1. Shane Shapiro 3/2/09 Period 3
Chapter 11 Vocabulary
Shane Shapiro
3/2/09 Period 3

2. Epistle - A letter or literary composition in letter form.
Syn: Communication, Message
Sample Sentence:
Jeffrey worked numerous hours on the epistle that he planned on sending to Duke University.

3. Avid - Enthusiastic; extremely interested. Syn: voracious, eager
Ant: apathetic, uninterested
Sample Sentence:
Jake, an avid child, asks his uncle Charlie tons of questions.

4. Gadfly - an irritating and persistent person. Syn: nuisance, pest
Sample Sentence:
I tried to switch my seats, but I got stuck next to an annoying gadfly.

5. Humility - absence of vanity. Syn: modesty Ant: vanity, arrogance
Sample Sentence:
Even though Kobe Bryant is the best player in the league, he is an example of humility because he never boasts his accomplishments.

6. Dolorous - exhibiting sorrow or pain. Syn: mournful, angry Ant: joyous
Sample Sentence:
O.J. Simpson became very dolorous when the judge announced his sentencing to jail.

7. Gargantuan - of huge or extraordinary size and power.
Syn: gigantic, huge
Ant: tiny, frail
Sample Sentence:
The Hulk is gargantuan compared to the rest of the cities inhabitants.

8. Arduous - difficult; requiring much effort.
Syn: strenuous, laborious, tough
Ant: easy, uncontested, unchallenging
Sample Sentence:
Although Judge Judy is old, she still remains very arduous to convince.

9. Affable - friendly; agreeable; easy to talk to
Syn: amiable, good-natured
Ant: disagreeable, irascible
Sample Sentence:
The affable therapist is well known across the country.

10. Grandiloquent - pompous or high-flown in speech. Syn: pretentious
Ant: plain-spoken
Sample Sentence:
At times President Obama gets grandiloquent when talking to the public.

11. Agrarian - concerning farms, farmers, or use of land.
Syn: agricultural
Ant: urban, industrial
Sample Sentence:
Child is known as an agrarian nation, because of the agricultural products they produce.

12. Grimace - a facial expression of fear, disapproval, or pain.
Syn: scowl
Ant: smile
Sample Sentence:
Jason gave a grimace when the principal announced who would not be graduating.

13. Harangue - a long, strongly expressed speech or lecture Syn: tirade
Ant: short-speech
Sample Sentence:
Mr. Barclay gave a long and boring harangue to the student body about how we need to improve our test grades

14. Formidable - arousing fear or awe. Syn: intimidating Ant: unfearful
Sample Sentence:
The new student knew he would be facing a formidable challenge changing schools.

15. Sycophant
- a flatterer; one who fawns on others in order to gain favor.
Syn: toady
Ant: contrarian
Sample Sentence:
The sycophant volleyball players were acting like such sycophants in front of their coach to try and get playing time.

16. Explicit - clearly and openly stated. Syn: exact Ant: precise
Sample Sentence:
The annoying teacher gave the class explicit instructions about the class guidelines and expectations for the new semester.