Antiquated to Vivid

 Obsolete; out-of-fashion; no longer usable  These days sending out mail by “snail mail” is antiquated; most people use e- mail.

 Fit for plowing; tillable  The world has lost nearly one-third of its arable land over the past 40 years, largely because farming and other human activities have dramatically accelerated soil erosion.

 Domination; growing power  His ascendancy to the presidency surprised many who thought a one-term senator would not be able to win.

 To waste away; to wither  Verb: If you do not exercise your bones are likely to atrophy from lack of use.  Noun: The atrophy of her knees caused her to walk with difficulty.

 Secret; furtive  He had a clandestine plan in motion to surprise his wife for his birthday.

 To reconcile; pacify; to renew a friendship  I made my mom cookies as a conciliatory gesture after our argument.

 Superficial; casual; hastily done  To save time when you are on the critical reading section of the SAT, first give a cursory glance to the questions before reading the passage.

 Scoffing at; mockery; ridicule  The teen was distraught by the derision she was receiving from her former friends and decided to go to her counselor.

 Absolute hatred  It is unhealthy to hold enmity toward someone; it is wiser to try to forgive and forget.

 To free; to disentangle  Our military commanders are finding it difficult to extricate our country from the Iraq/Afghanistan wars.

 Patience; lenience  Americans are not known for their forbearance; we are a nation who likes immediate results.

 Lacking in seriousness or importance  Do not be angry at your sister for such a frivolous reason as her eating the last of the cereal.

 Talkative; rambling  You need to be garrulous to be an effective sales spokesperson on an inf0mercial.

 Violent, hasty, rash, impulsive  Sometimes talk radio hosts and announcers get fired for being too impetuous and saying something controversial.

 Skillfully busy or occupied  We were industrious during the holiday break and did all of our holiday shopping.

 Having a reputation of the worst kind, vicious, notoriously bad  Lindsay Lohan is an infamous celebrity, known now more for her drinking than her acting.

 Insulting or contemptuous behavior  I will not put up with your insolence; go to your room!

 Excessive frivolity; flippancy  A little levity in the classroom is all right; but too much can be a classroom management nightmare.

 State of being forgotten  Old family cemeteries are beginning to fade into oblivion; it is much more common for people to be buried in large, public cemeteries.

 Something that appears contradictory or false but is actually true  For thirteen years, in the late nineteenth century, Clarence King lived a paradoxical double life, one as a bachelor white man and one as a married black man.

 False testimony under oath  The witness could not remember the details, but did not want to be accused of perjury.

 Deep-seated hatred; ill-will; enmity  The terrorists’ rancor for American culture is hard to understand.

 A self-serving flatterer; a brown-noser  I know you want an A, but don’t be such a sycophant; you are making us look bad.

 Changing; fluctuating  I wish I wasn’t so indecisive; I vacillate between choices all the time—even at the grocery store.

 Bright, distinct, clear  The colors in the painting were so vivid I thought it was a photograph.