1. English I
Vocab Week 2

2. Empowered (v.) to give power or authority to
Synonyms: warrant, license, qualify
Example: “Wealth empowered him to live a comfortable life”

3. Relieved (v.) to ease or alleviate Synonyms: lighten, lessen, diminish
Example: “I was relieved after hearing I wasn’t going to fail English’

4. Harmonious (adj.) marked by agreement
Synonyms: consistent, amicable, congruent
Example: “After finding out that we all had the same opinion, we got along harmoniously”

5. Desolate (adj.) having the feeling of being abandoned of hope
Synonyms: desert, lonesome, miserable
Example: “The most desolate message is that nothing ever changes”

6. Melancholic (adj.) to be affected with gloominess
Synonyms: depressed, gloomy, moody
Example: “After hearing his Grandma died, Charles was melancholic”

7. Sentimental
(adj.) expressive by showing feelings of love, pity, or nostalgia
Synonyms: tender, nostalgic, hokey
Example: “We kept the old photograph for purely sentimental reasons”

8. Apathetic (adj.) having little or no emotion
Synonyms: unfeeling, impassive, unconcerned
Example: “Early on in the game, it was obvious the crowd was unimpressed, almost apathetic”

9. Optimistic (adj.) taking a favorable view of events
Synonyms: bright, idealistic, hopeful
Example: “Even though everything could possibly go wrong, I still believe it will turn out OK”

10. Enthralled (v.) to captivate or charm
Synonyms: enchant, enrapture, spellbind
Example: “She is less than enthralled with my new wife”

11. Morose (adj.) sullenly ill-humored Synonyms: moody, sour, surly
Example: “I’ve been so morose today, thinking of everything that I’ve failed”

12. Enlightened (v.) to give intellectual or spiritual knowledge to
Synonyms: illumine, teach, inform
Example: “We hope the results of our research will enlighten our colleagues”

13. Nostalgic
(adj.) a sentimental yearning for the happiness felt in a former place, time, or situation
Synonyms: longing, homesick, yearning
Example: “Sometimes I get really nostalgic about my childhood”

14. Vivacious (adj.) having or displaying tenacity of life
Synonyms: lively, animated, spirited
Example: “For an 80 year old, my Grandpa is extremely vivacious”

15. Apprehensive
(adj.) uneasy or fearful about something that might happen
Synonyms: fearful, anxious, doubt
Example: “I’m a bit apprehensive about starting college”

16. Dreary (adj.) causing sadness or gloom
Synonyms: dismal, cheerless, tiresome
Example: “The man was trying his best to brighten our dreary day”

17. Pessimistic (adj.) the tendency to expect the worst in things
Synonyms: despairing, hopeless, cynical
Example: “With each day that passes, I’m more pessimistic about having a flying car”

18. Vengeful (adj.) characterized by showing a vindictive spirit
Synonyms: revengeful, spiteful, vindictive
Example: “She has a vengeful attitude toward the robbers”

19. Sympathetic (adj.) feeling compassionate
Synonyms: kind, tender, affectionate
Example: “A sympathetic look always makes me feel sorry for myself”

20. Confining (v.) to enclose within bounds
Synonyms: limit, restrict, imprison
Example: “For that offense he was confined to jail for 30 days”

21. Fatalistic (n.) the acceptance of all things and events as inevitable
Synonyms: foreboding, bleak, pessimistic
Example: “Her fatalism helped her to face death with a stoic calmness”