abet
(v) to encourage or assist in some activity, especially a questionable one. ANT: hamper, hinder, impede, frustrate
aver
(v) to affirm, declare confidently. SYN: assert, asseverate, avouch. ANT: deny, disavow, repudiate, disclaim
blatant
(adj) noisy in a coarse, offensive way; obvious conspicuous, especially in an unfavorable sense. SYN: flagrant, glaring, egregious, disagreeably loud. ANT: inconsequential, trifling, piddling, petty
broach
(v) to bring up or begin to talk about (a subject); to announce, introduce; to break the surface of the water; to pierce; (n.) a spit for roasting; a tool for tapping casks
buttress
(v) to support, prop up, strengthen; (n.) a supporting structure. SYN: bolster, reinforce, brace, shore up. ANT: undermine, weaken, impair
carousal
(n) noisy revelry or merrymaking (often with a suggestion of heavy drinking). SYN: drinking bout, drunken revel, binge
collate
(v) to compare critically in order to note differences, similarities, etc.; to arrange in order for some scientific purpose. SYN: sort out, cross-check, rearrange
connoisseur
(n) an expert; one who is well qualified to pass critical judgments, especially in one of the fine arts. SYN: authority, savant, pundit. ANT: ignoramus, philistine, yahoo
disconsolate
(adj) deeply unhappy or dejected; without hope, beyond consolation. SYN: grief-stricken, inconsolable, comfortless. ANT: cheerful, blithe, buoyant, jaunty
encumber
(v) to weigh down or burden (with difficulties, cares, debt, etc.); to fill up, block up, hinder. SYN: overload, saddle, hamper, clog. ANT: unburden, unload, relieve
foment
(v) to promote trouble or rebellion; to apply warm liquids to, warm. SYN: instigate, incite, stir up. ANT: quell, quash, squelch, suppress
grisly
(adj) frightful, horrible, ghastly. SYN: gruesome, gory, hideous. ANT: pleasant, delightful, attractive
herculean
(adj) (capital H) relating to Hercules; (lowercase h) characterized by great strength; very hard to do in the sense of requiring unusual strength. SYN: mighty, powerful, arduous, onerous, colossal. ANT: puny, Lilliputian, bantam
impassive
(adj) showing no feeling or emotion; inanimate; motionless. SYN: emotionless, stoical, unemotional, insensible. ANT: emotional, passionate, excitable
inauspicious
(adj) unfavorable, unlucky, suggesting bad luck for the future. SYN: unpropitious, unpromising, untimely. ANT: propitious, favorable
incontrovertible
(adj) unquestionable, beyond dispute. SYN: incontestable, indisputable, indubitable. ANT: debatable, dubious, open to question
nonplussed
(adj., part.) puzzled, not knowing what to do, at a loss. SYN: perplexed, baffled, stumped, flabbergasted. ANT: poised, confident, assured
opportune
(adj) suitable or convenient for a particular purpose; occurring at an appropriate time. SYN: timely, appropriate, felicitous. ANT: untimely, inconvenient, inappropriate
prolific
(adj) abundantly productive; abundant, profuse. SYN: fruitful, fecund, proliferous. ANT: barren, unproductive, sterile, sparse
rejoinder
(n) a reply to a reply, especially from the defendant in a legal suit. SYN: answer, reply, response, riposte, retort
amenable
(adj) willing to follow advice or authority, tractable, submissive; responsive; liable to be held responsible. SYN: agreeable, compliant, docile. ANT: unresponsive, resistant, recalcitrant
berate
(v) to scold sharply. SYN: chide, rebuke, reprove, reprimand. ANT: praise, compliment, pat on the back
carnage
(n) large-scale slaughter or loss of life. SYN: butchery, bloodbath, massacre
credulous
(adj) too ready to believe, easily deceived. SYN: gullible. ANT: dubious, skeptical
criterion
(n) a rule, test; a standard for judgment or evaluation. SYN: yardstick, touchstone, gauge, canon
deplete
(v) to use up as a result of spending or consumption; to diminish greatly. SYN: exhaust, empty, drain, bankrupt. ANT: replenish, refill, restock, resupply
expatiate
(adj) coming from the outside, foreign; present but not essential, irrelevant. SYN: elaborate, enlarge, descant, wander, roam. ANT: sketch roughly, summarize, condense, adumbrate
extraneous
(adj) coming from the outside, foreign; present but not essential, irrelevant. SYN: incidental, extrinsic. ANT: intrinsic, relevant, pertinent, germane
inception
(n) the beginning, start, earliest stage of some process, institution, etc. SYN: commencement, inauguration, outset. ANT: completion, conclusion, termination
infirmity
(n) a weakness or ailment (physical, mental, moral, etc.). SYN: affliction, malady, defect
jejune
(adj) lacking in nutritive value; lacking in interest or substance; immature, juvenile. SYN: vapid, insipid, puerile, childish. ANT: stimulating, mature
obdurate
(adj) stubborn, unyielding. SYN: obstinate, adamant. ANT: yielding, tractable, flexible
potpourri
(n) a collection of diverse or miscellaneous items; a general mixture; petals mixed with spices for scent. SYN: hodgepodge, melange, farrago, medley. ANT: homogenous or uniform group
precocious
(adj) showing unusually early development (especially in talents and mental capacity). SYN: forward, gifted, advanced. ANT: backward, retarded, slow
sadistic
(adj) delighting in cruelty, excessively cruel. SYN: brutal, vicious, inhuman, fiendish. ANT: masochistic, clement, humane, merciful
sententious
(adj) self-righteous, characterized by moralizing; given to use of maxims or adages; saying much in few words, pithy. SYN: aphoristic, epigrammatic, moralistic. ANT: discursive, diffuse, episodic
supplicate
(v) to beg earnestly and humbly. SYN: plead, petition, implore, entreat
surfeit
(n) an excess or overindulgence, as in eating or drinking, causing disgust; (v.) to feed or supply with anything to excess. SYN: excess, glut, cloy satiate. ANT: dearth, paucity, lack
tortuous
(adj) winding, twisted, crooked; highly involved, complex; devious. SYN: circuitous, serpentine, labyrinthine. ANT: direct, straight, straightforward
turgid
(adj) swollen, bloated, filled to excess; overdecorated or excessive in language. SYN; inflated, pompous, bombastic, overblown. ANT: muted, understated, unadorned, austere
adamant
(adj) firm in purpose or opinion, unyielding, obdurate, implacable, inflexible; (n.) an extremely hard substance. ANT: yielding, flexible, pliable
brouhaha
(n) a confused hodgepodge of sounds, hubbub; an uproar or commotion that goes far beyond what is justified. SYN: furor, hullabaloo, tumult, pandemonium
bulwark
(n) a strong defense or protection, a solid wall-like structure for defense; (v.) to provide such defense or protection. SYN: stronghold, citadel, bastion, rampart. ANT: breach, weak point in the defense
choleric
(adj) easily made angry, bad-tempered. SYN: irascible, testy, splenetic, bilious. ANT: affable, genial, even-tempered
cloy
(v) to spoil or destroy an appetite by too much indulgence, especially in sweet or rich things; to glut, satiate, surfeit. ANT: stimulate, whet
curtail
(v) to cut short, bring to a halt or end sooner than expected; to reduce. SYN: limit, abbreviate, abridge, contract. ANT: protract, extend
deference
(n) courteous yielding to the wishes and ideas of another person; great respect marked by submission, as to a superior. SYN: respect, consideration, courtesy, ANT: contempt, disrespect, scorn, disdain
definitive
(adj) conclusive, final, representing the limit of what can be done. SYN: exhaustive, authoritative. ANT: tentative, inconclusive
demeanor
(n) the way a person behaves, overall impression made by comportment, manner, etc.; facial appearance, mien. SYN: conduct, behavior, bearing, carriage
enigmatic
(adj) puzzling, perplexing, inexplicable, not easily understood. SYN: baffling, mysterious, inexplicable. ANT: intelligible, understandable, fathomable
impromptu
(adj., adv.) without preparation, offhand, suddenly or hastily done; (n.) an extemporaneous composition or remark; a minimal piece suggestive of improvisation. SYN: spontaneous, improvised, unrehearsed. ANT: rehearsed, planned, prepared, premeditated
mawkish
(adj) excessively and objectionably sentimental; having a mildly sickening flavor. SYN: sentimentalized, maudlin, mushy, nauseating. ANT: unsentimental, callous, insensitive
mollify
(v) to soften, make gentle, pacify; to calm, allay (as an emotion), assuage, appease, placate; to reduce in intensity. ANT: enrage, anger, aggravate, exacerbate
onus
(n) something that is heavy or burdensome (especially an unwelcome responsibility); a stigma; blame. SYN: burden, obligation, duty, stigma
presentiment
(n) a vague sense of approaching misfortune. SYN: foreboding, premonition, hunch
profligate
(adj) given over to dissipation and self-indulgence, immoral; recklessly extravagant; (n.) a person given to self-indulgent and wild spending. SYN: prodigal, improvident, spendthrift. ANT: penny-pinching, frugal, economical
remit
(v) to send or hand in (as money); to cancel (as a penalty or punishment), forgive, pardon; to lessen, diminish; to put off, postpone, defer. SYN: pay, absolve, subside, abate
requisite
(adj) needed, necessary, regarded as essential or indispensable. SYN: required, obligatory, incumbent. ANT: nonessential, superfluous, optional
sartorial
(adj) of or pertaining to a tailor or his work; having to do with clothes or dress (especially men's)
thwart
(v) to oppose successfully; to prevent, frustrate. SYN: foil, baffle. ANT: aid, assist, abet, further