Synonyms: nonessential, irrelevant, immaterial, incidental, ancillary, external, exterior, foreign, outside

Antonyms: relevant, inherent, germane, pertinent

Examples:
- Marc would have covered all of the course material if one of his students had refrained from his extraneous remarks on just about everything.
- Phil's argument was completely extraneous to the debate and really only caused confusion.
- These questions are extraneous to the issue being discussed.
- Most of the information in Lisa's lecture notes seems to be extraneous; she should have just stuck to the main points.
- I want a succinct summary of the conference with no extraneous information.

Synonyms: erase, annul, delete, expunge, cancel

Antonyms: add, restore

Examples:
- The police used white spray paint to efface the graffiti on the wall.
- The whole country had tried to efface the memory of the old dictatorship.
- It's better to accept a compliment gracefully, rather than make self-effacing remarks.

Synonyms: thrifty, sparing, provident, economical, penny-pinching, conserving, prudent, scanty, meager, paltry

Antonyms: prodigal, extravagant, wasteful, expensive, lavish

Examples:
- Marc's frugal track record has led to a twenty-five percent decrease in frivolous spending.
- by being frugal, Lisa was able to stretch her monthly budget
- Frugality may be a road to riches.
- Phil has always been frugal with his money, and he never has any money problems.

Synonyms: stir up, promote, evoke, incite, instigate, abet

Antonyms: repress, suppress, quell

Examples:
- I believe that the new technology will foment our industry and create positive change.
- John filed the law suit, not because he needed the money, but because he wanted to foment trouble for his former contractor.
- Marc was afraid that his letter might foment more tension, so he didn't send it.
- Lisa hoped that her impassioned speech would foment positive change in the community.

Synonyms: wander, amble, stroll, roam, twist, bend, wind, curve, snake

Examples:
- Both of these rivers meander down to the ocean.
- I don't have a definite plan for the afternoon in mind; I thought we might just meander around Table Mountain.
- On our trip, we spent a lot of time meandering about the countryside of Cape Town.
- The long, meandering driveway led to a beautiful wine estate.
- Movie critics complained that the film meanders along with no particular story line.

Synonyms: impending, threatening, menacing, looming, forthcoming, near, close

Antonyms: far-off, unlikely, distant

Examples:
- I'm sorry to tell you that with the latest threat, you and your family appear to be in imminent danger.
- The closing of the community center appears imminent despite the efforts of the citizens to save it.
- A rain storm was imminent.
- We were told the arrival of the storm was imminent. 
- Everyone knew a fight was imminent when the group of striking workers came face-to-face with their replacements.

Synonyms: acceptable, agreeable, appetizing, delicious, enjoyable, flavorful, yummy, tempting

Antonyms: unsavory, unappetizing, unpalatable

Examples:
- Jeremy brought a very palatable wine
- Joanne added a dash of salt to help make the dish more palatable.
- Marc's idea wasn't very palatable to the parties involved.
- I'm afraid the members won't find all these changes very palatable.
- The turkey remained in the oven for way too long, making it dry and unpalatable.

Synonyms: freedom, liberty, leeway

Antonyms: restriction, restraint, constraint

Examples:
- I allow my children considerable latitude in how they spend their free time, as long as it's not in front of the TV.
- At these latitudes the sun does not rise at all on winter days.
- I enjoy owning my own business because it affords me considerable latitude in how I spend my time.
- John gives his children so much latitude that they usually just run amok.
- The new laws gave the police more latitude in dealing with suspected criminals

Synonyms: (v.) annoy, sting, irritate, tease, vex, bother, exasperate

Antonyms: soothe

Examples:
- If you are going to go on the hike, watch out for stinging nettle.
- If  Lisa continues to nettle Phil about every little thing, Phil will not invite Lisa for his birthday party.
- Lisa's sharp remarks nettled Marc.
- It was bad enough that Frank lost the argument, but Marc's self-satisfied smile really nettled Frank.

PHRASE: grasp the nettle
to take action immediately in order to deal with an unpleasant situation
- I've been putting off tackling the problem for too long and I think it's time to grasp the nettle.

Synonyms: misconception, error, flaw, mistake, inconsistency, falsity, sophistry

Antonyms: truth, verity

Examples:
- The adage that warns against swimming within twenty minutes of eating is a fallacy.
- The rumor that Marc is planning a trip around the world is a fallacy; he has no such plans at this time.
- Phil's argument is based on fallacious reasoning.
- It is a common fallacy that women are worse drivers than men.

Synonyms: so-called, honorary, titular, ostensible, small, insignificant, trifling

Antonyms: important, real

Examples:
- Marc the nominal head of our college - the real work is done by his deputy.
- For a nominal fee Just Vocabulary offers the podcast advertisement free.
- When you pay $400 for an airline ticket, a ticketing fee of five dollars seems nominal

Synonyms: appropriate, fitting, apt, auspicious, fortuitous, timely, fortunate

Antonyms: inopportune

Examples:
- The family dinner was an opportune time for us to announce our engagement.
- Our morning meeting will provide an opportune time to discuss our strategic plan.
- Joanne is trying to find the most opportune time to ask her boss for a promotion.
- We had just cleaned the house, so it was an opportune time to have guests drop by to see us.

Synonyms: unchangeable, constant, unalterable, fixed, permanent, stable

Antonyms: changeable, mutable

Examples:
- Once my parents make a decision, it is immutable and they never change their minds.
- Frank's dad lived a long, hard life, and his views on the world are immutable at this point.
- Some people regard the rules of English grammar and punctuation as an immutable, others view them as evolving.
- Phil despised his friends' immutable attitude of superiority toward others.


INAUGURATE = to formally and officially put something new in place such as a government official, a building, or a new procedure, often with a special ceremony

Synonyms: induct, install, ordain, commission, dedicate, launch, debut, begin, commence

Antonyms: stop, end, terminate

Examples:
- The Mayor is going to inaugurate the new City Hall building today at noon.
- The change of government inaugurated a new era of economic prosperity.
- Representatives from every major media outlet were present at the presidential inauguration.
- During the inauguration ceremony on the 20th of January, the US President always delivers an inaugural address.

Synonyms: unsophisticated, uncouth, tactless, awkward, graceless, ill-mannered, uncultured, boorish

Antonyms: sophisticated, polite, cultured, civilized

Examples:
- Joanne had grown from a gauche teenager to a self-assured young woman.
- Phil's loud talking at the opera marked him as gauche and uncultured
- Marc's gauche manners at the party can be explained by the fact that he had several cocktails before he arrived.
- It was gauche to invite them just two days before the party.

Synonyms:
speed, quicken, accelerate, hurry, expedite, rush, hustle

Antonyms: slow, delay

Examples:
- It was an unfortunate decision and Marc hastened to say it had nothing to do with him.
- Officials acted in haste, without understanding the situation.
- We should hasten to get to the theater so we don't miss the beginning of the movie.
- Cathy hastened to hide her bad report card before her parents got home.
- The loss of its largest client hastened the Bank's bankruptcy.

Synonyms: blackmail, bully, fleece, gouge, cheat, coerce, force, exact

Examples:
- The girl decided to extort the secret from Lisa by threatening to make up and spread a damaging secret of her own.
- The criminal left for Mexico after successfully extorting money from the company Managing Director.
- Frank deeply regrets that he was a school bully who was used to extorting lunch money from other school kids.
- Marc can't expect me to pay him to be quiet; that's extortion.

 
FINESSE =  â noun 1 refinement and delicacy. 2 subtle skill in handling or manipulating people or situations. 3 (in bridge) an attempt to win a trick with a card that is not a certain winner.
Verb 1 do in a subtle and delicate manner. 2 slyly attempt to avoid blame when dealing with (a situation). 3 play (a card) as a finesse.

Synonyms: (n.) delicacy, savvy, discretion, diplomacy, adeptness, artfulness, skillfulness, grace, mastery, elegance

Antonyms: clumsiness, indiscretion

Examples:
- Micheal Jackson had legendary finesse on the dance floor. 
- Lisa had such social finesse, she was able to quickly and easily solve any problem within the company. 
- Mark and his friends found themselves in a sticky situation and looked for a way to finesse out of it.
- Frank did not want to stay to he tried to finesse his way out of the party

Synonyms: (n.) advisor, supporter, guide, tutor, teacher, role model, coach, (v.) guide, advise, support

Examples:

- Frank mentors young talented pianists who need someone to look up to. 

- Lisa asked her Dad's Uncle to be her mentor and guide her on her way to becoming a professional writer.

- Marc couldn't have achieved the success he has today without the help of his mentor.

Synonyms: verse, jingle

Examples:

- Lisa has the doggerel from the latest soda commercial stuck in her head.

- The  doggerel in the middle of the show made the audience laugh.

- Frank's feelings were hurt when Marc called his composition a doggerel.

Synonyms: marsh, swamp, moor, mire, quagmire, bog

Antonyms:

Examples:
- The distracted driver had driven his car off the road and into a morass
- The morass of rules and regulations is delaying the start of the project.
- Sometimes I over-commit myself and end up lost in a morass of impossible deadlines.
- I am frustrated with the morass of bureaucracy that keeps me waiting for a change in my visa status.

Synonyms: melodious, musical, sweet, honeyed, resonant

Antonyms: discordant

Examples:
- I love to listen to the mellifluous sound of YoYo-Ma' cello
- The opera singer's voice was rich and mellifluous.
- Frank Sinatra has become famous due to his deep, mellifluous voice.
- I was drawn to the mellifluous sound of a harp being played inside the church.

Synonyms: novice, beginner, student, rookie, amateur, convert, proselyte

Antonyms: veteran

Examples:
- When Karen married Jim, she became a Catholic neophyte.
- Undergraduate students are generally neophytes in their chosen majors and need guidance from experienced professors.
- The neophyte on the team surprised everyone when he scored the winning goal.
- I'm a neophyte when it comes to baking, so I'm a little nervous about how my first apple pie will turn out.

Synonyms: (n.) grumbling, complaint, lament, gripe, (v.) mumble, mutter

Examples:
- A murmur of complaint was heard from the audience when the sound system failed.
- The students murmured something under when Marc the teacher handed out their new homework assignment.
- Frank finished the job without a murmur
- My little daughter Jenny was so tired that she went to bed without a murmur for once.

Synonyms: critical, scornful, derogatory, abusive, insulting, contemptible, offensive, scurrilous, infamous, disgraceful, shameful

Antonyms: appreciative, complimentary, proud, worthy, reputable, honorable

Examples:
- The CEO had opprobrious words for his sales department after another weak month.
- Most people believe that cheating on your spouse is an opprobrious act.
- The way Lisa flaunts her wealth while others suffer, is opprobrious.
- Frank was embarrassed by his father's opprobrious remarks

Synonyms: aloof, cold, apathetic, stony, stoic, nonchalant, composed, impersonal, calm, unemotional, passive, languid

Antonyms: animated, excited, emotional, passionate, spirited

Examples:
- As a footballer his great asset was his calm, phlegmatic manner.
- Lisa's bright hair color would shock even the most phlegmatic person.
- He is a retired lawyer with a solid, phlegmatic manner.
- Joanne wished her boyfriend would be a little more open and animated, and a little less phlegmatic.

Synonyms: (v.) snub, reject, repel, deny, refuse, spurn, (n.) snub, block, setback

Antonyms: (v.) accept, approve

Examples:
- Lisa asked Frank for help, but Frank rebuffed her, saying he only helped his real friends. 
- I asked Madonna to be my wife, and was rebuffed in no uncertain terms.
- Her rebuff stung, since my offer had been kind and sincere.

Synonyms: petulant, grouchy, critical, irritable, whiny, peevish, grumbly

Antonyms: cheerful, happy, good-natured

Examples:
- The querulous woman drove her boyfriend crazy with her constant nagging.
- My sister is a great nurse, even the most querulous patients failed to upset her.
- Lisa's uncle became increasingly dissatisfied and querulous in his old age.
- Being around querulous people puts me in a bad mood.

Synonyms: dim-witted, dull, dumb, ignorant, stupid, blunt

Antonyms: acute, sharp, keen, intelligent

Examples:
- Lisa tried to learn how the application functions, but Frank thinks she's too obtuse to ever learn how to use it.
- Marc wondered if the doctor was being deliberately obtuse.
- Joanne frustrated her mentor by pretending to be obtuse

Synonyms: respect, courtesy, bow, homage, deference, reverence

Antonyms: disrespect

Examples:
- The servant bowed deeply in obeisance to the queen.
- Phil's obeisance at the meeting seemed rather formal and unnecessary.
- Marc demands obeisance from all his students.

The most common usage of dissuade is, "to dissuade someone from doing something." Dissuade is the opposite of persuade.

Examples:
- There was nothing anyone could do to dissuade Lisa from going on the dangerous trip.
- After a long talk, Marc was able to dissuade Joanne from marrying the man who had been unfaithful to her.
- It is often difficult to dissuade someone from a firmly held political viewpoint.
- The bad review did not dissuade me from seeing the movie.

Synonyms: deter, discourage, divert

Antonyms: persuade

Examples:
- In an attempt at self-transformation, Phil strives to eschew mistakes he had made in the past.
- Ever since Frank stopped drinking alcohol, he has eschewed any party where he knew drinks were being served.
- Bill decided to eschew his friend's bachelor party, as I knew it would be wild, and his wife would not approve.

Synonyms: avoid, evade, shun, abstain, forgo, renounce

Antonyms: choose, embrace, indulge in

Synonyms: ambiguous, dubious, questionable, uncertain, cryptic, confusing, unclear, ambivalent, suspicious

Antonyms: clear, certain

Examples:
- Marc will vote for the new candidate who never tries to equivocate. 
- Lisa's father grew tired of Lisa equivocations and her ability to twist the truth.
- The equivocal trial results left the scientists bickering about how to interpret the outcome.
- Frank's letter of resignation is unequivocal and leaves no doubt as to why he is leaving the company.

ENERVATE = to weaken somebody, either physically or mentally. to weaken somebody's physical, mental, or moral vitality.

Examples:-
- Nothing enervates me like a car alarm that beeps all night.
- Elizabeth's marathon debut was successful, but even more enervating than she had expected.
- Just the thought of speaking in public is enough to enervate me.
- The Lisa's constant questions enervated Marc.

Synonyms: tire, exhaust, fatigue, deplete, weaken, enfeeble

Antonyms: strengthen, energize

Synonyms: surviving, existent, undestroyed, remaining

Antonyms: dead, departed, destroyed, extinct, gone

Examples:
- The flaccid asparagus was not well received by the food critics.
- The manâs flaccid handshake did not make a good first impression.
- In business, it is considered totally unacceptable to have a flaccid handshake.
- The flaccid leadership campaign was causing concern.

Synonyms: soft, weak, inelastic, slack, limp, flimsy, lax, droopy

Antonyms: firm, tough, strong

Examples:
- Through the exemplary jail sentence for the 15 year old, the judge hoped to curb violent behavior amongst other young gang members.
- Phil ran an exemplary project, which I want everyone to use as a model for future success.
- Frank saw action in the Marines, and his performance was exemplary.
- Marc's tact was exemplary, especially considering the circumstances.

Synonyms: laudable, praiseworthy, quintessential, worthy, emblematic, typical, illustrative, representative, cautionary, dissuasive, monitory

Antonyms: reprehensible, substandard, awful, atypical, anomalous

FACTION = 1. a self-seeking party or group (generally within a government) that is the dissenting minority within a larger group; this clique of partisans holds slightly different beliefs and interests than the rest of the group;2. party strife and intrigue; 3. a literary work or film that blends fiction into factual elements. 

Examples:
- There were two major Roman political factions: the populares and the optimates.
- There is a faction in the Democratic party that supports tax cuts and strong defense.
- The president didn't realize that there was a faction within the board of directors, meeting to plan his removal.

Synonyms: wing, caucus, coalition, group, schism, cell, conflict, discord, dissension, rebellion, strife

Antonyms: entirety, total, whole, agreement, peace, unity

Synonyms: pretentious, ostentatious, pompous, magnificent, regal, stately, impressive, grand, unrealistic, overblown, extravagant

Antonyms: modest, simple, ordinary

Examples:
- Some famous thinkers such Galileo were accused of heresy in their own times because their new ideas contradicted the church.
- Lisa thinks Marc is a heretic because Marc is not entirely convinced that Western medicine has all the answers.
- To hear that Frank changed from a Mac to a PC was heresy in the eyes of her loyal, Mac-using friends.
- Joanne committed the heresy of playing a Madonna song on a classical music station.
- Lisa's belief that a split would be good for the party was regarded as heretical.

Synonyms: dissent, iconoclasm, dissidence, nonconformity, revisionism, sacrilege

Antonyms: orthodox

GAINSAY = to say that something isn't true, especially by contradicting another person.

Examples:
- It was very difficult to gainsay Marc's claim
- I hear what you're saying, but I must gainsay the premise of your argument.
- The test results are conclusive and there's no gainsaying the validity of this study.
- The impact of the railroads cannot be gainsaid.

Synonyms: oppose, deny, refute, disallow, dispute, question, impugn

Antonyms: agree, allow, affirm

Examples:
- Upon receiving the award, Jim Tressel made an impromptu speech to his team.
- Part of the Obama and McCain debate is the impromptu question-and-answer session.
- My friend asked me to deliver a short, impromptu toast during the cocktail hour.
- Marc has an uncanny ability to deliver hilarious, impromptu speeches without any preparation or advanced notice.

Synonyms: spontaneous, improvised, ad lib, ad hoc, unrehearsed, extemporaneous

Antonyms: planned, rehearsed

Examples:
- The genial sunshine and mild temperature was ideal for growing a variety of flowers and plants.
- Elisabeth was always a genial hostess, treating her guests with kindness and sincere attention.
- I really like listening to Robin Sharma because of his genial demeanor, which always puts me at ease and makes me happy.
- He is a great person to have as a boss because of his genial manner.
- His geniality, reliability and ability made him a popular figure.

Synonyms: pleasant, mild, amicable, amiable, kind, friendly, congenial, warm, favorable

Antonyms: unfriendly, cold, hostile

Antonyms: do-gooder

INANIMATE = adjective 1 not alive, especially not in the manner of animals and humans. 2 showing no sign of life; lifeless.

Examples:
- Lisa prefers to paint still life art and inanimate objects rather than people and animals.
- The audience for tonight's show has proved to be a rather inanimate crowd.
- At first, the seal's body looked inanimate, but when we noticed it was still breathing we took the seal to the vet and she was resuscitated.
- In my last dream several of the inanimate objects in my bedroom came to life.

Synonyms: nonliving, inorganic, dull, lifeless, inert, inactive

Antonyms: living, lively, animated

Synonyms: (n.) advantage, effectiveness, power, influence, clout, weight, force, support, pull, (v.) fund, borrow, benefit, profit, supplement, invest

Antonyms: (n.) disadvantage, hindrance, weakness

IRATE = (adjective) indicating anger: showing or typical of great anger

Examples:
- Her boss became irate when she cost the company its biggest client.
- His irate neighbors yelled at him for throwing such a loud party.
- I was irate that she had forgotten to give me the message, but I kept my anger inside.
- Shelly was irate with Jack for forgetting her birthday and didn't speak to him for two weeks.

Synonyms: angry, enraged, mad, furious, fuming, heated, annoyed

Antonyms: calm, kind, pleased

Synonyms: promiscuous, immoral, lascivious, lustful, lewd, abandoned, unconstrained

Antonyms: chaste, moral, virtuous

Examples:

IMPASSIVE = 1. expressionless: showing no outward sign of emotion, especially on the face2. devoid of all emotion: feeling no emotions at all, either positive or negative

Synonyms: unemotional, stoic, inscrutable, apathetic, indifferent

Antonyms: emotional, moved

 Examples:

Synonyms: threatening, foreboding, menacing, evil, wicked, minatory, malign, ominous

Antonyms: benevolent, benign, good, kind

Examples:

- The evil villain had a sinister plan to take over the world.
- Frank's sinister smile and squinted eyes scared the children.
- The shadows of the trees looked sinister in the moonlight.
- The ruined house had a sinister appearance. 

PROFUSION = (noun) a great deal: a large quantity of something. 2. profuse quality: the quality of being profuse

Synonyms: abundance, extravagance, lavishness, excess, bounty, plenty, wealth

Antonyms: sparseness, lack, shortage

Synonyms: convert, convince, indoctrinate, influence, persuade, change, proselyte

Examples:
- The missionary tried to proselytize people to his religion.
- The cult members tried to proselytize the students.
- The man proselytized to Islam after falling in love with a Muslim woman.
- The preacher tries to proselytize visitors to his church.

Synonyms: winding, coiling, crooked, curved, serpentine, twisting, curvy

Antonyms: straight, unbent

Examples:

Lisa  hated driving the sinuous roads that led up to the mountains.

Synonyms: disprove, dispute, oppose, challenge, contend, contradict, contravene, gainsay, negate

Antonyms: prove, confirm, defend, corroborate

Examples:
- Marc definitely lost that debate; Frank refuted each of Marc's points with contradicting statements.
- The attorneys will attempt to refute the evidence against the defendant.
- The witness refuted her earlier testimony by repeatedly contradicting herself.

Synonyms: improve, heal, mend, recover, survive, regain

Antonyms: regress, degenerate

Synonyms: separate, rip, sever, sunder, cleave, lacerate, split, pierce, pull, tear

Antonyms: attach, join, meld, unite

Examples:

- The storm Gustav is likely to rend apart everything in its path.

- The senator's extreme left-wing advisor may prove to rend the voters who want a more moderate approach.

Synonyms: conciliate, gratify, appease, correct, soften, redeem, placate, pacify, mollify, mitigate

Antonyms: aggravate, annoy, irritate

Examples:

The CEO hoped that the refund would help to propitiate ther angry customers.

Marc brought donuts to work as a propitiatory gift, in hopes that everyone would forgive him for losing his temper. 

Frank sent flowers to his girlfriend everyday last week, in order to propitiate her anger over his lies.

The propitiatory flowers didn't work; she was still angry a week later.

Antonyms: glory, honor

Example:
- Phil's account of the events was tendentious, not to mention inaccurate.
- Luckily Phil's tendentious statements no longer anger his friends and family.
- The tendentious talk show host used his show to promote his political ideology.

Synonyms: biased, partial, inclined, argumentative

Antonyms: impartial, unbiased

Synonyms: separate, crack, divide, split, break, sever

Antonyms: assemble, join, unify

SUBJUGATE = (verb) to conquer or take control by force. to bring somebody, especially a people or nation, under the control of another, e.g. by military conquest. To treat yourself, your wishes or your beliefs as being less important than other people or their wishes or beliefs.

Example:
- The United States is set up in a way that ensures the government could never subjugate its people.
- The rebel leader's plan was to subjugate the people of the country in order to establish a new form of government.
- Frank was determined not to allow his boss to subjugate him with his threats
- Journalists must subjugate personal political convictions to their professional commitment to fairness and balance.

Synonyms: surpass, be superior, exceed, rise above, go beyond, outshine

Antonyms: be inferior, fail, lose

Synonyms: (n.) torrent, downpour, flood, cataclysm, spate, inundation, (v.) douse, drench, soak, engulf, inundate, oversupply

Antonyms: sprinkling, undersupply

- The report was issued amid a welter of conflicting evidence.
- I did not want David to welter in sorrow over his break-up, so I took him out to dinner.
- It's amazing that anyone survived the welter of chaos and violence during the riot. 
- I couldn't even hear myself think in the welter of the noisy market place

Synonyms: (n.) commotion, confusion, turmoil, jumble, excitement, fuss, (v.) roll, wallow, soak, bask

Antonyms: (n.) calm, order

Synonyms: equal, equivalent, identical, parallel, synonymous

Antonyms: opposite, unlike

Synonyms: (n.) collar, harness, crosspiece, bondage, chain, enslavement, link, connection, oppression, (v.) harness, attach, connect, join, bond, tie

Antonyms: (v.) disconnect, divide, separate, free, release

VAPID = 1. dull: lacking interest or liveliness. 2. insipid: lacking strength, taste, or flavor

Example:
- A tuneful but vapid musical comedy
- Joanne watched a vapid tv programme
- The debate turned into a vapid conversation.

Examples:
- Lisa's incessant questions were cute at first, but soon became very annoying.
- Frank's bossâ incessant demands are putting so much pressure on him that he's beginning to see physical signs of the strain.
- The city endured weeks of incessant bombing.

Synonyms: constant, unending, ceaseless, continuous, uninterrupted, perpetual

Antonyms: temporary, periodic

PALTRY = 1. not worthy of consideration; 2. so small as to be contemptible

Examples:
- Joanne's paltry salary is barely enough to cover my rent.
- Marc was tired of Lisa's paltry excuses.
- The restaurant served a paltry meal, leaving everyone hungry and irritable.

Synonyms: tiny, insignificant, meager, scant, negligible, worthless, pathetic

Antonyms: large, grand, significant, substantial

Examples:
- Reading War and Peace would be an arduous task, because it would require a persistent effort over a long period of time.
- Frank was given the arduous task of managing the global product launch in 20 countries.
- In those days, a trip to the West was an arduous journey.

Synonyms: difficult, hard, strenuous, laborious, formidable, tiring, exhausting,

Antonyms: effortless, easy

Synonyms: luxurious, lavish, magnificent, deluxe, extravagant, grand, impressive, expensive

Antonyms: cheap, inferior, poor, low-key, humble, simple

Synonyms: all-knowing, all-seeing

Antonyms: short-sighted

Examples:
- Marc did not accept Lisa's apology because it didn't show even a pittance of sincerity.
- After the attorney's fees, Phil only received a pittance of the original settlement.
- Fresh out of college, many young people work for a pittance just to gain some experience.

Synonyms: rationing, allowance, bit, trifle, smidgen, inadequacy

Antonyms: abundance, plenty

Synonyms: manageable, compliant, complaisant, controllable, docile, workable,

Antonyms: intractable, nonconforming, inflexible, stubborn

Synonyms: fertile, productive, prolific, creative, fruitful

Antonyms: unproductive, unimaginative, barren, impotent, infertile, sterile, feckless

Examples:
- The avid gardener was proud of his lush and fecund garden.
- It was a fecund meeting that produced several new ideas for how to improve our product.
- Meditation creates a fecund atmosphere that enables me to think of completely original ideas. 

VITRIOLIC = (adjective) 1. filled with or expressing extreme bitterness and hatred toward somebody or something
2. like metallic sulfate: resembling a glassy metallic sulfate. 

Example:
- Marc is a writer who has often been criticized by the press but never before with  such vitriol.
- The Mayor launched a vitriolic attack on the Police Dept. Officer, accusing him of shielding maffia friends.

As a NOUN
- His review was more than just unfavorableâit was loaded with vitriol

Synonyms: acrimonious, rancorous, bitter, caustic, mordant, acerbic.

Antonyms: proper, wholesome

DIVULGE = verb To make known (private or sensitive information).  To reveal something, especially something private or secret.

Examples:
- Marc divulged Lisa's little secret.
- Lisa thought she could divulge information with complete trust.
- Marc shouldn't divulge other people's secrets.

Synonyms: disclose, reveal, tell, expose

Antonyms: hide, mask

Examples:
- The October snow was a presage to a very hard winter. 
- A sluggish stock market usually presages an economic recession
- Other than some shortness of breath, he didn't have any of the signs that usually presage a heart attack.

Synonyms: (v.) foreshadow, foretell, predict, portend,
(n.) indication, prediction, forecast, omen,

TRUDGE = (n.) a long, strenuous walk; (v.) to walk in a heavy-footed, slow manner

Examples:
- Because of the heavy snow Marc has to trudge through the snow to get to his car. 
- Even though the task was hard, Frank decided to trudge forward rather than give up. 
- The beautiful view from the Mount Everest was well worth the trudge to get there.

Synonyms: walk, lumber, march, plod, tramp,

Antonyms: glide, float

Synonyms: unyielding, adamant, obstinate, hard-nosed, relentless, stubborn, unstoppable

Antonyms: yielding, submissive, docile

Synonyms: cheerful, happy, merry, gleeful, jolly, carefree, animated, jovial, spirited

Antonyms: miserable, sad, depressed

Examples:
- Jeremy performed a jocund dance at the festival.
- Frank's jocund personality always cheered people up.
- The jocund atmosphere and good moods all around the room made for a great wedding.

Synonyms: sarcastic, biting, clear, critical, forceful, incisive, powerful,

Antonyms: indirect, flattering

EXAMPLE:
- During the hot and languid African summer I spent numerous hours sitting leisurely by the pool.
- It was clear by his languid demeanor that Frank was no longer interested in his girlfriend.
- Marc had been languid for several months, and his waistline showed it.

Synonyms: sluggish, listless, lethargic, lazy, lackadaisical, inactive,

Antonyms: active, spirited, energetic, lively

- Seawater filled the Titanic so rapidly that Leonardo began to frantically jettison unnecessary items.  

Synonyms: abandon, cast off, discard, expel, unload, eliminate
Antonyms: keep, retain

Examples:
- The insolent child always talked back to his mother.

- The lawyer's insolent behavior got him thrown out of the courtroom.

Synonyms: impolite, rude, disrespectful, brazen, insulting, arrogant.
Antonyms: respectful, considerate, polite

Antonyms: extinguish, kill

Antonyms: ask, deliberate

Antonyms: virtueless, immoral, unethical, dishonest

Synonyms: harsh, grating, shrill, noisy, loud, vulgar, bold

Antonyms: respectful, quiet, reserved

Examples:

Antonyms: enunciation

Examples:
- The vociferous coach yelled at the players throughout the entire game.

Synonyms: loud, boisterous, clamorous, noisy, shrill, vocal

Antonyms: quiet, silent

Synonyms: habitual, confirmed, chronic, abiding, protracted, customary

Antonyms: intermittent, temporary, occasional

FATUOUS = showing a lack of intelligence or thought combined with complacency.

Examples: 
- My hopes of manning a space shuttle are fatuous, I am scared of heights.
- I couldn't believe Mugabe's fatuous statement to the press.
- Phil is not very smart and is known for making fatuous comments before thinking them through.

Synonyms: asinine, imbecile, ludicrous, moronic, vacuous, delusive, stupid, foolish, unreal

Antonyms: brilliant, intelligent, smart, wise, knowing

Examples:
- Frank's lawyer made comments, which were marked by a vicious harangue against the defendant. 
- Joanne's parents will sometimes come up to her room and harangue her for playing her music too loud.
- Marc delivered a long harangue to his students.

Synonyms: diatribe, rant, tirade, attack, criticism, invective, lecture, peroration

Antonyms: encomium

Examples:
- Lisa's got a lot of pluck to stand up for herself like that.
- My grandfather is 85 but he has a lot of pluck.
- Phil never shown a lot of pluck and routinely lets people walk all over him.

Synonyms: courage, spirit, heart, mettle, moxie, determination, fortitude, bravery

Antonyms: cowardice, indifference

Synonyms: narrow-minded, provincial, confined, conservative,

Antonyms: broad-minded, open, welcoming

Synonyms: pause, reprieve, rest, recess, interruption, lull, letup, cessation, deliverance, hiatus, suspension

Antonyms: continuation

Synonyms: temporary, short-term, short-lived, momentary, fleeting, transient

Antonyms: lengthy, long-lived, permanent

Synonyms: tier, layer, divide, classify

Examples:
- Marc stratified the research document into several smaller reports.
- The professor stratified our research group by age and level of education.
- Alcoholism is an epidemic that has touched every stratum of our society.

Synonyms: sly, stealthy, surreptitious, shifty, sneaky, secretive, 

Antonyms: open, obvious

Examples:
- Frank overcame his foible of chronic tardiness.
- The foible portion of the fencing sword blade is weaker, but has more agility and speed.
- Interrupting people while they are speaking is probably Marc's greatest foible.

Synonyms: imperfection, frailty, failing, shortcoming, defect, quirk

Antonyms: strength, perfection

Synonyms: mediate, advocate, intervene, intrude, assist, arbitrate

Antonyms: remove oneself, antagonize

Synonyms: compulsory, required, imperative, requisite, obligatory

Antonyms: voluntary, optional, elective

Synonyms: new, primary, initial, developing, evolving, growing, budding, incipient

Antonyms: old, dying

PENURY = (noun) state of extreme poverty

Synonyms: poverty, misery, need, destitution, misfortune, affliction, indigence

Antonyms: wealth, abundance, affluence

Newspaper cartoonists scathed the dishonest politician with a series of cruel caricatures.
The angry employee wrote a scathing letter to the CEO. 
Marc's scathing review of the movie changed my mind about wanting to see it.

Examples:
The romantic comedy was a tonic for his saddened heart.
A cold beer is a great tonic on a hot summer day.
My dad's grandchildren are a perfect tonic for him.

Synonyms: medicine, remedy, refresher, refreshing drink

WANE = 1. show less lighted area (waning moon) or to get smaller or less: to decrease gradually in intensity or power. To finish: to draw to a close.

Examples:
- We wanted to hike this weekend, but when we hear the weather forecast,  our enthusiasm waned.
- As the restaurant gained popularity, the quality of the food seemed to wane.
- My cravings for hamburgers gradually waned as I began to eat less of them.

Synonyms: decline, decrease, fade, diminish, subside, abate

Antonyms: grow, increase, intensify

Antonyms: forgiving

FULMINATE (VERB) 1. to vehemently criticize or denounce; 2. to
explode loudly and violently

Examples:
- Frank is always fulminating about how bad our government is.
- The new CEO fulminated against recent lapses in customer service.
- The lightning was followed by a large roar of fulminating thunder.

Synonyms: criticize, castigate, denounce, declaim, berate, censure, flare, foam, rage, bristle

Antonyms: appease, calm, assuage

FERVID = (adjective) 1. burning or glowing with intense heat; 2. describes an impassioned, zealous spirit or enthusiasm toward one's beliefs

Synonyms: burning, fiery, hot, torrid, blazing, impassioned, vehement, zealous, eager

Examples:
It is our fervent hope that a peaceful solution will soon be found
Jeremy is fervid in his support of Barack Obama.
Carl Sagan was the most fervid advocate of space exploration. 

Synonyms: duck, dodge, loaf, pretend

Antonyms: oblige

Synonyms: cover, protect, cushion, encase, shield, isolate, separate, sequester

Antonyms: expose

Examples:
- Namibia expects another drought this year because of scanty rainfall.
- Lisa quit her job because of her of scanty wage. 
- That club downtown is well know for its' scantily-clad dancers. 

Synonyms: deficient, insufficient, meager, skimpy, sparse, stingy

Antonyms: excessive, sufficient, ample

Synonyms: evil, wicked, bad, villainous, heinous, treacherous, base, depraved

Antonyms: good, kind, moral

Examples:
- I felt vicarious pain when Lisa told me about how she had accidentally cut herself. 
- I felt vicarious excitement to hear that Frank was going for a surf
- Most football fans experience the vicarious thrill of victory every time their team wins.

Antonyms: first-hand, direct

Synonyms: deception, dishonesty, disloyalty, betrayal, treachery, trickery

Antonyms: loyalty, faithfulness, honesty

Synonyms: rant, harangue, diatribe, fulmination

WHET = 1. to simulate an interest in something or intensify a feeling; 2. to sharpen something, like a knife

Examples:

- Lisa decided to whet my appetite by having starters before dinner.
- Marc will have to whet the knife before using it.
- The small bite of that brownie, whet my appetite for dessert.

Synonyms: arouse, excite, entice, stimulate, spur, awaken, sharpen, hone, grind

Antonyms: bore, dull, blunt

The judge dismissed the case as frivolous.

My dad said to watch my spending and avoid frivolous purchases.

The frivolity with which Marc approached the situation showed that he wasn't very serious.

Synonyms: silly, trivial, paltry, petty, senseless

Antonyms: important, relevant, pertinent

Synonyms: failure, disaster, embarrassment, blunder, breakdown, debacle, flop

Antonyms: success, accomplishment

Examples:
The rain turned the celebration into a fiasco.

 A drunk debater turned the debate into a fiasco.  

Synonyms: indistinct, vague, unclear, ambiguous, unfixed, confused

Antonyms: distinct, defined, specific

Synonyms: obvious, clear, evident, apparent

Antonyms: obscure, ambiguous, unclear, incomprehensible