Abominate Def: To have an intense dislike or hatred for Syn: loathe, abhor, despise, detest ANT: relish, savor, cherish

acculturation Def: The modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another SYN: adaptation Ant- none

adventitious Resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause or character; accidental, not congenital Syn- extrinsic, incidental Ant- essential, intrinsic

Ascribe Def- to assign or refer to, attribute Syn- impute, credit, attribute Ant- none

circuitous Def- roundabout, not direct Syn- indirect, meandering, winding Ant- straight, direct

commiserate Def- to sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress Syn- feel sorry for, empathize Ant- feel no sympathy for

enjoin Def- to direct or order; to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way Syn- bid, charge, command Ant- allow, permit

expedite Def- to make easy, cause to progress faster Syn- accelerate, facilitate, speed up Ant- hinder, hamper, impede

wheedle Def- To use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end SYN: cajole, inveigle, soft-soap, sweet-talk ANT: coerce, browbeat, intimidate,

vitriolic Def- Bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting (like a strong acid) SYN: withering, acerbic, mordant ANT: bland, saccharine, honeyed, sugary

tenuous Def: Thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance or significance; lacking a sound basis, poorly supported SYN: flimsy, insubstantial, vague, hazy ANT: strong, solid, substantial, valid

seditious Def- Resistant to lawful authority SYN: mutinous, rebelious, subversive ANT: loyal, supportive, faithful, allegiant

Sangfroid Def: composure or coolness, esp in trying circumstances; Syn- poise, self assurance Ant- excitability, hysteria

proclivity A natural or habitual inclination or tendency (especially of human character or behavior) SYN: natural bent, penchant, propensity ANT: inability or incapacity

peculate Def- To steal something that has been given into one’s trust; to take improperly for one’s own use Syn: Embezzle, defraud, misappropriate

noncommittal Not decisive or definite; unwilling to take a clear position, or to say yes or no. SYN: cagey, uninformative, playing it safe, playing it close to the vest ANT: positive, definite, committed

Inadvertent Def- resulting from or marked by lack of attention, unintentional, accidental Syn- accidental, unconsidered Ant- deliberate, intentional

nominal Existing in name only, not real; to small to be considered or taken seriously SYN: titular, token, trifling, inconsequential ANT: real, actual, exorbitant, excessive

ferment Def-A state of great excitement or to be in or work into such a state; to produce alcohol by chemical action Syn- commotion, turmoil Ant- peace and quiet, tranquility

Expiate Def- to make ammends; make up for; avert Syn- redeem, atone, make reparation

ameliorate (v) To make betterimprove No matter how bad things get, there’s always something you can do to ameliorate the situation.

aplomb (n) great self-confidence levelheadedness composure The outstanding candidate responded to harsh criticism with aplomb.

bombastic (adj) pompous; high- sounding language pretentious inflated My teacher wants me to write clear, direct responses, not just fill up lines with bombastic blabber.

callow (adj) without experience; immature inexperience green Fans complained about the bad calls made by the callow NFL referees.

drivel (n) Saliva or mucus (v) To let saliva flow; to waste foolishly hogwash nonsense I usually don’t pay attention to his meaningless drivel.

epitome (n) A condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality model archetype The Queen of England is the epitome of a proper lady.

exhort (v) To urge strongly implore entreat I exhorted my companion to swim faster as I saw the shark catching up to him.

ex officio (adj or adv) by virtue of holding a certain office The President is the ex officio commander-in- chief of the armed forces. Mr. Whitehead is an ex officio member of the KHS Standleaders. The company's elected treasurer may be, ex officio, a member of the Finance Committee.

infringe (v) To violate or trespass Intrude encroach You can do anything you want as long as you don’t infringe on anyone else’s rights.

ingratiate (v) To make oneself agreeable to and accepted by others cozy up to Betsy tried to ingratiate herself to her new team members by bringing them cupcakes.

interloper (noun) one who moves in where he is not wanted trespasser intruder Mr. Joe build a large fence to keep out the interlopers.

intrinsic (adj) essential; inherent; naturally occurring immanent organic It’s hard to comprehend a person’s intrinsic beauty until you get to know him.

inveigh (v) To make a violent verbal attack; express strong disapproval remonstrate rail The students inveighed against the new dress code.

lassitude (Noun) lack of energy fatigue lethargy All of the students in my 7 th period class appear to suffer from lassitude.

millennium (noun) a period of a thousand years; a period of great joy Chiliad Golden age His heart was broken when she told him she’d return his love in the next millennium.

occult (adj) mysterious, magical (verb) to hide or conceal supernatural esoteric There were rumors that the old woman had occult powers.

permeate (verb) to spread through, penetrate, soak in penetrate The smell of Axe Body Spray permeated throughout the middle school.

precipitate (v) To fall as moisture; to bring about suddenly (adj) excessive haste (noun) moisture (v) provoke; produce (adj) reckless The verbal argument precipitated the fist fight. Her precipitate essay writing resulted in a poor essay.

stringent (adj) strict; severe stern tough Some students think that the dress code at Klein is too stringent.

surmise (v) to guess without support or proof (n) Idea that lacks proof infer gather After looking at the test scores, I surmise that some students did not study.