Synonyms: assiduous,
tireless, indefatigable
Antonyms:
lackadaisical, listless,
indolent, otiose
(Adj.) persistent,
showing industry
and
determination
She was a very sedulous student and
turned in all of her work on time.
(Adj.) thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy
or inferior in quality or character; ethically low,
mean, or disreputable.
Synonyms:
inferior, cheesy,
tawdry, tatty
Antonyms:
superior, firstrate, quality,
sturdy
The sleazy news
reporter was so
desperate that he
took a random
picture and started
making up the story
without the facts.