Vocabulary Group #4
Commotion (n.) Definition: Noisy activity Synonym: bedlam Antonym: silence Sentence: The commotion in the library drew in an even bigger crowd.
Concoction (n.) Definition: A mixture of ingredients; putting several things together Synonym: potion Antonym: separation Sentence: The witch brewed a nasty concoction. “A frog’s eye, two drops of black widow’s poison, and a hint of blood,” she sang.
Conspicuous (adj.) Definition: Easily seen; something obvious; attract attention Synonym: visible Antonym: blocked Sentence: The shiny conspicuous pebble was in fact gold!
Contortion (n.) Definition: A sharp twist or bend in, or of, something or someone Synonym: deformation Antonym: smoothness Sentence: The twigs’ contortion looks like a twisted knife.
Imperious (adj.) Definition: Arrogant; thinking you are above it all Synonym: conceited Antonym: shy Sentence: The imperious dictator’s ignorance and arrogance was his downfall.
Jabber (v.) Definition: To talk rapidly making no sense; chattering Synonym: blabber Antonym: sense Sentence: The woman would just not stop jabbering with her insipid talk of shoes and clothing.
Jargon (n.) Definition: Specialized language of a profession or group Synonym: slang Antonym: standard Sentence: My father is a congressman so often he talks political jargon at our dinner table leaving the rest of us feeling confused. http://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/keeping-the-jargon-out-public-communication
Jostle (v.) Definition: To roughly bump into a person or thing Synonym: shove Antonym: avoid Sentence: The man was careful not to be jostled while he was carrying his expensive china.
Scurry (v.) Definition: To move briskly; to scamper Synonym: (to) dart Antonym: stroll Sentence: The mouse quickly scurried across the floor frightening the little child that was with us in the haunted house.
Serenity (n.) Definition: The quality of being calm, peaceful or untroubled Synonym: tranquility Antonym: bedlam Sentence: The serenity in the plane was broken as the baby once again began crying.
Sociable (adj.) Definition: Enjoying the company of others Synonym: affable Antonym: reclusive Sentence: The man’s sociable personality faded after his best friend passed away.
Somber (adj.) Definition: very serious or sad Synonym: lugubrious Antonym: happy Sentence: The man’s somber attitude was too serious for many people’s liking.
HONORS WORDS
Mnemonic (adj.) Definition: Memory assistance Synonym: reminder Antonym: unhelpful Sentence: My favorite mnemonic device is: My Very Earnest Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas. It helps me remember the planets of the solar system.
Narcissism (n.) Definition: Egoism, egocentrism (self-centered Synonym: arrogant Antonym: kowtow Sentence: Joel’s narcissism gets in his own way; nobody likes him so he ends up having no friends.
Amethyst (n.) Definition: A clear purple or bluish violet variety crystallized quartz Synonym: mauve Antonym: transparent Sentence: Since my birthstone is Amethyst, my favorite color is purple.
Somnambulate (v.) Definition: to walk while sleeping Synonym: sleepwalking Antonym: awake Sentence: Once at a sleepover, I began to somnambulate and walked over to the wall, bumped myself into it 3 times, and landed face first into my sleeping bag.
Venerate (v.) Definition: To honor with a ritual act of devotion Synonym: please Antonym: to anger Sentence: There are many ways to venerate gods, but whenever the gods got angered, people would throw teenage girls into volcanoes. Oh how times have changed.