abashed

Adj – embarrassed, ashamed

Ant – unembarrassed, unashamed

aloof

• In almost every office, there are some people who keep aloof from their coworkers.

Adj -=- withdrawn, standing apart from others (usually as a matter of

choice)

• Syn -=- distant, cold, standoffish

• Ant – involved, sociable

anguish

• Survivors of a natural disaster often suffer great mental anguish long after their terrible ordeal is over.

N – great mental sufferingv – to be deeply tormented by pain

or sorrow

• Syn – misery, woe, torment

• Ant – joy, delight, peace of mind

articulate

• A successful candidate can articulate ideas in a way that makes them acceptable to voters.

V – to pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; to fit together

into a systemadj – able to use language

effectively; expressed clearly and forcefully

• Syn – enunciate, expound, eloquent

• Ant – tongue-tied, mumbled, inchoerent

bask

• Because they are cold-blooded creatures, lizards and reptiles must bask in the sun to regulate their body temperature.

V – to be in, or expose oneself to, pleasant warmth

• Syn – wallow, revel

defect

• There is no one who does not have at least one serious character defect.

N – an imperfection, flaw, or blemish of some kind

v – to desert a cause or organization

finesse

• To become a champion, a tennis player needs to combine power with finesse.

N – delicate skill; tact and cleverness

v – to accomplish something by cleverness

• Syn – delicacy, subtlety

• Ant – clumsiness, awkwardness

flaunt

• Some people seem to need to flaunt their wealth and good fortune in life.

V – to wave or flutter showily; to display in a conceited, offensive

way

• Syn – show off, parade

• Ant – hide, downplay

forthright

• I appreciate the forthright way in which you express your opinions, even when they do not agree with my own.

Adj – frank, direct, straightforward

• Syn – candid, blunt

• Ant – indirect, evasive, two-faced

genial

• The genial host and hostess made each party guest feel especially welcome.

Adj – cordial, pleasantly cheerful or warm

• Syn – friendly; amiable

• Ant – cold, unfriendly, unsociable

instill

• How can parents best instill in their children a love for reading?

V – to add gradually; to introduce or cause to be taken in

• Syn – implant, infuse,

• Ant – root out, eradicate,

ostracize

• Society ostracizes those who commit acts of treason.

V – to exclude from a group, banish, send away

• Syn – cast out, expel, snub

• Ant – fraternize with, associate with

premonition

• I felt a vague premonition of danger as I entered the abandoned building.

N– forewarning or foreboding of a future event

• Syn -- persentiment

Pseudonym

• It is wise to use a pseudonym to protect your privacy when you chat on the Internet.

N – a pen name; name assumed by a writer

• Syn – nom de plume

purge

• A soaking rainstorm will purge the air of pollutants.

V – to wash away impurities, clean up

• Syn – cleanse, purify

• Ant – pollute; contaminate; defile

rehabilitate

• Over the years, government agencies have spent a good deal of money trying to rehabilitate run-down inner-city neighborhoods.

• They tried to make me go to rehabilitation but I said, “No, no, no.”

V—to make over in good form; to resotre to good condition or

to a former position

• Syn – reclaim, rebuild, reform

repercussion

• The repercussions of the 1929 stock market crash were felt all over the world.

N – an effect or consequence of some action or event, result; an

echo or reverberation

• Ant – cause, source

resolute

• Commencement-day speakers generally urge graduates to be resolute in pursuit of their dreams.

Adj – bold, determined, firm

• Syn – steadfast, unflinching

• Ant – weak, spineless, indecisive

retentive

• A retentive memory is a great asset for an actor, especially one who performs on stage.

Adj – able to hold, keep, or recall; retaining knowledge easily

• Ant – porous, forgetful

scapegoat

• In ancient times, a messenger who brought bad news often was made the scapegoat for it and killed.

N – a person or thing carrying the blame for others

• Syn – fall guy, whipping boy