OCCLUDE (verb): 1 stop, close up, or obstruct.2 Chemistry (of a solid) absorb and retain (a gas or impurity).3 (of a tooth) come into contact with another in the opposite jaw.to block or stop up a passage; 2. to prevent the flow of something through a passage
Examples:- My orthodontist said I would need to wear braces for two years in order to occlude my teeth.- My grand dad suffered a heart attack because of an occluded artery that was diminishing blood flow.- We had a leak in our roof, and I hoped the roofer would be able to occlude it.
Synonyms: block, cover, obstruct, clog, plug
Antonyms: open, unplug
TORPID (adjective): 1. inactive, slow, and sleepy; 2. dormant
Synonyms: inactive, dormant, drowsy, lethargic, listless, numb, slow, sluggish
Antonyms: active, awake, lively, alert
Examples:- The mountain air made her feel torpid and light-headed.- Bears become torpid in order to hibernate all winter.- That volcano has been torpid for many centuries, but scientists think that it may erupt again in the future.- If you have a sudden loss of cabin pressure at 20 000 feet, passengers will become torpid and then lose consciousness.
INTANGIBLE (adjective): 1. not existing in a physical form–incapable to being touched or seen; 2. difficult to define or describe clearly, but nonetheless perceived
Examples:- John received the football scholarship not only for his performance, but also because he possesses the intangible qualities that make a champion.- Lisa had an intangible feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.- Common sense and creativity are some of the intangibles we’re looking for in the people we hire.- Marc has that intangible quality which you might call charisma.
Synonyms: imperceptible, indefinite, abstract, immaterial, incorporeal, indeterminate
Antonyms: tangible, substantial, physical, material
SLATE (noun, verb): (n.) 1. blue-gray rock that can be split into layers; 2. a record of the past; 3. a list of political candidates; (adj.) blue-gray in color; (v.) 1. to schedule something; 2. to enter onto a list
Phrases:- a clean slate:if you are given a clean slate, you can start something again, and all of the problems caused by you or other people in the past will be forgotten- wipe the slate clean:to make it possible to start something again, without any of the mistakes or problems of the past
Examples:- John and Lisa put aside their differences and decided to start a clean slate.- Steven Spielburg’s new series is slated to start this fall.- They will replace the roof tiles with ones made of slate.- Presidential elections are always slated for the second Tuesday in November.
Synonyms: (n.) rock, stone, tally, schedule, (v.) list, record, slot
IMPERIOUS (adjective) : proud, arrogant, and acting with an air of authority and superiority.
Examples:- The new professor was an imperious woman who considered herself to be quite important.- The imperious dictator made laws that all citizens had to obey- The diplomat asked his subordinates to leave with an imperious wave of his hand- With his imperious manner, Marc can never be an effective manager.
Synonyms: arrogant, condescending, proud, self-righteous, vain, conceited, haughty
Antonyms: humble
SALUTATION (noun): 1. a gesture or phrase that is used to greet, welcome, or recognize somebody; 2. the expression of greetings, welcome, or recognition; 3. the greeting that begins a letter or email.
Examples:- I yelled goodbye and waved, but she did not return my salutation.- A traditional American salutation is, “How are you.”- He liked to end his emails with the salutation, “Cheers!”- the speaker introduced the eveningʼs honored guest with a lavish- The president began the discussion with a pleasant salutation to the distinguished assembly
Synonyms: greeting, salute, cheers, honor, citation, tribute, accolade
SQUALID (adjective): 1 extremely dirty and unpleasant, dirty, run-down, or unsanitary, especially because of poverty; 2 showing a contemptible lack of moral standards:
Examples:- The TV host made a squalid attempt to save himself from public embarrassment.- Volunteers in South Africa worked to improve the squalid conditions of the slums.- The non-profit agency raised money for children who are living in squalor.- The politician made a squalid attempt to buy votes.
Synonyms: filthy, broken-down, crummy, seedy, shabby, wretched, degraded, nasty, sordid, immoral, undignified
Antonyms: clean, sanitary, sterile
RELISHDefinition (noun, verb): (Verb)1. to enjoy or take great pleasure in an experience2. to enjoy the taste of a particular food or drink3. to give a pleasing taste to food, e.g. by adding spice or relishNoun:1. enjoyment: a liking or appreciation of food or of an experience2. a spiced side dish or accompaniment to food, e.g. pickled or fresh vegetables with chili3. a pleasing sensation of strong taste or flavor4. interest or excitement, especially when it makes something more enjoyable
Examples:- Marc was appointed to a position for which I had little relish.- Frank doesn’t relish telling Lisa that her car has been stolen.- But when her car was found she was feeling better. Lisa ate her dinner with relish and even asked for seconds.- I have no relish for getting up early in the morning- The incident added relish to an otherwise dull weekend.
Synonyms: enjoyment, gusto, delight, pleasure, glee, enjoy, delight in, love, adore
Antonyms: dislike.
VORACIOUS (adjective): Consuming or eager to consume great amounts of food; ravenous.Having or marked by an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit;especially eager: unusually eager or enthusiastic about an activityvery hungry: desiring or consuming food in great quantities
Examples:- Phil is a voracious eater who dives into his food.- Lisa a voracious reader that pours through several books a month.- Don’t we all love to see children with a voracious appetite for knowledge.
Synonyms: hungry, ravenous, insatiable, rapacious, greedy, eager, avid
Antonyms: satiated
PROCRASTINATE (verb): to delay doing something that should be done, To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness. To postpone or delay needlessly.
Examples:- Marc warned his students not to procrastinate on the assignment because it could not be done in one day.- Lisa procrastinated all afternoon until it was too late to start painting the walls that day.- Lisa didn’t finish the project because of procrastination; she simply waited too long to get started.
Synonyms: delay, postpone, stall, dawdle, put off, prolong
Antonyms: hurry, rush, speed
UNWITTING (adjective): 1. not aware; 2. not intentional, Not knowing; unaware: an unwitting subject in an experiment. Not intended; unintentional: an unwitting admission of guilt.
Examples:- There’s no need to apologize; I realize it was an unwitting mistake and I don’t blame you at all.- Lisa unwittingly helped her boss shred some files, which she had no idea contained sensitive information pertinent to the case against their firm.- The two women claimed they were the unwitting victims of a drugs dealer who planted a large quantity of heroin in their luggage.
Synonyms: unaware, inadvertent, unknowing, unintentional, unplanned
Antonyms: knowing, aware
PALLIATE (verb) : 1. to try to make something seem less serious or severe, especially by offering excuses; 2. to make something less intense or severe; 3. to relieve the painful, physical symptoms of a disorder or disease.
Examples:- Lisa works out everyday in order to palliate stress.- The medical article addressed the many ways to palliate the symptoms of the disease until a cure could be found.- Joanne tried to palliate the pain she had caused her parents by sending an apology card.- My mother tried to palliate the bleeding with a band-aid, until we could get to the hospital to have the cut stitched up.
Synonyms: extenuate, mitigate, excuse, abate, alleviate, diminish, ease, assuage
Antonyms: aggravate, worsen, exacerbate
TURGID (adjective): 1. pompous and overcomplicated: pompous, boring, and overcomplicated. 2. overflowing: swollen and overflowing
Examples:- I could not sit through another minute of the actor’s long, turgid, and unnecessarily complicated acceptance speech.- The doctor said grandpa’s turgid veins were caused by his diabetes.- After his success in the stock market, Mike’s already turgid ego became even more inflated.- There is a woman at my book club who loves to expatiate about her understanding of the book in a turgid manner.
Synonyms: bombastic, pompous, overblown, inflated, tumid, high-flown, puffed up, affected, pretentious.
Antonyms: reserved, humble, quiet
INSOUCIANT (adjective): a relaxed and happy, without worry or guilt: without worry, anxiety, or guilt–unconcerned.
Examples:- Frank’s insouciant attitude toward money and the importance of saving will surely land him in financial trouble.- The insouciant housekeeper didn’t notice that the dog had gotten out.- Sometimes, Lisa admired Frank’s youthful insouciance, but other times she thought he was too cavalier.- The insouciant way in which John managed his employees caused people to slack off and disregard their responsibilities.
Synonyms: breezy, carefree, ignorant, easygoing, blithe, nonchalant, careless
Antonyms: concerned, burdened, troubled, worried, anxious
SYNTHESIS (noun): the combination of ideas to form a theory or system :1. result of combination: a new unified whole resulting from the combination of different ideas, influences, or objects2. combining of various components into whole: the process of combining different ideas, influences, or objects into a new whole3. chemistry formation of chemical compounds: the formation of compounds through one or more chemical reactions involving simpler substances
Examples:- The synthesis of all the information we have gathered should provide us with a definitive theory.- The synthesis of our various ideas created a truly unique marketing strategy for our client.- Please synthesize the data in a concise report.- The artist’s paintings are an interesting synthesis of abstraction and impressionism.
Synonyms: creation, combination, formation, mixture, compound, composition, union
Antonyms: separation, destruction
PARIAH = someone who has been outcast from society and is avoided by people, a person who is not accepted by a social group, especially because he or she is not liked, respected or trusted
Synonyms: outcast, vagrant, abomination, derelict, renegade, undesirable, castoff, reject
Antonyms: insider
Examples:- The president became a pariah after he asked for another tax increase, and people couldn’t wait to oust him from office.- Phil mumbled: “Smokers are treated as pariahs these days.”- Lisa’s constant lying caused her to become a pariah among her peers.
PREFACE = (noun, verb) (n.) an introduction at the beginning of a book; (v.) to begin with a preface or introduction before presenting your main point
Synonyms: (n.) introduction, foreword, prologue, (v.) introduce, begin, open
Antonyms: (n.) epilogue, postscript, addendum, closing, conclusion, (v.) close, conclude
Examples:- Joanne loves Mark Twain’s books because they are immediately engaging, right from the preface.- Phil didn’t preface the bad news with, “I don’t know how to tell you this but.”- Please let me preface my response to your question by noting that I am not an expert in this area.
SANGUINE = (adjective) having a cheerfully optimistic temperament or outlook–hopeful
Synonyms: upbeat, optimistic, positive, hopeful, expectant, enthusiastic, cheerful
Antonyms: hopeless, pessimistic
Examples:- The hotel trained its human resources staff to choose employees with sanguine personalities- Some people expect the economy to continue to improve, but others are less sanguine.- Stock traders remained sanguine despite reduced profit margins.- John’s sanguine outlook on life, even during difficult times, kept him young and carefree.- Sandy’s sanguine attitude won her many friends and admirers.
PRUDENT = (adjective) 1. having good sense and judgment; 2. being careful and sensible
Synonyms: careful, cautious, discreet, wise, sagacious, judicious, sensible, practical, discerning, guarded, mindful, tactful, thrifty, economical, watchful, circumspect
Antonyms: imprudent, foolish
Examples:- Phil was quite prudent in his spending habits and always had plenty of savings in the bank.- Marc’s decision was prudent and timely.- It’s always prudent to read a contract properly before signing it.- Lisa was always prudent when giving criticism, so as not to offend anyone.- Joanne’s financial prudence was rewarded with growing investments.
RECTIFY = (verb) to make something right again, to correct it
Synonyms: remedy, repair, right, correct, adjust, amend, fix, mend, improve, revise
Antonyms: ruin, damage, worsen
Examples:- Frank tried to glue the vase back together, but unfortunately, he couldn’t rectify the break.- His top priority as the new president was to rectify his predecessor’s mistakes.- If Lisa doesn’t make an attempt to rectify the problem, her neighbors will take her to court.- The tense situation was rectified when Mary called everyone in the group to apologize for her mistakes.IMPECUNIOUS = (adjective) poor and thus without the comforts of a wealthier life
Synonyms: poor, destitute, impoverished, penniless
Antonyms: rich
Examples:- The prodigal son returned home impecunious and suffering from near starvation.- Everyone was surprised to learn that Donald Trump married an impecunious woman who he met at a diner.- Annie is a musical about a group of impecunious orphans who all dream of a better life.
NEPOTISM: (noun) favoritism shown to relatives by those in power, favoritism shown by somebody in power to relatives and friends, especially in appointing them to good positions. using your power or influence to obtain good jobs or unfair advantages for members of your own family:
Synonyms: favoritism, partiality
Antonyms: nonpartisanship
Examples:- The Italian Mafia practiced nepotism as a way of keeping the “business” inside the family.- The government discouraged nepotism and made sure that people were hired and promoted based on merit, not because they are relatives of the president.- When the company CEO gave a sought-after position to his son, many employees felt it was due to nepotism, rather than true merit.
IMBROGLIO = (noun: a complicated, sometimes emotionally charged, situation involving intrigue and misunderstanding, an extremely confused, complicated, or embarrassing situation : the Watergate imbroglio. An unwanted, difficult and confusing situation, full of trouble and problems.
Synonyms: predicament, tangle, snarl, dispute, mess
Examples:- The imbroglio in the Middle East was caused by a lack of clear communication and fear.- The company may not survive another legal imbroglio- Land developers and environmentalists are always in some type of imbroglio over new construction plans.
SPORADIC = occurring occasionally at intervals that have no apparent pattern
Synonyms: occasional, infrequent, unconnected, scattered, uncommon, irregular
Antonyms: frequent, regular
Examples:- The ambiguous economic report caused sporadic buying on wall street.- The police’s sporadic attempts to sweep the drug pushers off the streets proved ineffective.- The WTO meeting was disrupted by sporadic protests and riots.- The weather man forecasted sporadic showers throughout the day.
RETORT = (noun, verb) (n.) a quick, witty response to a question; (v.) 1. to quickly respond to a question with a witty or insulting response; 2. to respond to someone’s argument
Synonyms: (n.) response, reply, comback, counterargument, (v.) reply, answer, respond, rebut, counter
Antonyms: question
Examples:- When she said “Yeah, BABY!” he retorted, “That’s Mr. Baby to you.”- “I am rubber and you are glue” is not a very good retort to criticism.- After Lisa screamed at him, Marc’s retort was, “Please come back when you are ready to act like an adult and engage in a civilized discussion.”- Sure, that’s a funny retort you just made, but you still haven’t answered my question.
INCULCATE = (verb) to teach or fix something in someone’s mind through forceful repetitio, to fix beliefs or ideas in someone’s mind, especially by repeating them often
Synonyms: drill, instill, impart, impress, imbue, condition, brainwash, indoctrinate, ingrain, influence
Antonyms: confuse
Examples:- I inculcated obedience into my dog through consistent, positive reinforcement.- Our football coach has worked hard to inculcate a team spirit in/into the players.- The young mother was determined to inculcate good manners onto her son.to cause someone to have (particular beliefs or values) by repeating them frequently- The goal is to inculcate in students a tolerance for people of other religions and races.
FRET = (verb) to be anxious or disturbed about something–to worry
Synonyms: agonize, worry, chafe, stew, mope, brood
Examples:- Don’t fret because worrying won’t help anything.- Guitar players generally get calluses on their fingers from moving their fingers up and down the frets.- By midnight Lisa was tired and fretful- Joanna spent the day fretting about/over what she’d said to Nicky.
INFUSE = (verb) 1. to fill or cause to be filled with emotion; 2. to fill by pouring; 3. to steep or soak something in a liquid in order to extract its flavor
Synonyms: steep, soak, introduce, inspire, instill, saturate, fill, ingrain, permeate, pervade
Antonyms: drain, remove
Examples:- The coach infused sportsmanship into the players.- Adding anchovies will infuse a salty taste into the pizza.- Lisa’s plan of going to the rock festival infused new life into our weekend.- An infusion of $100 000 into the company is required.
PRODIGY (noun) = ...
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