ameliorate
(v.) to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming
Syn: amend, better
Ant: worsen, aggravate, exacerbate
A hot meal can ____________ the discomforts of even the coldest day.
aplomb
(n.) poise, assurance, great self-confidence; perpendicularity
Syn: composure, self-possession, levelheadedness
Ant: confusion, embarrassment, abashment
Considering the family's tense mood, you handled the situation with _______.
bombastic
(adj.) pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas
Syn: inflated, highfalutin, high-flown, pretentious
Ant: unadorned, simple, plain, austere
He delivered a ___________ speech that did not even address
callow
(adj.) without experience; immature, not fully developed; lacking sophistication and poise; without feathers
Syn: green, raw, unfledged, inexperienced
Ant: mature, grown-up, polished, sophisticated
They entered the army as _______ recruits and left as sea
drivel
(n.) saliva or mucus flowing from the mouth or nose; foolish, aimless talk or thinking; nonsense; (v.) to let saliva flow from the mouth; to utter nonsense or childish twaddle; to waste or fritter away foolishly
Syn: (n.) balderdash, hogwash, tommyrot; (v
epitome
(n.) a summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality
Syn: abstract, digest, model, archetype
Ant: unabridgement
Admitting when you have been fairly defeated is the ________ of sportsmanship.
exhort
(v.) to urge strongly, advise earnestly
Syn: entreat, implore, adjure
Ant: discourage, advise against, deprecate
With dramatic gestures, our fans vigourously _______ the team to play harder.
ex officio
(adj., adv.) by virtue of holding a certain office
Syn: approved, accredited
Ant: unofficial
The President is the __________ commander-in-chief of the armed forces in time of war.
infringe
(v.) to violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds
Syn: encroach, impinge, intrude, poach
Ant: stay in bounds
If you continue to _______ on my responsibilities, will you also take the blame for any mistakes?
ingratiate
(v.) to make oneself agreeable and thus gain favour or acceptance by others (sometimes used in a critical or derogatory sense)
Syn: cozy up to, curry favour with
Ant: alienate, humiliate oneself, mortify oneself
It is not a good idea to ___________ onesel
interloper
(n.) one who moves in where he or she is not wanted or has no right to be, an intruder
Syn: trespasser, meddler, buttinsky
Ant: insider
The crowd was so eager to see the band perform that they resented the opening singer as an ___________.
intrinsic
(adj.) belonging to someone or somthing by its very nature, essential, inherent; originating in a bodily organ or part
Syn: immanent, organic
Ant: extrinsic, external, outward
It had been my father's favourite book when he was my age, but for me it held l
inveigh
(v.) to make a violent attack in words, express strong disapproval
Syn: rail, harangue, fulminate, remonstrate
Ant: acclaim, glorify, extol
You should not ________ against the plan with quite so much vigor until you have read it.
lassitude
(n.) weariness of body or mind, lack of energy
Syn: fatigue, lethargy, torpor, languor
Ant: energy, vitality, animation, liveliness
On some days I am overcome by __________ at the thought of so many more years of schooling.
millennium
(n.) a period of one thousand years; a period of great joy
Syn: chiliad, golden age, prosperity, peace
Ant: doomsday, day of judgement
In 1999 an argument raged over whether 2000 or 2001 would mark the beginning of the new ____________.
occult
(adj.) mysterious, magical, supernatural; secret, hidden from view; not detectable by ordinary means; (v.) to hide, conceal; eclipse; (n.) matters involving the supernatural
Syn: (adj.) supernatural, esoteric, abstruse, arcane
Ant: (adj.) mundane, common,
permeate
(v.) to spread through, penetrate, soak through
Syn: spread throughout
Ant: empty, drain
The rain _____________ all of my clothing and reduced the map in my pocket to a pulpy mass.
precipitate
(v.) to fall as moisture; to cause or bring about suddenly; to hurl down from a great height; to give distinct form to; (adj.) characterized by excessive haste; (n.) moisture; the product of an action or process
Syn: (v.) provoke, produce; (adj.) reckless
stringent
(adj.) strict, severe; rigourously or urgently binding or compelling; sharp or bitter to the taste
Syn: stern, rigorous, tough, urgent, imperative
Ant: lenient, mild, lax, permissive
Some argue that more __________ laws against speeding will make our stre
surmise
(v.) to think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to conjecture or guess; (n.) likely idea that lacks definite proof
Syn: (v.) infer, gather; (n.) inference, presumption
Ant: (v.) to doubt; (n.) calculation, knowledge, measurement
I cannot be