(v.) to have an intense dislike or hatred for

Synonyms: loathe, abhor, despise, detestAntonyms: relish, savor, cherish, esteemEven though my sister

and I frequently fight, we don’t abominate each other.

I abominate the actions of bullies!

(n.) the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another; the resultant blend

Synonyms: adaptationWhen the Pilgrims came over from England, they went through a process of acculturation with the Indians.

(adj.) resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause of character; accidental, not essential; (medicine) acquired, not congenital.

Synonyms: extrinsic, incidental, fortuitousAntonyms: essential, intrinsic, inherent, congenital

Randomly picking the numbers that landed him the winnings, Jethro won the lottery with an adventitious ticket.

ADVENTITIOUS

Ascribe (v.) to assign or

refer to (as a cause of source), attribute

Synonyms: impute, credit, attribute

To avoid plagiarizing, ascribe different works of literature to their authors on the Works Cited page.

• We ascribed the hole in our window to our next door neighbor.

Circuitous(adj.) roundabout,

not directSynonyms:

indirect, meandering, winding

Antonyms: straight, direct, as the crow flies

Rachel was circuitous when describing where she had been all night because she knew she would get in trouble for staying out past curfew.

John decided to take the circuitous approach in getting to know the new girl in class

Commiserate (v.) to sympathize

with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress

Synonyms: feel sorry for, empathize

Antonym: feel no sympathy for

After the earthquake that devastated Haiti, many Americans commiserated for the Haitians by sending food, water, and aid.

The players commiserated with each other after the devastating loss.

Enjoin (v.) to direct or order;

to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way; to prohibit

Synonyms: bid, charge, command, adjure

Antonyms: allow permit

As the man of the house, my father enjoins me to do different chores to help out the family.

In the old days, teachers would enjoin their students to behave or face the paddle!

EXPEDITE

• (v.) to make easy, cause to progress faster

• Synonyms: accelerate, facilitate, speed up

• Antonyms: hinder, hamper, impede, obstruct

New highways and wider lanes help expedite the commute from my house to Spaghetti Junction.

Expiate(v.) to make

amends, make up for; to avert

Synonyms: redeem, make amends for, atone, make reparation

Prayer is a common way to expiate for one’s sins.

The boys were willing to expiate their bad behavior by serving detention.

Ferment (n.) A state of great

excitement, agitation, or turbulence; (v.) to be in or work into such a state; to produce alcohol by chemical action.

Synonym: (n.) commotion, turmoil, unrest

Antonym: (n.) peace and quiet, tranquility, placidity

The scent of the fresh baked cookies sent the child in to a ferment.

INADVERTENT(adj.) resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental.Synonyms: accidental, unconsideredAntonyms: deliberate, intentional, premeditated

After dozing off while behind the wheel, the driver inadvertently put himself in this predicament.

I took an inadvertent wrong turn and ended up on the other side of town

NominalO Existing in name

only, not real; too small to be considered or taken seriously

O Synonyms: titular, token, trifling, inconsequential

O Antonyms: real, actual, exorbitant, excessive

Although nominal, his heart and confidence led

him to the super lightweight championship 3 years in a

row.Because we wanted to attract a large audience, we only charged a nominal fee for the school play.

Noncommittal (adj.) not decisive or definite;

unwilling to take a clear position or to say yes or no

Synonyms: cagey, uninformative, playing it safe, playing it close to the vest.

Antonyms: positive, definite, committed

With the upcoming elections looming, manyvoters are noncommittal.

Many top high school recruits like to remain noncommittal until signing day.

Peculate

(V.) to steal something that has been given into one’s trust; to take improperly for one’s use

Synonyms: Embezzle, Defraud, Misappropriate

His heart full of greed, the man peculated $350.00 from the booster club.

Proclivity

Synonyms: natural bent, penchant, propensityAntonyms: inability or incapacity

(n.) a natural or habitual inclination or tendency (especially of human character or behavior)I have the terrible proclivity for biting my

nails, especially when I am nervous.

Sangfroid(n.) composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances

Synonyms: poise, self-assurance, equanimity

Antonyms: excitability, hysteria, flappability

Renaldo showed sangfroid when racing down the field with the ball to score a goal.

Seditious

(adj.) resistant to lawful authority; having the purpose of overthrowing an established government

Synonyms: mutinous, rebellious, subversive

Antonyms: supportive, loyal, faithful, allegiant

The rebels drew on Uncle Sam to show their seditious feelings toward the government.

Tenuous(adj.) thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance or significance; lacking a sound basis, poorly supported

Antonyms: strong, solid, substantial, valid

Synonyms: flimsy, insubstantial, vague, hazy

His argument tenuous, Jeffrey realized that he needed to do some more research on modern day advertising’s influence on teens.

vitriolic

Synonyms: withering, acerbic, mordant

Antonyms: bland, saccharine, honeyed, sugary

(adj.) Bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting(like a strong acid)

His vitriolic use of sarcasm will anger even the most aplomb!

Wheedle(v.) to use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end

Synonyms: cajole, inveigle, soft-soap, sweet-talk

Antonyms: coerce, browbeat, intimidate, strong arm

The woman wheedled the student to try out for theater because she knew he had great potential.

Don’t try to wheedle your teacher into changing your grade!