Aghast

People were aghast at the senseless brutality of the crime.

Adj – filled w/ amazement, disgust, fear or terror

Syn – shocked, horrified

Ant – delighted, overjoyed

ample

Thanks to the wet spring weather, squirrels will have an ample

supply of acorns.

Adj – more than enough

Syn – sufficient, adequate

Ant – insufficient, inadequate

apparition

The vivid apparition seemed so real that it completely unnerved

me.

N – a ghost or ghostly figure

Syn – phantom, spector

assert

The defendant firmly asserted her innocence to the jury.

V – to declare or state as truth

Syn – affirm, avow

cower

The tiny kittens cowered in the corner, afraid of the big dog.

V – to crouch or shrink away from in fear or shame

Syn – cringe, flinch

Ant – stand up to

disdain

Fair-minded people have only disdain for racism in all forms.

I emphatically disdain their cowardly behavior.

N – a feeling of contemptv – to look upon w/ scorn

Syn – spurn, reject

Ant – respect, revere

epitaph

Most people never stop to consider the words that might one

day appear on their epitaph.

N – brief statement written on a tombstone

Syn – tombstone inscription

ethical

New developments in medicine often lead to discussions of important ethical questions.

Adj – having to do w/ morals, values, right and wrong

Syn – upright, honorable

Ant – immoral, dishonest

facetious

We had to laugh at her facetious remarks.

Adj – humorous, not meant seriously

Syn – comical, witty

Ant – serious, humorless

inaudible

Some high-frequency sounds are inaudible to the human ear.

Adj – not able to be heard

Syn – faint, indistinct

Ant – audible, easily heard

indiscriminate

The indiscriminate slaughter of right whales brought that species

to the brink of extinction.

Adj – w/out restraint

Syn – haphazard, random

Ant – selective, discriminating

intrigue

Investigators uncovered a shocking network of lies and

international intrique.

N – crafty doings, underhanded plotting;

v – to form and carry out plots

Syn – scheme, ploy

Ant – fair play

Jurisdiction

Cases involving robbery and assault are usually tried under the

jurisdiction of the state courts.

N – an area of authority or control; the right to administer

justiceSyn -- purview

plausible

Their story didn’t sound plausible to me.

Adj – appearing true, reasonable, or fair

Syn –believable, probable

Ant – improbable, far-fetched

prodigal

We have a tight budget, we make an exception for prodigal

celebrations on family birthdays.

Adj – wastefully extravagant; lavishly or generously

abundantn – one who is wasteful

Syn – improvident; wastrel

Ant – frugal, stingy, miserly

plebeian

At one time, the plebeians of ancient Rome were excluded from holding public office of any kind.

Adj – common, vulgar; belonging to the lower class

n – a common person

Syn – lowborn, coarse, unrefined

Ant – aristocratic, cultivated

proximity

People with children often choose a house because of its proximity

to schools.

N – nearness; closeness

Ant – distance, remoteness

pulverize

At many old mills in Vermont, granite stones were used to

pulverize the grain.

V – to grind or pound to a powder or dust

Syn n– crush, demolish

sequel

Readers are eagerly awaiting a sequel to the author’s best –

selling mystery novel.

N – that which follows; a result

Syn == follow up, continuation

Ant – prelude, curtain-raiser

volatile

A person who is usually calm and collected may nevertheless sometimes

behave in a volatile manner.

Adj – highly changeable, explosive

Syn – unstable, erratic

Ant – stable, steady