| Word | Meaning | Synonyms | Antonyms |
| Abysmal | Adj. Bottomless Use : His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance | Terrible, awful, dreadful, appalling, very bad, | Superb |
| acronym | n. A word formed by the initial letters of a multi-word name | Contraction, ellipsis, |
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| admonish | v. warn strongly, reprove Use: He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways | Reprove, reprimand, chide, rebuke, usurp | Approve |
| Circumspect | v. Investigation before acting, Use: She tried always to be circumspect | Cutious, prudent, careful, guarded, wary, judicious, vigilant, | reckless |
| Conciliation | n. the act of placating | Appeasement, pacification, propitiation | Incitement |
| Connotation | n. Suggested or implied meaning of an expression. Use: Foreigners frequently are unaware of the connotations of the words they use. | Nuance, suggestion, implication, undertone, overtone, subtext, |
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| covert | Adj. secret or hidden, not openly practiced or vowed n. a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something Use: Investigations of CIA reveal that such covert operations can get out of control | Clandestine, concealed, stealthy, underground, copse, wood, thicket | Open |
| Covetous | Adj. avaricious, eagerly desirous of Use: The child was covetous by nature and wanted to take the toys belonging to his classmates | envious, jealous, desirous, greedy | Generous, temperate |
| Deprecate | v. express disapproval of, protest against, belittle Use: A firm believer of old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post, deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names. | Denounce, deplore, condemn, censure, denigrate, decry, belittle. | Approve |
| Diligence | n. care and perseverance in carrying out tasks. Use : Her employers were greatly impressed by her diligence and offered her a partnership in the firm | Hard-working, assiduousness, meticulousness, conscientiousness, painstakingness | Laziness, carelessness, negligence |
| Discretion | n. ability to adjust action to circumstances Use: Use your discretion in this matter and do not discuss the matter with anyone. | Prudence, caution, acumen, predilection, sagacity, wariness, volition | Indiscretion |
| dispel | v. scatter, drive away, cause to vanish Use: The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist | Disperse | Attract |
| Dissemination | v. Opening to public discussion or debate, the act of spreading something, Use:By their use of the internet, propagandists, have been able to disseminate their pet doctrines to new audiences around the globe | Broadcasting, diffusion, propagation, |
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| Dogmatic | Adj. Opinionated Use: We tried to discourage him from being so dogmatic, but nothing could convince him that his opinions might be wrong | Arbitrary, doctrinal, unbending, inflexible, authoritarian, | Flexible |
| echelon | n. A body of troops arranged in a line | Level, stratum, rank, height |
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| fallible | Adj. Liable to err. Use: I Know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time | Imperfect, unsound, mortal, weak, frail, | Perfect |
| Harbinger | n. an indication of the approach of something or someone, forerunner v. fore shadow or presage Use: The crocus is an early harbinger of spring | Forerunner, herald, potent, omen, |
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| illustrious | Adj. Widely known and esteemed | Memorable, well-known, famous | Inglorious, shameful |
| impetus | n. A force that moves something along, incentive, stimulus Use: A new federal highway program would create jobs and will give added impetus to our economic recovery | Momentum, thrust, motivation | inertia |
| Intermittent | Adj. Periodic Use: The outdoor wedding reception had to be shifted indoor to avoid the intermittent showers that fell on and of all afternoon. | Alternating, sporadic | Constant |
| Latent | Adj. Potentially existing, but not presently evident or realized Use: Polaroid pictures are popular at the parties because you can see the latent photographic image gradually appear before your eyes | Dormant, embryonic, suppressed, undeveloped, | Overt |
| Latitude | n. freedom from narrow limitations Use: I think you have permitted your son too much latitude in this manner | Leeway, freedom, autonomy, liberty, room, rope |
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| Manifestation | n. outward demonstration, indication Use: Mozart’s early attraction to the harpsichord was the first manifestation of his pronounced musical bent | Sign, demonstration, expression, symptom, |
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| mitigate | v. lessen or try to lessen the seriousness or extent of Use: Nothing he could do to mitigate her anger, she refused to forgive him | Appease, alleviate, allay, assuage, mollify, extenuate, palliate | Aggrevate, exacerbate |
| motley | Adj. Multicolored or mixed Use: he wore a motley tunic, red and green and blue and gold all patched together haphazardly | Assorted, diversed, mixed, dissimilar, | Uniform, homogenous, monochrome |
| pensive | Adj. Dreamily thoughtful, thoughtful with a hint of sadness Use: The pensive lover gazed at the portrait of his beloved and sighed deeply. | Brooding, pondering, meditative, contemplative |
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| prolific | Adj. Abundantly fruitful Use: She was a prolific writer, who produced as meany as three books a years | Productive, abundant, fecund | Unproductive, scarce |
| relinquish | v. give up something with reluctance, yield Use: once you get used to fringes like expense account meal and company car, it is very difficult to relinquish them | Surrender, renounce, abandon, repudiate, cede, | Vanquish, retain, |
| solicit | v. request earnestly, seek Use: The Mayor telephoned all the member of the city council to solicit their votes | Importune, implore, crave, beseech, | Grant |
| tractable | Adj. Docile, easily managed, susceptible to suggestion Use: Although Susan seemed to be a tractable young woman, she had a stubborn streak of independence | Obedient, dutiful, well-mannered | Disobedient, intractable |
| veer | v. change in direction Use: After what seemed to be en eternity, the wind veered to the east and the storm abated | Turn, swerve |
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| Vehement | Adj. Forceful, intensely emotional; with marked vigor Use: He became so Vehement in describing what had happened with him that he started jumping up and down | Fervent, passionate, | Apathetic |
| Caprice | n. whim, a sudden desire. Use: She was an unpredictable creature, acting on caprice, never taking thought of consequences | Whim, impulse, quirk, fad, fancy, notion |
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| stifle | v. suppress, extinguish, inhibit Use: Halfway through the boring picture, Laura gave up trying to stifle he yawns. | Smother, asphyxiate, choke, suffocate, strangle, curb, restrain, repress, | Let out |
| concur | v. agree Use: Did you concur with the decision of the court or did you find it unfair? | Agre, harmonize, coincide, assent, acquiesce | Conflict, resist |
| lethargy | v. lack of vitality or energy Use: A complete days work left him in a state of lethargy | Stupor, indolence, weariness | Get-up-and-go |
| Furtive | Adj. stealthy, sneaky, secret and sly or sordid Use: noticing the furtive glance the customer gave the diamond bracelet on the counter, the jeweler wondered whether he had a potential shoplifter in his hands | Surreptitious, clandestine | open |
| efface | v. wipe out or make dim Use: The coin had been handled so many times that its date had been effaced | Obliterate, eradicate, | Engrave |
| Pretentious | Adj. Intended to attract notice and impress others, making unjustified claims, overambitious Use: The other prize winner isn’t wearing her medal.; isn’t it a bit pretentious of you to wear yours? | Ostentatious, pompous, conceited | Down-to-earth |
| Compunction | n. a feeling of deep regret (usually of some misdeed) Use: The judge was especially sever in his sentencing as the criminal had shown no compunction for his heinous crime | Regret, scruple, qualm, guilt, reluctance, hesitation, |
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