1. PRIMP (VERB) : beautify and dress nicely
Synonyms: groom, spruce
Antonyms: mess up, uglify
Example Sentence:
I could tell that my sister was excited about her date because she took so long to primp.
2. MILIEU (NOUN): environment, atmosphere
Synonyms: ambience, surroundings
Example Sentence:
A caring and involved neighborhood community is the proper milieu for raising a family and develop necessary social skills in children.
3. VOCIFEROUS (ADJECTIVE): loud, insistent
Synonyms: clamorous, noisy
Antonyms: silence, soft
Example Sentence:
After the Indian government had lifted restrictions on the activities of the Dalai Lama the Chinese became very vociferous in criticising India for even the most innocuous activities which the Dalai Lama was called upon to perform.
4. HUSKY (ADJECTIVE): deep, scratchy in sound
Synonyms: gruff, hoarse
Antonyms: low, quiet
Example Sentence:
Lisa Marie is a solid singer with plenty of character in her husky voice. – “Presley daughter launches single” , BBC News, 11 February 2003
5. RUMINATE (VERB): think about seriously
Synonyms: meditate, ponder
Antonyms: ignore, neglect
Example Sentence:
Although I knew I cared deeply for Henry, I still had to ruminate on his marriage proposal for a while.
6. ABLUTION (NOUN) : washing
Synonyms: cleansing, purification
Antonyms: dirtying
Example Sentence:
Some religions require believers to perform an ablution before prayer so that they are clean and worthy in the presence of their God.
7. OAF (NOUN): person who is clumsy, stupid
Synonyms: imbecile, fool
Antonyms: genius, handyman
Example Sentence:
I know many who view him as a sort of an oaf with no clear intelligence.
8. EFFRONTERY (NOUN): nerve, boldness
Synonyms: audacity, arrogance
Antonyms: timidity, meekness
Example Sentence:
When the defendant put his feet up on the table, the judge scolded him for his
effrontery.
9. REDACT (VERB): rewrite, refine
Synonyms: alter, rearrange
Antonyms: scatter, disorder
Example Sentence:
One paragraph marked in the document provides commercially sensitive data which we ask you to redact as indicated.
10. OPPROBRIUM (NOUN): disgrace
Synonyms: infamy, ignominy
Antonyms: elevation, esteem
Example Sentence:
Five months after Malaysia incurred global opprobrium by closing off its currency and capital markets, its officials are in no mood to apologize.
11. DESICCATE (VERB): take moisture out of
Synonyms: dehydrate, drain
Antonyms: soak, dampen
Example Sentence:
The hot winds of summer months desiccated the few remaining grapes on the vine; and after a day or two, they looked like raisins.
12. ENTOURAGE (NOUN): followers
Synonyms: associates, retinue
Antonyms: leader
Example Sentence:
Consequently, the members of his entourage and company, his wazirs, secretaries, and clients, usually can be observed to be destitute. -- Khaldun, Rosenthal
13. FINESSE (NOUN): know-how, maneuver
Synonyms: competence, skill
Antonyms: incapability, ineptness
Example Sentence:
My artist friend who went on to become a surgeon has such finesse in his hands that one can hardly tell if his patients even had surgeries done.
14. HEYDAY (NOUN): prime
Synonyms: pinnacle, peak
Antonyms: base, bottom
Example Sentence:
According to historian Angus Maddison, India, at its heyday during the first century, had a 32.9% share of world's GDP.
15. HARBINGER (NOUN): indication
Synonyms: omen, portent
Antonyms: doom
Example Sentence:
In the monsoon months, warm weather and lot of sultriness is a harbinger of rain.
16. CARICATURE (NOUN) : exaggerated description in writing, drawing
Synonyms: cartoon, farce
Antonyms: solemnity, seriousness
Example Sentence:
Cartoonists often draw caricatures of popular political personalities and in these drawings, big noses, enormous glasses, and other distortions are quite common.
17. PERJURY (NOUN): lying while under oath
Synonyms: dishonesty, deception
Antonyms: frankness, honesty
Example Sentence:
The defendant was acquitted of bribery charges but was convicted of perjury, because he had lied more than once under oath on the witness stand during his trial.
18. MORIBUND (ADJECTIVE): dying
Synonyms: expiring, fading
Antonyms: recovering
Example Sentence:
The manufacturing sector in America has been moribund for decades due to the rise of low cost manufacturing in developing nations, but now, with the rising prices of oil, it is becoming profitable once again.
19. DISGRESS (VERB): stray, deviate
Synonyms: meander, drift
Antonyms: stay, be direct
Example Sentence:
The history teacher in my high school had so much knowledge on various topics of Indian history that he would frequently digress from the main topic and tell us interesting stories about the Mughal and Rajput kingdoms of medieval India.
20. TENET (NOUN) : belief, principle
Synonyms: doctrine, faith
Antonyms: disbelief, doubt
Example Sentence:
One of the most important tenets of our democratic form of government is that people can be trusted to govern themselves; how well it works in practice is another issue though.
Synonyms: groom, spruce
Antonyms: mess up, uglify
Example Sentence:
I could tell that my sister was excited about her date because she took so long to primp.
2. MILIEU (NOUN): environment, atmosphere
Synonyms: ambience, surroundings
Example Sentence:
A caring and involved neighborhood community is the proper milieu for raising a family and develop necessary social skills in children.
3. VOCIFEROUS (ADJECTIVE): loud, insistent
Synonyms: clamorous, noisy
Antonyms: silence, soft
Example Sentence:
After the Indian government had lifted restrictions on the activities of the Dalai Lama the Chinese became very vociferous in criticising India for even the most innocuous activities which the Dalai Lama was called upon to perform.
4. HUSKY (ADJECTIVE): deep, scratchy in sound
Synonyms: gruff, hoarse
Antonyms: low, quiet
Example Sentence:
Lisa Marie is a solid singer with plenty of character in her husky voice. – “Presley daughter launches single” , BBC News, 11 February 2003
5. RUMINATE (VERB): think about seriously
Synonyms: meditate, ponder
Antonyms: ignore, neglect
Example Sentence:
Although I knew I cared deeply for Henry, I still had to ruminate on his marriage proposal for a while.
6. ABLUTION (NOUN) : washing
Synonyms: cleansing, purification
Antonyms: dirtying
Example Sentence:
Some religions require believers to perform an ablution before prayer so that they are clean and worthy in the presence of their God.
7. OAF (NOUN): person who is clumsy, stupid
Synonyms: imbecile, fool
Antonyms: genius, handyman
Example Sentence:
I know many who view him as a sort of an oaf with no clear intelligence.
8. EFFRONTERY (NOUN): nerve, boldness
Synonyms: audacity, arrogance
Antonyms: timidity, meekness
Example Sentence:
When the defendant put his feet up on the table, the judge scolded him for his
effrontery.
9. REDACT (VERB): rewrite, refine
Synonyms: alter, rearrange
Antonyms: scatter, disorder
Example Sentence:
One paragraph marked in the document provides commercially sensitive data which we ask you to redact as indicated.
10. OPPROBRIUM (NOUN): disgrace
Synonyms: infamy, ignominy
Antonyms: elevation, esteem
Example Sentence:
Five months after Malaysia incurred global opprobrium by closing off its currency and capital markets, its officials are in no mood to apologize.
Synonyms: dehydrate, drain
Antonyms: soak, dampen
Example Sentence:
The hot winds of summer months desiccated the few remaining grapes on the vine; and after a day or two, they looked like raisins.
12. ENTOURAGE (NOUN): followers
Synonyms: associates, retinue
Antonyms: leader
Example Sentence:
Consequently, the members of his entourage and company, his wazirs, secretaries, and clients, usually can be observed to be destitute. -- Khaldun, Rosenthal
Synonyms: competence, skill
Antonyms: incapability, ineptness
Example Sentence:
My artist friend who went on to become a surgeon has such finesse in his hands that one can hardly tell if his patients even had surgeries done.
14. HEYDAY (NOUN): prime
Synonyms: pinnacle, peak
Antonyms: base, bottom
Example Sentence:
According to historian Angus Maddison, India, at its heyday during the first century, had a 32.9% share of world's GDP.
15. HARBINGER (NOUN): indication
Synonyms: omen, portent
Antonyms: doom
Example Sentence:
In the monsoon months, warm weather and lot of sultriness is a harbinger of rain.
16. CARICATURE (NOUN) : exaggerated description in writing, drawing
Synonyms: cartoon, farce
Antonyms: solemnity, seriousness
Example Sentence:
Cartoonists often draw caricatures of popular political personalities and in these drawings, big noses, enormous glasses, and other distortions are quite common.
17. PERJURY (NOUN): lying while under oath
Synonyms: dishonesty, deception
Antonyms: frankness, honesty
Example Sentence:
The defendant was acquitted of bribery charges but was convicted of perjury, because he had lied more than once under oath on the witness stand during his trial.
18. MORIBUND (ADJECTIVE): dying
Synonyms: expiring, fading
Antonyms: recovering
Example Sentence:
The manufacturing sector in America has been moribund for decades due to the rise of low cost manufacturing in developing nations, but now, with the rising prices of oil, it is becoming profitable once again.
19. DISGRESS (VERB): stray, deviate
Synonyms: meander, drift
Antonyms: stay, be direct
Example Sentence:
The history teacher in my high school had so much knowledge on various topics of Indian history that he would frequently digress from the main topic and tell us interesting stories about the Mughal and Rajput kingdoms of medieval India.
20. TENET (NOUN) : belief, principle
Synonyms: doctrine, faith
Antonyms: disbelief, doubt
Example Sentence:
One of the most important tenets of our democratic form of government is that people can be trusted to govern themselves; how well it works in practice is another issue though.