1. absolve (verb) to clear from blame, responsibility, or guilt
When the glove famously “did not fit,” OJ Simpson was, in essence, absolved of the crime of which he’d been accused.
(verb) to clear from blame, responsibility, or guilt
Synonym: acquit, exonerate, vindicate, excuse, pardon
Antonym: condemn, convict, incriminate, inculcate

2. caricature
(adjective) a representation (especially a drawing) in which the subjects features are deliberately exaggerated. (verb) to present some one or something in a deliberately distorted way.
Synonyms: cartoon, burlesque, parody, lampoon
Generally, when drawing a caricature, an artist will focus on a person’s most notable attributes and emphasize them for comedic effect.

3. clangor
(noun) a loud ringing sound (verb) to make a loud ringing sound
Synonyms: din, clamor, uproar
Antonyms: detached, apart, distant, remote
Mom knew immediately that she’d forgotten to refasten the child-lock on the kitchen cabinet when the clangor of falling pots and pans suddenly awoke the house on a sleepy Saturday morning.

4. contiguous (adjective) side by side, touching; near; adjacent in time
Synonyms: adjoining, abutting, next door to
Antonyms: detached, apart, distant, remote
Generally, air travel throughout the contiguous 48 states is less expensive than travel to Hawaii or Alaska.

5. Gollum’s cupidity for the Ring of power.
(noun) an eager desire for something, greed
Synonyms: avarice, rapacity, craving, lust
Antonyms: generosity, contentment, satiation, gratification
Alan’s cupidity was well known amongst his friends. Whenever one of them got something new—a car, a job, a piece of technology—he quickly set about the business of securing a bigger, better, or more impressive version for himself.

6. Deleterious (adjective) harmful, injurious
The Chinese Crested is an example of a deleterious mutation. Having no hair can be detrimental to a dogs health.
(adjective) harmful, injurious
Synonyms: detrimental, destructive, pernicious, damaging
Antonyms: helpful, beneficial, harmless, innocuous
The deleterious impact of consuming too much fast food is well known, and yet many American’s seem unable or unwilling to step away from the Super Size fries.

7. Enhance
(verb)To raise to a higher degree; to increase the value or desirability of
Synonyms: improve, magnify, heighten, elevate
Antonyms: diminish, reduce, lessen degrade
It has been said that individuals who lack one of their senses-- sight, for example-- often seem to have enhanced awareness in other areas.

8. enthrall
(verb) to captivate, charm, hold spellbound; to enslave; to imprison
Synonyms: fascinate, enchant, attract, bewitch
Antonyms: bore to tears, repel, put someone off
The storyteller was so skilled that I found myself absolutely enthralled by his tale, hanging on his every word.

9. extenuate
(verb) to lessen the seriousness or magnitude of an offense by making partial excuses
Synonyms: moderate, mitigate, diminish, downplay
Antonyms: intensify, aggravate, worsen, exacerbate
Most teachers grow weary of excuses from students who just can’t ever seem to turn their work in on time. Occasionally, though, extenuating circumstances do prevent an otherwise responsible student to miss a deadline. Of this we are generally understanding.

10. implicit
(adjective) implied or understood though unexpressed without doubts or reservations, unquestioning; potentially contained in
Synonyms: inferred, tacit, unspoken, unconditional
Antonyms: Explicit, expressed, stated, revealed
Though my mother said nothing when I asked permission to take the car, the look on her face made her implicit message very clear: I was not going anywhere until my room was clean.

11. incisive
(adjective) sharp, keen, penetrating (with a suggestion of decisiveness and effectiveness)
Synonyms: acute, cutting, perceptive, trenchant
Antonyms: Adroit, tactful, diplomatic, politic
Whenever our team lost, I could always count on a solid fifteen minutes of incisive commentary from my Dad, who was himself a former player, on the ride home.

12. Ostentatious
(adjective) marked by conspicuous or pretentious display, showy
Synonyms: flashy, overdone, affected, flamboyant
Antonyms: modest, plain, simple, demure, retiring.
Amy’s engagement ring was a solid two carats larger than those of all her friends. Her ostentatious habit of entering every room with her left hand facing out—at eye level—got old very quickly. She could have been a bit more discreet.

13. Paragon (Noun) a model of excellence or perfection
Synonyms: exemplar, ideal, paradigm, model, good example
While our valedictorian received plenty of accolades for his academic achievements, he was hardly a paragon of virtue; his behavior on the weekend stood in stark contrast to his squeaky-clean classroom reputation.

14. Paraphrase
School helps kids learn to do important stuff.
(verb) to restate in other words; (noun) a statement that presents a given idea in new language
Synonyms: (verb) reword, rephrase (noun) version, rendition
Antonyms: (verb) repeat verbatim, duplicate, quote

15. Politic
(adjective) prudent, shrewdly conceived and developed; artful, expedient
Synonyms: tactful, diplomatic, judicious, circumspect
Antonyms: unwise, injudicious, imprudent, rash
Her politic handling of the delicate disagreement between her friends was a precursor to a career in international diplomacy.

16. prosaic
(adjective) dull lacking in distinction and originality; matter-of-fact, straightforward; characteristic of prose, not poetic
Synonyms: commonplace, humdrum, literal, pedestrian
Antonyms: remarkable, distinctive, poetic, inspired
By the end of the lengthy, prosaic reading, several students’ faces were flat on their desks, their drool pooling on the pages.

17. Redundant
(adjective) extra, excess, more than in needed; wordy, repetitive; profuse, lush
Synonyms: unnecessary, superfluous, verbose, prolix
Antonyms: succinct, terse, laconic, scarce, inadequate
ATM machine. Enough said.

18. sanctimonious
(adjective) making a show of virtue or righteousness; hypocritically moralistic or pious, self-righteousness, canting, holier-than-thou.
Synonyms: heartfelt, sincere, humble
She’d led a charmed life. Because of this, she tended to take a rather sanctimonious tone toward those who struggled (with poverty, unemployment, and other difficulties). She viewed it as a character flaw that those who hadn’t had the same advantages that she’d had weren’t just able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

19. scintillating
(verb) sparkling, twinkling, exceptionally brilliant (applied to mental or personal qualities)
Synonyms: stimulating, lively, glittering, flashing
Antonyms: dull, boring, insipid, flat, tame, vapid
John’s discussion on French colonial history was something short of scintillating; by the end of it, we were ready to discuss literally any other topic.

20. winsome
(adjective) charming, attractive, pleasing (often suggesting a childlike charm and innocence)
Synonyms: winning, engaging, delightful, prepossessing
Antonyms: unattractive, unappealing, repulsive
Dan’s winsome smile had a way of charming women into changing their plans just to accommodate him.