Telling a story through gestures

The jealous actress called her understudy’s performance a ridiculous pantomime.

Synonyms: charade

Equality

Hilda, to avoid squabbles, aimed for parity in the slices of birthday cake.

Synonyms: sameness, equivalence

An inactive substance used in medical testing

Tom, who had taken the placebo, found that his allergy symptoms did not go away.

Enthusiastic approval

Allison’s painting met with plaudits from the critics, who had dismissed her earlier work.

Synonyms: kudos, acclaim

To break up into opposing groups

Thelma tended to polarize discussions rather than to encourage compromise.

Synonyms: divide

Practical, ordinary

The flighty Caroline could not be troubled with mundane tasks such as paying her bills.

Synonyms: commonplace, earthly

To make invalid

Paula negated Tiffany’s argument by proving that her main premise was false.

Synonyms: neutralize, annul

Lacking awareness

Love-struck Charlie was oblivious to everyone but the object of his affection.

Synonyms: careless, heedless

Beginning

Crocuses bloom at the onset of spring, sometimes even before the snow melts.

Synonyms: start, commencement

Lacking color

The nurse was worried by the patient’s pallid face and shallow breathing.

Synonyms: pale, wan

Causing horror, shocking

The lurid photos of the crime scene upset the jury.

Synonyms: gruesome, sensational

Martha reluctantly obeyed the mandate to vacate her apartment.

Synonyms: command, decree

To come between parties in order to reconcile

The diplomatic Henry was able to mediate between the quarreling sisters.

Synonyms: arbitrate, negotiate

Having a pleasing melody

The melodious sounds of the symphony soothed Tim after his trying day.

Synonyms: dulcet, mellifluous

Extremely careful regarding details

The meticulous detective found every shred of evidence at the crime scene.

Synonyms: fastidious, painstaking

Not harmonious, incompatible

Sadie’s cowboy hat was incongruous with her black cocktail dress.

Synonyms: inappropriate, absurd

In bad taste

My parents banned Chad from our house because of his indecorous behavior at dinner.

Synonyms: vulgar, uncouth

Boldness or rudeness

The boy’s insolence to the policeman embarrassed his mother.

Synonyms: impudence, impertinence

Having complex and interrelated parts

The intricate poem baffled most readers with its numerous obscure metaphors.

Synonyms: complicated, convoluted

Mild or tolerant

The judge issued a lenient sentence because it was Frank’s first offense.

Synonyms: merciful, clement

To pay attention to

“Heed my advice,” the fortuneteller warned Sebastian when he tried to ignore her prophecy.

Synonyms: mind, mark

To make clear

Her excellent lecture illuminated the complicated subject of nuclear physics.

Synonyms: elucidate, edify.

Beyond usual or proper limits

Bob’s immoderate appetite shocked the guests at the wedding banquet.

Synonyms: excessive, intemperate

Unbelievable

Claudia’s implausible excuse failed to convince her teacher.

Synonyms: improbable, doubtful

MinorThe accountant advised Justine not to report her incidental expenses.

Synonyms: petty, insignificant

Extol

(verb)

To praise highly

The statesman extolled the ambassador who single-handedly negotiated the peace treaty.

Synonyms: glorify, exalt

Having definite limits

The exasperated mother had finite patience for her toddler’s tantrums.

Synonyms: limited, circumscribed

Noticeably offensive

The executive was fired for his flagrant abuse of the company expense account.

Synonyms: glaring, outrageous

Sympathetic, friendly

The genial host warmly greeted his many guests.

Synonyms: pleasant, cordial

Rough or stern in manner or speech

Heidi’s grandfather was gruff, barking stern orders and hardly smiling.

Synonyms: surly, brusque

Deceptive thought, speech, or action

The life of an undercover detective is filed with necessary duplicity.

Synonyms: deceit, dishonesty

Elate

(verb)

To fill with joy

It elated Margaret to be awarded first place in the science fair.

Synonyms: delight, thrill

Embellish

(verb)

To decorate

Sari embellished the plain curtains with satin ribbons and tassels.

Synonyms: adorn, garnish

Conforming to accepted standards

Mary did the ethical thing and turned in the diamond necklace she found.

Synonyms: honorable, moral

The state of being irritated

The longer Jorge waited in line at the ticket counter, the more his exasperation grew.

Synonyms: irritation, frustration

To mark by a ceremony

Each year, the Franklins commemorate their anniversary by visiting the site of their first date.

Synonyms: observe, remember

Act of burning

Campers must use fire with great caution to prevent combustion of the parched brush.

Synonyms: igniting, kindling

Similar, equivalent

Helen will only accept something of comparable value for her ticket to the concert.

Synonyms: akin, analogous

The act of delaying

Sybil was frustrated by the deferment of her much anticipated vacation.

Synonyms: postponement, reprieve

Dull, monotonous

The drab winter scene made Keisha long for the vibrant colors of spring.

Synonyms: dreary, colorless

To mark by a ceremony

Each year, the Franklins commemorate their anniversary by visiting the site of their first date.

Synonyms: observe, remember

Act of burning

Campers must use fire with great caution to prevent combustion of the parched brush.

Synonyms: igniting, kindling

Similar, equivalent

Helen will only accept something of comparable value for her ticket to the concert.

Synonyms: akin, analogous

The act of delaying

Sybil was frustrated by the deferment of her much anticipated vacation.

Synonyms: postponement, reprieve

Dull, monotonous

The drab winter scene made Keisha long for the vibrant colors of spring.

Synonyms: dreary, colorless

abduction

n.

One who opposes or resists

Franklin hoped to defeat his adversary in the afternoon’s tennis match.

Synonyms: opponent, enemy

Kind, helpful

Sherman revealed his benevolent side when he offered to help Carter with his homework.

Synonyms: altruistic, generous

To shake or wave menacingly

The baseball player was fined for brandishing his bat at the opposing pitcher.

Synonyms: flourish, swing

Spirit of friendship

The manager hoped the retreat would increase the camaraderie among the feuding workers.

Synonyms: sociability, esprit de corps

Blatantly

“Bla-tint-ly”

adverb

-very obvious or in an open and unashamed manner

The politician blatantly lies to get more votes during election.

incompatible

“in-cum-pat-e-bul”

(adj)

– opposed in nature, not able to live or work together

The couple decided to part ways since they felt they were incompatible.

longevity —

“lon-jev-e-tee”

noun

long life or over a long period of time

That family is known for its longevity of running that company.

suppress —

“Sup-pres”

verb

–to end an activity or to prevent the dissemination of information

The company tried to suppress the truth from coming out about the lawsuit.

tactful —

“Tak-ful”

adjective

–considerate, skillful in acting to avoid offense to others

The coach was tactful in planning plays that helped win the game.

anecdote

“An-ik-doot”

noun

-short, usually funny account of an event

The comedian told us a funny anecdote that made everyone in the room laugh hysterically.

Frugal

“Froo-gil”

adjective

-thrifty, cheap

The frugal man was frowned upon by his grandchildren when they did not receive gifts on their birthdays from him.

diligent

“dill-e-gint”

adjective

– careful and hard-working

The students worked diligently on their projects so they could earn the highest possible grade.

collaborate

“Koll-ab-o-rate”

noun

-to cooperate, work together

The colleagues at the school often met to collaborate on how to help students improve their academic skills.

jubilation

“Joob-il-a-shun”

noun

-joy, celebration, exultation

The school staff and students were in a complete jubilation over the team’s victory at the game.

Divergent

“Die-vurj-int”

adjective

-Moving apart from each other

Divergent plate boundaries move away from each other.

Enhance

“In-hans”

verb

-Intensify, increase, or to improve

The girl added red paint to enhance the colors of the portrait that she was working on.

Emulate

“Em-u-late”

verb

To follow as an example

The teacher told the class to emulate the behavior of the students who have good character.

Reconciliation

“Rek-in-sil-i-a-shun”

noun

Suppress

“Su-pres”

verb

-to go back on friendly terms

The reconciliation between the husband and wife made the rest of the family very happy.

To end activity

The man drank a lot of water in hopes of suppressing his appetite.

Fermentation:

“Fur-men-ta-shun”

noun

-The chemical process of breaking down an organic substance into simpler substances, such as a fermentation of sugar to alcohol

Grape juice becomes wine as the fermentation process is complete.

Photosynthesis:

“Fo-to sin-thee-sis”

noun

-The process in which plants use the sun’s energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose

The plant creates its own energy through the process of photosynthesis.

Velocity:

“Vil-os-it-ee”

–speed of motion

There was a high wind velocity during the storm.

Organic matter-

“or-gan-ik “

-noun

-Matter that is derived from living or formerly living organisms

Organic matter turns into fossil fuels over very long periods of time.

Osmosis

“Os-moe-sis”

noun

The movement of liquid through a membrane

Without the process of osmosis we should be unable to use much of the food we eat.

Anarchy-

“Ann-ar-kee”

noun

-a state of lawlessness and without government

A leader was put in charge to avoid anarchy in the country.

Boycott

“Boy-kot”

verb

-refusal to have commercial dealings with some organization

The group started a boycott against the company for its political stand on immigration.

Capitalism

“Cap-it-ol-izm”

noun

-an economic system based on private ownership of assets

Capitalism works by encouraging competition in a fair and open market.

Deficit

“Def-e-sit”

noun

-the property of being less than expected or required

The government is facing a deficit of $3 billion.

Legislation

“Lej-is-lay-shun”

noun

-the act of making or enacting laws

She introduced legislation for protecting the environment.

Delusion-“Dee-lew-shun”

-noun

-A false belief or opinion

The delusion of many people being witches resulted in their murder during the witch trials of Salem.

Divulge –

“Die-vulj”

verb

-To reveal

The girl did not like to divulge information to people about herself.

Perjury-

“Per-ger-ee”

noun

-criminal offense of making false statements under oath

He was convicted of perjury during the murder trial.

Rational

“Ra-shun-ul”

adjective

A Rational Number is a real number that can be written as a simple fraction (i.e. as a ratio).

1.5 is a rational number since it can be also written as 3 over 2 in a fraction form.

Integers-

“In-tee-jerz”

-noun

Whole numbers and their opposites

Counting numbers, zero, and negative numbers are all examples of integers but fractions are not.

Prime-

“Prime”

adjective

A positive integer that only has two factors.

Some examples of prime numbers are 3,5,7,and 11 since their only factors are 1 and itself.

Mode-

“Mowed”

noun

The numbers that is represented  the most in a set of data

Jerry chose the number 20 as the mode since it reoccurred the most in the data set he was working with.

Mean-

“Meen”

noun

The average of a set of numbers can be found by adding all of the values of the numbers and then dividing it by the amount of numbers in the set

Ali found out his grade in the class by finding the mean of his test scores. He did this by adding up all of his scores he earned on the 6 tests and dividing that number by 6.

Abashed

“Ab-ash-d”

-verb

Cause to feel shy or embarrassed

Amy came in hastily, and looked rather abashed when she saw her sisters all waiting for her.

Articulate

“Ar-tick-u-late”

-adjective

Able to express something in words

The students articulated their desire to the school board for starting school an hour later than the normal start time.

Plagiarism

“Plaj-ur-ism”

-noun

taking credit for someone else’s writing or ideas

The author of the article was fired due to plagiarism on his article about World War II.

Bigot

“Big-it”

-noun

Narrow-minded, prejudiced person

I do not invite my uncle to Thanksgiving dinner because of his jokes that are full of bigotry.

Resolution-

“rez-o-loo-shun”

-noun

a promise to yourself to do or to not do something

My new year’s resolution was to earn a 4.0 on my report cards for this school year.

Scapegoat-

“Skape-gote”

-noun

person on whom blame is placed for faults of others

The captain was made a scapegoat for the team’s failure in the competition.

Inclination-

“In-klin-a-shun”

-noun

Tendencies;  leaning towards something

The scientists decided to agree with the data and not with any inclinations or hunches.

Devoured-

“Dee-vow-erd”

verb

Greedily eaten or consumed

The vicious lion devoured its prey within minutes.

Anarchy

“Ann-ar-kee”

-noun

Lack of government or lawlessness due to lack of government

When the old regime fell, there was anarchy in the streets.

  Tirade

 “Tie-rade”

 -noun

 A long and angry speech

The coach went on a tirade after the players on the team were fooling around and not trying their best during practice.

 Obsolete

“Ob-so-leet”

 -adjective

Does not exist anymore ..OR.. no longer used

 I was told that my old printer is obsolete and I can not order replacement parts since they are not made anymore.

Hinder

“Hin-dur”

-verb

To make difficult..OR.. to slow down the process of something

The cold and wet weather hindered my ability to get to work on time since the roads were very icy.

Brevity –

 “brev-it-ee”

  -noun

 Using few words to explain something

The brevity of the presentation was appreciated by the busy and anxious staff members.

Pontificate-

“pon-tiff-e-kate”

-verb

To speak about something as if you are always right

The woman was tired of listening to her mother-in- law who pontificates about how to raise children well.

A

damant-

“add-e-ment”

-adjective

Unwilling to change one’s thoughts, beliefs, or ideas regarding an issue; inflexible

If you stubbornly refuse to change your mind about something, you are adamant about it.

 Brawny-

“braw-nee”

-adjective

Strong and muscular

The bodybuilders were comparing the size of their brawny shoulders during the competition.

Decathlon-

“Dee-kath-lon”

-noun

An athletic competition that is comprised of ten track and field events and the competitor with the highest combined points is the winner.

The winner of the decathlon was especially proud of his performance in the high jump competition.

Hieroglyphics-

“Hi-er-glif-iks”

-noun

Picture writing

The hieroglyphics on the walls in the Great Pyramids  showed the lifestyle of the pharaoh of Egypt as well as his family.

Thwart-

“th-wurt”

To prevent something from occurring

The mother thwarted the plans of her son from sneaking out of the house at night.

Braggart-

“brag-ert”

Someone who boasts or excessively compliments himself or herself .

The president of the company was looked upon as a braggart when boasting about his own wealth and power.

Debunk-

“dee-bunk”

To expose false claims or myths

The lawyer debunked the defendant’s claim that he     was not at the scene of the crime.

Restorative-

“re-store-a-tiv”

To restore, repair, or renew something

The idea of Restorative Justice is to move beyond simple punishment and retribution in sentencing and to give the crime victims a voice.

Acuity-

“e-qu-it-ee”

The ability to see, hear, or understand something easily

My grandfather lost the acuity of his hearing over the years.

Epitomized-

“e-pit-e-mized”

To be the perfect example or representation of something

The well behaved students epitomized the school’s core values.

Week of 10-8-18

Ecstatic-

“ek-sta-tick”

Overwhelmed with joy and emotion

The students were ecstatic when their team won the championship game in the last minute.

Therapeutic-

“thare- a pew- tik”

Having healing or calming properties

The mint oil rub was therapeutic to the elderly man’s sore back.

Poised-

“poy-sd”

Calm, graceful, or having good composure

The track star was poised and ready to sprint in the short distance race.

Admonish-

“add-mon-ish

To scold, reprimand, or firmly warn someone

The assistant principal admonished the loud group of students about making excessive noises in the hallways during school hours.

Debility-

“di-bill-it-ee”

Having a weakness or incapacity

Debility caused by the car accident prevented her from being able to get out of bed this morning.

Acrophobia-      

“ak-ro-foe-bee-ya”

An abnormal fear of heights

Someone who is terrified to go to the top floor is an example of acrophobia.

Accommodate-

 “a-kom-e-date”

To fit in the wishes or needs of someone

The hospitable couple was happy to accommodate the needs of their guests.

Accessible-

“ak-ses-i-bil”

Easy to reach or approach

The town is accessible by bus or taxi.

Adv

antageous-

“ad-van-tage-is”

Giving an advantage to or creating favorable circumstances

The house’s location in the best school district was advantageous to the seller.

Dubious-

“doo-bee-is”

Not to be relied on OR doubtful

Mrs. Jones thought the student had a dubious story of being sick after she saw the student playing football on the playground right after class ended.

difficult to understand; partially hidden

It has been immensely frustrating that the truth in the case has remained obscure for so long.

deeply moving; strongly affecting the emotions

One of the most poignant stories in the news last week was about a little boy who lost his entire family in the war.

a break; intermission

Finally, the public will experience a respite from the Trump and Clinton campaigns after the elections take place in November.

concise; to the point

She had earlier offered a terse description of how the car accident occurred as she texted while driving.

coming after something in time  

Subsequent editions of the book will be based on the early lives of the characters.

ill-mannered

The boorish behavior of the child in the store was a result of him being tired and bored.

believing that people act only out of selfish motives

The new car buyer was very cynical of the sales pitch

a letter (form of communication), usually referring to an extract from the New Testament

The reverend referred to the epistle in his Sunday sermon.

 against orthodox opinion

He committed Republican heresy by saying revenue    needs to be part of any deficit solution.