Ameliorate (v.) to improve, make better, correct a flaw or short coming Synonyms; amend, better Antonyms; worsen aggravate, exacerbate I knew I had many spelling flaws in my paper, so I began to ameliorate it.

Aplomb (n.) poise, assurance, great self-confidence; perpendicularity Synonyms; composure, self-possession, level headedness Antonyms; confusion, embarrassment, abashment The gymnast walked the beam with aplomb before doing a backflip off of the end.

Bombastic - (adj.) pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas. Synonym; inflated, highfalutin, pretentious, Antonyms; unadorned, plain, simple, austere The speaker at the convention went on and on in a bombastic babble of what we should be doing as teachers.

Callow - (adj.) without experience; immature, not fully developed; lacking sophistication and poise; without fear Synonyms; green, raw, unfledged, inexperienced Antonyms; mature, grown up, polished, sophisticated Callow teenagers believe they can do whatever they want and they will never get into trouble.

Drivel - (n.) saliva or mucus flowing from the mouth or nose; foolish, aimless talk or thinking; nonsense; (v.) to let saliva from the mouth; to utter a nonsense or childish twaddle; to waste time or fritter away foolishly. Synonyms; (n.) balderdash, hogwash, tommyrot; (v.) slaver The drivel coming from the student’s mouth was a true testament to his attention toward the teacher.

Epitome - (n.) a summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality. Synonyms; abstract, digest, model, archetype. Helping a teammate off of the field is the epitome of good sportsmanship.

Exhort - (v.) to urge strongly, advises earnestly. Synonyms; entreat implore, adjure Antonyms; discourage, advise against, deprecate Our teacher exhorts us to complete our homework so we can earn good grades!

ex officio (adj, adv.) by virtue of holding a certain office The boss of a company is expected to be the ex officio in financially tough times.

infringe (v.) to violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds Synonyms: encroach, impinge, intrude, poach Antonyms: stay in bounds, comply If you infringe on private property then you can be arrested and taken to jail.

ingratiate (v.) to make oneself agreeable and thus gain favor or acceptance by others ( sometimes used in a critical or derogatory sense) Synonyms: cozy up to, curry favor with Antonyms: alienate, humiliate oneself, mortify oneself It is a good idea to ingratiate yourself with the boss if you hope to get on his good side early!

interloper (n)where he or she is not wanted or has no right to be, an intruder Synonyms: trespasser, meddler, buttinsky Many Native Americans felt that the colonists were interlopers who were destroying their livelihood.

intrinsic (adj.) belonging to someone of something by its very nature, essential, inherent; originating in a bodily organ or part Synonyms: immanent, organic Antonyms: extrinsic, external, outward Coming from a long line of sailors, the boy had an intrinsic love for the ocean.

inveigh (v.) to make a violent attack in words, express strong disapproval Synonyms: rail, harangue, fulminate, remonstrate Antonyms: acclaim, glorify, extol If you inveigh against someone's personal values, you may very easily hurt their emotions.

lassitude (n.) weariness of body or mind, lack of energy Synonyms: fatigue, lethargy, torpor, languor Antonyms: energy, vitality, animation, liveliness After completing the 5k race in under 16 minutes, everyone watching saw just how overwhelmed with lassitude he was.

millennium (n.) a period of one thousand years: a period of great joy Synonyms: chiliad, golden age, prosperity, peace Antonyms: doomsday, day of judgment Over the last millennium human technology has evolved to unimaginable heights.

occult (adj.) mysterious, magical, supernatural, secret hidden from view; not detectable by ordinary means; (v) to hide, conceal; eclipse; matters involving the supernatural Synonyms: supernatural, esoteric, abstruse, arcane Antonyms: mundane, common, public, exoteric The occult series of books known as Harry Potter are world famous for their magical tales.

permeate (v) to spread though, penetrate, soak through The rain came down so hard that it permeated my windbreaker.

precipitate (v) to fall as moisture; to cause to bring about suddenly; to hurl down from a great height; to give distinct form to; (adj) characterized from excessive haste;(n) moisture; the product of an action or process Synonyms: provoke, produce, reckless, impetuous Antonyms: wary, cautious, circumspect

stringent (adj) strict, severe, rigorous, tough, urgent, imperative Synonyms: stern, rigorous, tough, urgent, imperative Antonyms: lenient, mild lax, permissive U.S Navy Seals have to pass series of stringent test to become some of the most elite soldiers.

surmise (v) to think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to conjecture or guess;(n) likely idea that lacks definite proof Synonyms: infer, gather, inference, presumption I can’t prove it but, I surmise that he is lying to me about where he was yesterday.