1. Abominate
Even though my sister and I frequently fight, we don’t abominate each other.
(v.) to have an intense dislike or hatred for
Synonyms: loathe, abhor, despise, detest
Antonyms: relish, savor, cherish, esteem
I abominate the actions
of bullies!

2. Acculturation
(n.) the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another; the resultant blend
Synonyms: adaptation
When the Pilgrims came over from England, they went through a process of acculturation with the Indians.

3. Adventitious
(adj.) resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause of character; accidental, not essential; (medicine) acquired, not congenital. Synonyms: extrinsic, incidental, fortuitous Antonyms: essential, intrinsic, inherent, congenital
Randomly picking the numbers that landed him the winnings, Jethro won the lottery with an adventitious ticket.

4. Ascribe (v.) to assign or refer to (as a cause of source), attribute
Synonyms: impute, credit, attribute
To avoid plagiarizing, ascribe different works of literature to their authors on the Works Cited page.
We ascribed the hole in our window to our next door neighbor.

5. Circuitous (adj.) roundabout, not direct
Rachel was circuitous when describing where she had been all night because she knew she would get in trouble for staying out past curfew.
(adj.) roundabout, not direct
Synonyms: indirect, meandering, winding
Antonyms: straight, direct, as the crow flies
John decided to take the circuitous approach in getting to know the new girl in class

6. Commiserate
After the earthquake that devastated Haiti, many Americans commiserated for the Haitians by sending food, water, and aid.
(v.) to sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress
Synonyms: feel sorry for, empathize
Antonym: feel no sympathy for
The players commiserated with each other after the devastating loss.

7. As the man of the house, my father enjoins me to do different chores to help out the family.
(v.) to direct or order; to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way; to prohibit
Synonyms: bid, charge, command, adjure
Antonyms: allow permit
In the old days, teachers would enjoin their students to behave or face the paddle!

8. Expedite (v.) to make easy, cause to progress faster
Synonyms: accelerate, facilitate, speed up
Antonyms: hinder, hamper, impede, obstruct
New highways and wider lanes help expedite the commute from my house to Spaghetti Junction.

9. Expiate (v.) to make amends, make up for; to avert
Synonyms: redeem, make amends for, atone, make reparation
Prayer is a common way to expiate for one’s sins.
The boys were willing to expiate their bad behavior by serving detention.

10. Ferment
(n.) A state of great excitement, agitation, or turbulence; (v.) to be in or work into such a state; to produce alcohol by chemical action.
Synonym: (n.) commotion, turmoil, unrest
Antonym: (n.) peace and quiet, tranquility, placidity
The scent of the fresh baked cookies sent the child in to a ferment.

11. Inadvertent
(adj.) resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental. Synonyms: accidental, unconsidered Antonyms: deliberate, intentional, premeditated
After dozing off while behind the wheel, the driver inadvertently put himself in this predicament.
I took an inadvertent wrong turn and ended up on the other side of town

12. Nominal
Existing in name only, not real; too small to be considered or taken seriously
Synonyms: titular, token, trifling, inconsequential
Antonyms: real, actual, exorbitant, excessive
Although nominal, his heart and confidence led him to the super lightweight championship 3 years in a row.
Because we wanted to attract a large audience, we only charged a nominal fee for the school play.

13. Noncommittal
(adj.) not decisive or definite; unwilling to take a clear position or to say yes or no
Synonyms: cagey, uninformative, playing it safe, playing it close to the vest.
Antonyms: positive, definite, committed
With the upcoming elections looming, many
voters are noncommittal.
Many top high school recruits like to remain noncommittal until signing day.

14. Peculate Synonyms: Embezzle, Defraud, Misappropriate
(V.) to steal something that has been given into one’s trust; to take improperly for one’s use
His heart full of greed, the man peculated $ from the booster club.

15. Proclivity
(n.) a natural or habitual inclination or tendency (especially of human character or behavior)
I have the terrible proclivity for biting my nails, especially when I am nervous.
Synonyms: natural bent, penchant, propensity
Antonyms: inability or incapacity

16. Sangfroid
(n.)
composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances
Antonyms: excitability, hysteria, flappability
Synonyms: poise, self-assurance, equanimity
Renaldo showed sangfroid when racing down the field with the ball to score a goal.

17. Seditious
(adj.) resistant to lawful authority; having the purpose of overthrowing an established government
Synonyms: mutinous, rebellious, subversive
Antonyms: supportive, loyal, faithful, allegiant
The rebels drew on Uncle Sam to show their seditious feelings toward the government.

18. Synonyms: flimsy, insubstantial, vague, hazy
Tenuous
(adj.) thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance or significance; lacking a sound basis, poorly supported
Synonyms: flimsy, insubstantial, vague, hazy
Antonyms: strong, solid, substantial, valid
His argument tenuous, Jeffrey realized that he needed to do some more research on modern day advertising’s influence on teens.

19. vitriolic Synonyms: withering, acerbic, mordant
(adj.) Bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting(like a strong acid)
His vitriolic use of sarcasm will anger even the most aplomb!
Antonyms: bland, saccharine, honeyed, sugary

20. Wheedle Synonyms: cajole, inveigle, soft-soap, sweet-talk
Antonyms: coerce, browbeat, intimidate, strong arm
Synonyms: cajole, inveigle, soft-soap, sweet-talk
(v.) to use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end
The woman wheedled the student to try out for theater because she knew he had great potential.
Don’t try to wheedle your teacher into changing your grade!