JV559 (Occlude and Torpid)
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.
JV558 (Intangible and Slate)
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
JV557 (Imperious and Salutation)
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
JV556 (Squalid and Winsome)
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
JV555 (Relish and Voracious)
RELISH
Definition (noun, verb): (Verb)
1. to enjoy or take great pleasure in an experience
2. to enjoy the taste of a particular food or drink
3. to give a pleasing taste to food, e.g. by adding spice or relish
Noun:
1. enjoyment: a liking or appreciation of food or of an experience
2. a spiced side dish or accompaniment to food, e.g. pickled or fresh vegetables with chili
3. a pleasing sensation of strong taste or flavor
4. 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 activity
very 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
JV554 (Procrastinate and Unwitting)
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
JV553 (Palliate and Turgid)
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
JV552 (Insouciant and Synthesis)
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 objects
2. combining of various components into whole: the process of combining different ideas, influences, or objects into a new whole
3. 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
JV551 (Pariah and Preface)
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.
JV550 (Sanguine and Prudent)
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.
JV549 (Rectify and Impecunious)
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.
JV548 (Nepotism and Imbroglio)
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.
JV547 (Sporadic and Retort)
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.
JV546 (Inculcate and Fret)
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.
JV545 (Infuse and Prodigy)
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) = 1. a young person with exceptional gift or talent; 2. something amazing or extraordinary
Synonyms: genius, virtuoso, marvel, talent, wonder, phenomenon
Examples:
- Mozart was a musical prodigy who began writing concertos at the age of five, when other children were still playing in the sandbox.
- The father wanted his son to be a golf prodigy so badly, he dragged him to golf practice every day.
- The 16-year-old tennis prodigy is the youngest player ever to reach the Olympic finals.
JV544 (Sloth and Paramount)
SLOTH = 1. a disinclination to do any work or activity; 2. a person who is lazy; 3. slow-moving animal found in Central and South America, an animal that moves very slowly and spends much of its time hanging upside down from trees
Synonyms: inaction, slowness, laziness, sluggishness, lethargy,
Antonyms: activity,
Examples:
- Marc slothful ways caused him to be late again.
- When Frank's girlfriend betrayed him, he turned into a sloth and hardly ever got off his couch.
- Today's newspaper criticizes the government's sloth in tackling environmental problems.
PARAMOUNT = foremost in importance or power
Synonyms: supreme, predominant, principal, primary,
Antonyms: unimportant, insignificant
Examples:
- Getting those contracts signed is paramount to our project; without them, we can't even begin.
- It is of paramount importance that I fly out tomorrow to meet with the client, or we may lose this business.
- National security is a paramount issue in the Presidential campaign.
JV543 (Lampoon and Levee)
LAMPOON = (n.) an artistic work that pokes fun or ridicules; (v.) to poke fun or ridicule
Synonyms: (n.) joke, parody, satire, skit, (v.) ridicule, make fun, satirize
Antonyms: documentary
Examples:
- No matter how good a leader he may be, there will always be comedians lampooning the President of the United states.
- The magazine that Liza is working for always includes a section that lampoons a popular movie.
- The magazine is famed for its merciless political lampoons.
LEVEE = 1. a natural or artificial embankment by a river, to contain flooding; 2. a river landing place
Synonyms: bank, embankment, lakefront, lakeshore, cliff, barrier, wharf, jetty, pier, dock
Examples:
- After the levee broke, more than 20% of the field was flooded.
- In order to make a natural fish habitat, the Fish and Wildlife Service had to destroy a part of the lake's levee.
- Marc and Joanne we're on a sailing trip. For the weekend they docked their sailboat alongside the levee.
- In the morning Marc decided to go for a swim, After his morning swim he came ashore on the levee.
JV542 (Penchant and Intrepid)
PENCHANT = (noun) a strong liking for or tendency toward something, especially something that others may not look favorably on, liking or tendency: a strong liking, taste, or tendency for something.
Synonyms: inclination, affinity, tendency, predisposition
Antonyms: disinclination, dislike
Examples:
John's penchant for taking clients to expensive restaurants is costing our company too much money.
Frank has a penchant for showing up late to meetings, but I don't think he realizes how inconsiderate that is.
Joanne has a penchant for drinking too much wine and acting silly at parties.
INTREPID = (adjective) extremely brave and showing no fear of dangerous situations, not vulnerable to fear or intimidation
Synonyms: fearless, undaunted, perseverant, persistent, brave, courageous, bold, daring, heroic
Antonyms: fearful, timid, cowardly
Examples:
Achilles was a brilliant and intrepid warrior.
After the market crash, only a handful of intrepid investors put money in tech-stocks.
Lisa is an intrepid journalist who often reported from deep in the war zone, but never seemed afraid for her life.
JV541 (Obsolete and Foster)
OBSOLETE = (adjective) no longer used, usually because it has been replaced with something better
Synonyms: outdated, discarded, unfashionable, old-fashioned, archaic, extinct, unused, antiquated
Antonyms: current, modern, fresh, up-to-date
Examples:
- Horse-drawn wagons became obsolete once the car was invented.
- Although much of today's communication and correspondence takes place online, the postal service is not quite obsolete.
- Mobile phone technology is developing so quickly that many customers are concerned about obsolescence.
- Typewriters have been rendered obsolete by computers.
FOSTER = (verb) 1. to nurture and rear a child, as a temporary guardian; 2. to encourage the development or interest of ideas or activities, to encourage the development or growth of (ideas or feelings)
Synonyms: cherish, nourish, harbor, raise, nurture, champion, encourage, advance, uphold, stimulate
Antonyms: squelch, discourage
Examples:
- We try to foster an environment of open communication within this department.
- He is fostering a plan to help turn this company around.
- Lisa's niece was taken into care by the local council and placed with a foster family.
- My parents always tried to foster an interest in classical music in me.
- I try to foster an appreciation for classical music in my students.
JV540 (Mercurial and Nonchalant)
MERCURIAL = (adjective) 1. containing or being somehow related to mercury; 2. having a temperamental, active, or unpredictable personality; 3. quick, lively, and shrewd, like the god Mercury
Synonyms: erratic, changeable, fickle, volatile, unpredictable, fluctuating, temperamental, moody, lively, quick
Antonyms: constant, invariable, steady, stable, even
Examples:
- I wanted a mercurial thermometer but I got a digital one.
- The comedian relied on his mercurial wit, not rehearsed jokes, to entertain his audience.
- Lisa is a bit unpredictable with her mercurial mood swings.
- His mood is so mercurial that we never know how heʼs going to react to anything
NONCHALANT = (adjective) casual and unconcerned
Synonyms: casual, blasé, indifferent, unconcerned, unflappable, apathetic
Antonyms: worried, concerned
Examples:
- Surprisingly, when John was told he won the contest, he was very nonchalant, and didn't seem that excited.
- Even though Marc was nervous when he asked her out, he tried to appear nonchalant about it.
- Once on a safari we found 10 lions walking nonchalantly across an open field.
JV539 (Hospitable and Influx)
HOSPITABLE = (adjective) 1. welcoming and kind to guests; 2. pleasant and favorable; 3. open-minded and receptive
Synonyms:
welcoming, accommodating, cordial, generous, open, accessible, receptive
Antonyms:
inhospitable, hostile
Examples:
- Many plants grow in the region's hospitable climate.
- It's difficult to think of a less hospitable environment than the surface of the Moon.
- My aunt was extremely hospitable. When I showed up at her door with my friends, she invited us to stay for dinner
INFLUX = (noun)
1. a sudden or ongoing arrival of many things or of a lot of people; 2. an inward flow or movement
Synonyms:
inflow, inundation, flood
Antonyms:
outflow
Examples:
- The sudden influx of new clients meant lots of overtime for the employees.
- The publication had an influx of letters to the editor after it published the controversial story.
- Weâve had an influx of resumes in response to our job posting.
- South Africa is expecting an influx of several thousand refugees over the next few days.
- South Africa's border patrol has been increased to curb the influx of illegal immigrants.
JV538 (Precursor and Prosaic)
PRECURSOR = (noun) 1. something which happened or existed before; 2. an indication that
someone or something is approaching; 3. in chemistry, a substance from
which another is formed
Synonyms:
forerunner, predecessor, originator, messenger, trailblazer, ancestor, founder, prototype
Antonyms:
follower
Examples:
- The precursor to SyncMyMail's current network infrastructure was slow and bulky.
- Microsoft's business model is much more streamlined and efficient, compared to its precursor.
- During a precursory inspection of the house, I failed to notice many or its problems.
- Biological research has often been a precursor to medical breakthroughs which benefit patients.
PROSAIC = (adjective)
without interest, variety, or imagination-dull
Synonyms:
boring, commonplace, ordinary, monotonous, insipid, mundane, simple, dull, vapid, banal
Antonyms:
exciting, fascinating, interesting, stimulating
Examples:
- Iâm surprised you enjoyed that book so much; I found it to be prosaic and unimaginative.
- John's job is not as glamorous as it seems; he has many prosaic
responsibilities like filling out expense reports and other mundane
paperwork.
- Lisa's summer job at the TV station dealt with the much more prosaic business of cleaning the floors
- Joanne gave me some prosaic advice on how to remove common stains from clothing
JV537 (Robust and Reiterate)
ROBUST = (adjective)
1. healthy, strong, and energetic; 2. built to be sturdy and durable;
3. requiring physical strength and endurance; 4. boisterous in manner;
5. hearty, full-flavored; 6. crude or rough
Synonyms:
healthy, strong, energetic, sturdy, solid, vigorous, hearty, rugged, full-bodied, flavorful, rude, rough
Antonyms:
frail, weak, feeble, tasteless
Examples:
- Some people say that the host of JustVocabulary is a handsome, robust young man.
- Shell has been enjoying robust growth for the past
three quarters.
- Iâm never fully awake until Iâve had a cup of robust, fresh-brewed cup of Joe.
- Some of his colleagues felt Marc could have defended himself more robustly.
If you do something robustly, you do it in a determined way:
REITERATE = (verb) to say, state, or perform again, sometimes with a wearying effect
Synonyms:
repeat, restate, recapitulate, rephrase, rehash
Examples:
- Even though Marc knew his students heard him the first time, he reiterated the importance of making our deadline.
- Let me reiterate the fact that our companyâs success is dependent on winning this account.
- Joanne reiterated that she had never seen him before.
- He reiterated his view that it was time to withdraw from Southeast Asia.
JV536 (Prevaricate and Rationalize)
PREVARICATE = (verb) be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information, get out of telling truth:to
avoid giving a direct and honest answer or opinion, or a clear and
truthful account of a situation, especially by quibbling or being
deliberately ambiguous or misleading
Synonyms:
equivocate, deceive, distort, evade, fabricate, falsify, mislead, stretch, misrepresent, lie
Antonyms:
tell the truth, be honest
Examples:
- Even under oath, George continued to prevaricate about what exactly had happened.
- I knew that when I confronted Lisa she would prevaricate about who started the rumor.
- The lawyer accused George of prevaricating even though he tried hard to look honest and candid.
RATIONALIZE = (verb) 1. to defend or make excuses for something; 2. apply reason or logic to something.
to give the reason for or cause of. to try to find reasons to explain your behaviour, decisions, etc:
Synonyms:
justify, excuse, reason, think, clarify, explain.
Antonyms:
complicate, puzzle, confuse
Examples:
- We rationalized the production system so that one operator could control all three machines.
- The recession is forcing the company to rationalize.
- Lisa didn't understand how anyone could rationalize such an extravagant purchase.
- You can rationalize your way out of anything.
- Phil tried to rationalize George's behavior, but it was completely illogical and unjustifiable.
JV535 (Obviate and Plumb)
OBVIATE = (verb) 1. to prevent or overcome a problem by anticipating the problem in advance; 2. to make something unnecessary, to remove a difficulty, especially so that action to deal with it becomes unnecessary
Synonyms:
remove, prevent, hinder, forestall, preclude, avert
Antonyms:
cause, allow
Examples:
- Your company should consider me for the position because I'm known for
obviating potential losses of revenue for firms like yours.
- Is there any way to obviate this potential crisis?
- Regular tooth-brushing should obviate the need for frequent trips to the dentist
- A peaceful solution would obviate the need to use military force.
- Addressing any potential problems before they occur will obviate the need for later crisis management.
PLUMB = (verb, adjective, adverb, noun)
(v.) 1. to measure the depth of something; 2. to fully understand
something; 3. to experience something to the fullest; 4. to make
something vertical; (adj.) 1. completely vertical;
Synonyms: (v.) measure, gauge, examine, probe,
fathom, explore, sound, (adj.) vertical, perpendicular, total,
complete, full, deep, utter, absolute, (adv.) vertically, exactly,
directly, fully, completely, (n.) weight, sinker
Antonyms:
(adj.) horizontal, imprecise, inexact, incomplete, (adv.) horizontally, indirectly
Examples:
- They plumbed the uncharted ocean floor near the islands to make sure it
was deep enough for the freighter to pass.
- When hanging a door, you need to make sure that it is both level and
plumb or it will not shut completely.
- I have to plumb the depths of my patience each time I hear Lisa's annoying voice.
- I'm so sorry; I plumb forgot to attend your bacherlor's party.
JV534 (Sluggard and Mollycoddle)
SLUGGARD = (noun)
a slothful, lazy person, somebody who avoids work or physical exertion
(
archaic
)
Synonyms:
slouch, loafer, laggard
Antonyms:
go-getter, dynamo
Examples:
- I was a sluggard all day Sunday and did nothing but lay around watching TV.
- Frank's a sluggard who can't hold down a steady job because he's always missing work.
- On the weekends, Marc prefers to be a sluggard, since he works so hard during the week.
- John was fired because he was a sluggard who took too long to finish his tasks.
MOLLYCODDLE = (verb, noun)
(v.) to treat with extra care or indulgence; (n.) someone spoiled and overprotected, especially a boy, INFORMAL MAINLY DISAPPROVING to give someone too much care or protection. a person without strength of character
Synonyms:
(v.) spoil, pamper, coddle, baby, overprotect
Examples:
- If you mollycoddle your children they won't grow up to be responsible, self-sufficient adults.
- Lisa was so mollycoddled as a child, she grew up to be a selfish adult.
- Joanne broke up with Phil because he was too much of a mollycoddle and
needed to talk to his mother every day.
- I can work independently, and I don't need to be mollycoddled.
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JV533 (Haven and Provisional)
HAVEN = (noun) . safe place, refuge or shelter; 2. an ideal spot for something.
Synonyms:
refuge, shelter, sanctuary, haven, anchorage, port, marina
Examples:
- The new, beach-front hotel was a perfect haven for tourists.
- We hoped desperately to find a cave, as a haven from the blizzard
- South Africa was not a safe havens for refugees from Zimbabwe.
- As long as the UN soldiers were present, the city was regarded as a safe haven for the refugees.
PROVISIONAL =
1. under terms that have not been finalized; 2. for the time-being only
Synonyms:
conditional, temporary, transitional
Antonyms:
permanent, conclusive, concrete
Examples:
- After days of negotiations, the union finally reached a provisional agreement with management.
- Even though it was a provisional contract, Lisa was still happy to be hired by the school district.
- When John arrived for the conference he was provided with a provisional meeting agenda.
- Frank was provisionally accepted at Stanford.