ABASE (v) [uh-BEYS]
Syn: lower; humiliate
Ant: exalt; elevate; honor; raise; promote
Usage: To add insult to injury, he further abased her by throwing the report at her in the presence of the rest of the staff.
ABASH (v) [uh-BASH]
Syn: embarrass
Ant: encourage; cheer; animate; embolden; incite
Usage: The writer felt abashed seeing the amount of attention he was receiving.
ABDICATE (v) [AB-di-keyt]
Syn: renounce; give up; relinquish
Ant: occupy; retain; maintain
Usage: He abdicated his entire estate and retired into the forest, spending the rest of his life in a log cabin.
ABERRANT (adj) [uh-BER-uh nt]
Syn: abnormal; deviant
Ant: normal
Usage: Normally a calm and steady worker, recently Jim’s behavior has been noted to be aberrant.
ABEYANCE (n) [uh-BEY-uh ns]
Syn: suspended action; inactivity; cessation; suspension
Ant: continuance
Usage: But these rights of adulthood are in abeyance during the period of pupilage or nonage.
ABJURE (v) [ab-JOO r]
Syn: renounce; repudiate; retract
Ant: claim; assert; profess; vindicate; retain; maintain, hold
Usage: To save his skin, he simply adjured every statement they had made, humbling under their pressure.
ABNEGATION (n) [ab-ni-GEY-shuh n]
Syn: repudiation; self-sacrifice; relinquishment
Ant: assertion; retention; maintenance; hold
Usage: But this abnegation of responsibility is bringing with it the anarchy, chaos, and violence in society.
ABOMINATE (v) [uh-BOM-uh-neyt]
Syn: loathe; hate
Ant: love; abide
Usage: He has such a loathsome personality that any sane person would abominate him.
ABRASIVE (adj) [uh-BREY-siv]
Syn: caustic; corrosive; rubbing away; tending to grind down or abrade; causing irritation, annoyance, or bad feelings
Ant: calm; mild; soothing; likable
Usage: The builder explained that the material was abrasive and hence would easily crumble to powder.
ABRIDGE (v) [uh-brij]
Syn: condense or shorten
Ant: lengthen, append
Usage: The key issues are listed below in an abridged version of the mail sent to him.
ABROGATE (adj) [AB-ruh-geyt]
Syn: abolish; nullify
Ant: approve; establish; sanction; support
Usage: It was Abraham Lincoln who took the initiative to abrogate slavery in America.
ABSCISSION (n) [ab-SIZH-uhn]
Syn: removal by cutting off, as in surgery; separation; section
Ant: joining; recombination
Usage: The doctor explained that the planned abscission of the patient’s toe was a necessary amputation to save his life from the spreading infection.
ABSCOND (v) [ab-SKOND]
Syn: depart secretly and hide
Ant: appear; emerge; show; stay; remain
Usage: The culprit is said to be absconding with the bank robbery proceeds.
ABSTAIN (v) [ab-STEYN]
Syn: refrain; hold oneself back voluntarily from an action or practice
Syn: participate; act; consume
Usage: On every Tuesday of the month, Jim abstains from consuming meat and alcohol.
ABSTEMIOUS (adj) [ab-STEE-mee-uh s]
Syn: Sparing in eating and drinking; temperate
Ant: intemperate; gluttonous; greedy
Usage: Roderick chooses to remain abstemious when the rest of his colleagues meet up for drinks.
ABSTINENCE (n) [AB-stuh-nuhns]
Syn: self-restraint; restraint from eating, drinking, having sex, or indulging any other appetites
Ant: indulging; consumption; participation
Usage: Spiritual ascetics preach a complete abstinence from the pleasures of world.
ABSTRUSE (adj) [ab-STROOS]
Syn: obscure; profound
Ant: evident; visible; obvious
Usage: It's clever, fun and makes a fairly abstruse point very neatly for even the most inexperienced to understand.
ABUT (v) [uh-BUHT]
Syn: border upon; adjoin
Ant: separate
Usage: A gravel terrace abuts the rear of the main house with a further brick path to the side of the farmhouse kitchen.
ACCEDE (v) [ak-SEED]
Syn: agree; approve; assent
Ant: antagonize, dissent; demur; protest
Usage: Shelly acceded to the request of Jill and stayed back for group study.
ACCESSIBLE (adj) [ak-SES-uh-buh l]
Syn: easy to approach; obtainable
Ant: inaccessible; hard to reach
Usage: The cliff-top at Skorda is easily accessible through a ski lift.
ACCESSORY (n) [ak-SES-uh-ree]
Syn: additional object; useful but not essential thing
Ant: necessity; essential item
Usage: Today a trendy cellphone is not just a gadget, but also a fashion accessory to flaunt in public.
ACCLIVITY (n) [uh-KLIV-i-tee]
Syn: sharp upslope of a hill; ascent
Ant: declivity; descent
Usage: It is delightfully situated on a bold acclivity, one mile east of the church, looking down on the village.
ACCOLADE (n) [AK-uh-leyd]
Syn: award of merit; recognition of accomplishment
Ant: criticism; demerits
Usage: She has been winning many accolades for her achievements.
ACCORD (n) [uh-KAWRD]
Syn: agreement; treaty
Ant: difference; disagreement; withholding; refusal; denial
Usage: The talks between the two Presidents led to an accord with a number of new agreements being signed by the two countries.
ACCOST (v) [uh-KAWST]
Syn: approach and speak first to a person
Ant: shun; pass; elude; ignore; avoid
Usage: Just as she was emerging from the bank, two men accosted her, grabbed her handbag, and made off in a waiting car.
ACCOUTER (v) [uh-KOO-ter]
Syn: equip; outfit
Ant: disrobe;
Usage: Her primary job was to fashionably accouter the women in the royal household.
ACCRETION (n) [uh-KREE-shuh n]
Syn: growth; increase; addition
Syn: shrinkage; deduction; decrease
Usage: There was no point in attempting accretion of more wealth when he knew that everything his affluent parents owned would eventually be handed down to him.
ACCRUE (v) [uh-KROO]
Syn: accumulate; pile up; grow; collect
Ant: divest; shrink; decrease; lose
Usage: There was no point in attempting to accrue more wealth when he knew that everything his affluent parents owned would eventually be handed down to him.
ACERBITY (n) [uh-SUR-bi-tee]
Syn: bitterness of speech and temper; harshness; severity
Ant: sweetness; mellowness; mildness
Usage: The party members showed acerbity in their harsh criticism of the leader's Divide and Rule policy.
ACIDULOUS (adj) [uh-SIJ-uh-luhs]
Syn: slightly sour; sharp; caustic
Ant: sweet; sugary
Usage: People around Sheena are terrified of her acidulous tongue.
ACOUSTICS (n) [uh-KOO-stiks]
Syn: science of sound
Usage: The ceiling slanted down toward the screen to improve acoustics.
ACQUIESCE (v) [ak-wee-ES]
Syn: assent; agree without fuss; comply
Ant: dissent; demur; object; protest; resist; oppose
Usage: After a lot of pressure, the President decided to acquiesce to the people’s demands and moved to withdraw the troops.
ACQUITTAL (n) [uh-KWIT-l]
Syn: deliverance from a charge
Ant: conviction
Usage: The mafia don called for a huge celebration on account of his acquittal of all felony charges.
ACROPHOBIA (n) [ak-ruh-FOH-bee-uh]
Syn: fear of heights
Usage: Jack did not join his friends for mountaineering as he suffered from acrophobia.
ACTUARIAL (adj) [AK-choo-er-ee]
Syn: calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics
Usage: The actuarial statistics show that people are living into a higher age these days than ten years back.
ACTUATE (v) [AK-choo-eyt]
Syn: motivate; impel; incite
Ant: dissuade; prevent; deter; hinder; discourage
Usage: Bob was actuated toward committing the crime because of his heavy debts.
ACUITY (n) [uh-KYOO-i-tee]
Syn: sharpness
Ant: stupidity
Usage: His sense of acuity and acumen was amazingly sharp even at this age.
ACUMEN (n) [uh-kYOO-muh n]
Syn: mental shrewdness; discernment; keen insight
Ant: stupidity; lack of awareness
Usage: His sharp sense of business acumen has always been admired by people.
ADAGE (n) [AD-ij]
Syn: wise saying; proverb
Ant: absurdity; ambiguity; foolishness; nonsense
Usage: That “experience is the parent of wisdom,” is an adage, the truth of which is recognized by all mankind.
ADDENDUM (n) [uh-DEN-duh m]
Syn: an addition or a supplement
Ant: subtraction
Usage: This year, the company has put in a new addendum to the existing set of regulations to deal with new technology issues.
ADDLE (v) [AD-l]
Syn: muddle; confuse; drive crazy; become rotten
Ant: clarify; explain; clear up
Usage: Ken became addled by all this talk because he just couldn’t understand what Lori was saying.
ADHERE (v) [ad-HEER]
Syn: stick fast
Ant: disjoin; not conform
Usage: However, dates will still need to be strictly adhered to if we hope to meet the due date.
ADJUNCT (n) [AJ-uhngkt]
Syn: something added on or attached
Ant: something removed
Usage: Lastly, the lawyer made another adjunct to the will on the advice of the client.
ADJURATION (n) [aj-uh-REY-shuh n]
Syn: solemn urging; appeal
Ant: denial; refusal; disavowal
Usage: Broken-hearted with the verdict, the captain decided to make an adjuration to a higher court.
ADROIT (adj) [uh-DROIT]
Syn: skillful
Ant: awkward; clumsy; unskillful; inexpert; lubberly
Usage: Being an army officer’s daughter, she was quite adroit at all the physical exercises they asked her to do.
ADULATION (n) [aj-uh-LEY shuh n]
Syn: flattery; admiration; overenthusiastic praise; sycophancy
Ant: criticism; abuse
Usage: By now, the film star was sick of all the fawning adulation he was drawing.
ADVENTITIOUS (adj) [ad-vuh n-tish-uh s]
Syn: accidental; casual; extrinsic
Ant: deliberate; intrinsic; planned
Usage: That they would meet like this at a coffee shop after twenty years of being separated was too adventitious to believe.
ADVERSITY (n) [ad-VUR-si-tee]
Syn: poverty; misfortune; bad luck
Ant: fortune; good luck; prosperity
Usage: They say the true strength of man is measured in times of hardship and adversity.
ADVOCATE (v) [AD-vuh-keyt]
Syn: urge; plead for; support
Ant: counter; discourage; impede
Usage: What was really shocking to the pacifists was that he advocated the use of violence in their protests.
AERIE (n) [air-ee]
Syn: nest of a large bird of prey
Usage: The vulture was winging his way at a high altitude toward his aerie atop the mountain.
AFFABLE (adj) [AF-uh-buh l]
Syn: easily approachable; warm; genial; friendly
Ant: contemptuous; disdainful; discourteous;, impolite, callous
Usage: Jim had seemed like an affable gentleman to me but his neighbor told me he was often rude to her.
AFFILIATION (n) [uh-fil-ee-EY-shuh n]
Syn: joining; association; alliance
Ant: separation; estrangement
Usage: The local university has an affiliation to the University of Wisconsin.
AFFLUENCE (n) [AF-loo-uh ns]
Syn: abundance; wealth
Ant: dearth
Usage: Even before entering the mansion, the family’s affluence was clearly obvious from the value of the various imported cars parked outside.
AGGLOMERATION (n) [uh-glom-uh-REY-shuh n]
Syn: collection; heap; jumble; cluster
Ant: individual item
Usage: Now, the site is an oasis of green space in an agglomeration of urban sprawl.
AGGRESSOR (n) [uh-GRES-er]
Syn: attacker
Ant: victim
Usage: The United Nations received much support for taking robust action against an aggressor nation.
AGNOSTIC (n) [ag-NOS-tik]
Syn: one who is skeptical of the existence or knowability of a god or any ultimate reality
Ant: believer
Usage: There was no celebration for Easter in their house because they were agnostics.
ALACRITY (n) [uh-LAK-ri-tee]
Syn: cheerful promptness; eagerness; celerity; willingness; cheerfulness
Ant: aversion; slowness; repugnance; reluctance; unwillingness
Usage: On hearing the good news, the three of them rose to their feet with such alacrity that he was stunned.
ALCHEMY (n) [AL-kuh-mee]
Syn: medieval chemistry; sorcery
Ant: science
Usage: I studied alchemy and new age ideas at first, and then yoga.
ALLAY (v) [uh-LEY]
Syn: assuage; relieve; alleviate; calm; pacify
Ant: dispute; provoke; agitate; arouse
Usage: “Don’t worry; I am here with you,” he said, allaying her fears.
ALLEGE (v) [uh-LEJ]
Syn: state without proof
Ant: contradict; deny; disprove; refute; gainsay
Usage: Later they even dared to allege that he had helped the prisoner to escape.
ALLEGORY (n) [AL-uh-gawr-ee]
Syn: story in which characters are used as symbols; fable
Ant: fact; history
Usage: Aesop’s fable of the hard-working ant and lazy grasshopper presents an allegory showing the value of planning, working, and saving.
ALLEVIATE (v) [uh-LEE-vee-eyt]
Syn: relieve
Ant: exacerbate; aggravate; increase; augment; embitter
Usage: With great patience, he set out to alleviate their uneasiness.
ALTRUISTIC (adj) [al-troo-IS-tik]
Syn: unselfishly generous; concerned for others
Ant: frugal; miserly
Usage: Because of his altruistic nature he has no qualms about donating even millions to charity.
AMBIDEXTROUS (adj) [am-bi-DEK-struh s]
Syn: capable of using either hand with equal ease
Ant: righthanded; lefthanded
Usage: Ambidextrous design makes working more comfortable, whether you mouse with your left or right hand.
AMBIGUOUS (adj) [am-BIG-yoo-uh s]
Syn: unclear or doubtful in meaning; obscure; uncertain
Ant: indisputable; obvious; unequivocal; unambiguous
Usage: It would be far more sensible to write clear, lucid statements than ambiguous statements, which would only serve to confuse the reader.
AMBIVALENCE (n) [am-BIV-uh-luh ns]
Syn: the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
Ant: certainty; decisiveness
Usage: Paul was faced with deep ambivalence toward the prevailing culture.
AMBROSIA (n) [am-BROH-zhuh]
Syn: food of the gods
Usage: After weeks of eating bland, tasteless food, the dinner cooked by Zoya felt as good as ambrosia to Neil.
AMELIORATE (v) [uh-MEEL-yuh-reyt]
Syn: improve
Ant: injure; spoil; mar; debase; deteriorate
Usage: The weather ameliorated toward the evening, with a beautiful sunset and pleasant temperatures.
AMENABLE (adj) [uh-MEE-nuh-buh l]
Syn: readily managed; willing to be led
Ant: independent; irresponsible; determinate; agreeable
Usage: “Provided I find the terms amenable I shall sign the document,” said Paul.
AMENITIES (n) [uh-MEN-i-tees]
Syn: comforts; conveniences; luxuries; niceties
Ant: discomforts
Usage: Even the most basic amenities were not available in that village.
AMNESTY (n) [AM-nuh-stee]
Syn: pardon; forgiveness;
Ant: conviction; censure; blame
Usage: On seeing the powerful mayor arriving at the town square, the prisoners begged for amnesty.
AMOK (adj) [uh-MUHK]
Syn: in a state of rage
Ant: calm; relaxed; organized
Usage: The bull ran amok on the grounds after being speared by the matador.
AMPHITHEATER (n) [AM-fuh-thee-uh-ter]
Syn: open oval building with tiers of seats
Ant: enclosed theater
Usage: In Rome, our primary agenda had been to make a visit to the amphitheater for a performance under the stars.
AMPLIFY (v) [AM-pluh-fahy]
Syn: broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger
Ant: abridge; condense; summarize; curtail
Usage: The noise only served to amplify the pain that had already brought her to tears.
ANACHRONISM (n) [uh-NAK-ruh-niz-uh m]
Syn: something or someone misplaced in time
Usage: His manner of working was so steeped in Victorian times that it appeared to be an anachronism.
ANALGESIC (adj) [an-l-JEE-zik]
Syn: causing insensitivity to pain
Usage: The pain was so severe that Peter had to opt for an analgesic pill.
ANARCHIST (n) [AN-er-kist]
Syn: person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority
Ant: conservative; moderate
Usage: The anarchist predicted chaos and disorganization on the path toward their ultimate goal of a new regime.
ANATHEMA (n) [uh-NATH-uh-muh]
Syn: abomination; enemy
Ant: love
Usage: Taxes are anathema to most people.
ANATHEMATIZE (v) [uh-NATH-uh-muh-tahyz]
Syn: curse
Ant: bless
Usage: The new copier-printer anathematizes the employees; they refuse to go near it.
ANCILLARY (adj) [AN-suh-ler-ee]
Syn: serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary
Ant: primary; fundamental
Usage: There was an ancillary clause in the will, which stated that unless and until she was married, she wouldn’t be able to inherit the estate.
ANIMADVERSION (n) [an-uh-mad-VUR-zhuhn]
Syn: critical remark; accusation; censure; criticism
Ant: commendation; praise
Usage: The news of mass tree killing excited animadversion and severe criticism among the environmentalists.
ANIMOSITY (n) [an-uh-MOS-i-tee]
Syn: active enmity; strong dislike; hostility
Ant: concord; companionship; harmony; regard
Usage: “I bear no animosity towards you,” Richard said to Fred as they shook hands to settle their differences.
ANNEAL (v) [uh-NEEL]
Syn: reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling; harden; temper
Ant: soften; weaken
Usage: The crisis Wanda was going through only served to anneal and make her stronger.
ANNIHILATE (v) [uh-NAHY-uh-leyt]
Syn: destroy almost entirely; vanquish; abolish
Ant: perpetuate; preserve; foster; protect
Usage: Filled with a desire for revenge, Gordon swore to annihilate every family member of his son’s killers.
ANNOTATE (v) [AN-uh-teyt]
Syn: comment; make explanatory notes
Ant: obscure; confuse
Usage: The professor asked the students to annotate their essays with suitable remarks and references.
ANNUITY (n) [uh-NOO-i-tee]
Syn: yearly allowance
Usage: The siblings then began quarreling among themselves for their annuity from their dead father’s estate.
ANODYNE (adj) [AN-uh-dahyn]
Syn: soothing; calming
Ant: exciting; exhilarating
Usage: The book is rather too anodyne and uninteresting.
ANOINT (v) [uh-NOINT]
Syn: consecrate
Usage: The senior priest anointed John as the new pontiff.
ANONYMITY (n) [an-uh-NIM-i-tee]
Syn: state of being nameless; obscurity
Ant: fame; visibility
Usage: The biggest advantage of Internet social clubs is that they offer anonymity so that people can mix about without disclosing their identities.
ANTAGONISTIC (adj) [an-tag-uh-NIS-tik]
Syn: hostile; opposed
Ant: friendly; loving
Usage: The child’s attitude would expectedly be antagonistic towards the new stepmother taking her own mother’s place.
ANTECEDE (v) [an-tuh-SEED]
Syn: precede
Ant: follow
Usage: There were some anteceding conditions to be fulfilled before she would be inducted into the company as a partner.
ANTEDILUVIAN (adj) [an-tee-di-LOO-vee-uh n]
Syn: antiquated; extremely ancient; prehistoric
Ant: modern; state-of-the-art; new
Usage: Wayne was too old-fashioned and anachronistic; he belonged to antediluvian times.
ANTHROPOLOGIST (n) [an-thruh-POL-uh-jist]
Syn: a student of the history and science of mankind
Usage: Jimmy is studying to become an anthropologist and anxiously anticipates his first visit to an excavation field.
ANTHROPOMORPHIC (adj) [an-thruh-puh-MAWR-fik]
Syn: having human form or characteristics
Usage: A new breed of scientists claim there are anthropomorphic or human-like creatures on the planet Pluto.
ANTICLIMAX (n) [an-ti-KLAHY-maks]
Syn: letdown in thought or emotion
Ant: climax; excitement
Usage: After the exciting and lively beginning, the dull ending of the movie was a huge anticlimax to us.
ANTIDOTE (n) [an-ti-doht]
Syn: remedy to counteract a poison or disease; cure; solution
Ant: pain; disease; injury
Usage: News from friends could provide the refreshing antidote you need to your bout of depression.
ANTIPATHY (n) [an-TIP-uh-thee]
Syn: extreme aversion; dislike; distaste; enmity
Ant: affinity; amity; sympathy; attraction; harmony
Usage: The two warring brothers have a great amount of antipathy toward each other.
ANTITHESIS (n) [an-TITH-uh-sis]
Syn: contrast; direct opposite of or to
Ant: equivalence; likeness; counterpart; equal
Usage: The book was a complete antithesis to what he’d expected it to be.
APHASIA (n) [uh-FEY-zhuh]
Syn: loss of speech due to injury or illness
Ant: talkativeness
Usage: Nina was diagnosed as suffering from aphasia, a form of brain damage that limited her use or understanding of words or their meanings.
APHORISM (n) [AF-uh-riz-uh m]
Syn: adage; belief; proverb; pithy maxim
Ant: absurdity; ambiguity; nonsense
Usage: It was another of his famous aphorisms, that life is never fair and that we must know the rules to play it well.
APLOMB (n) [uh-PLOM]
Syn: poise; assurance
Ant: discomposure ; nervousness; apprehension
Usage: Jenny walked into the room full of aplomb, brimming with confidence.
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