Section I - Lesson 1

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.

Help!

Word

Meaning

Synonyms

Antonyms

part of speech

Sample Sentences 1

Sample Sentences 2

Constraint

restriction; artificial manner, unnatural manner; force

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Contamination

pollution, something which contaminates; spreading of impurities; infection (by a disease)

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Deplete

exhaust, consume, use up, empty, reduce

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Dispose of

get rid of, settle, give away or sell

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Elementally

simply, in an elemental manner

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Emission

discharge, emanation; ejection of fluids from the body

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Extinction

extinguishment; annihilation, total destruction

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Reservoir

large lake for storing water; container used to collect and store water; additional supply, reserve; area or location where something is stored (esp. liquid)

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Shrink

n. psychiatrist (Slang); instance of contracting, instance of becoming smaller; flinching, recoiling

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Stable

n. structure in which horses and other animals are housed; racing establishment; race horses belonging to a racing establishment v. put in a stable, keep in a stable; live in a stable; live as if in a stable

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Diminish

to become or to make sth become smaller, weaker, etc.

Decrease

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The world's resources are rapidly diminishing.

His influence has diminished with time Our efforts were producing diminishing returns (= we achieved less although we spent more time or money).

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Perceive

to notice or become aware of sth

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I perceived a change in his behaviour. She perceived that all was not well.

The patient was perceived to have difficulty in breathing. This discovery was perceived as a major breakthrough. A science degree and artistic interests are often perceived as incompatible. They were widely perceived to have been unlucky.

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Auspicious

showing signs that sth is likely to be successful in the future

Promising

INAUSPICIOUS

Adjective

an auspicious start to the new school year * It was an auspicious date for a wedding.

* Their first meeting was hardly auspicious.

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Witness

to see sth happen because you are there when it happens

eyewitness

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Police have appealed for witnesses to the accident. * We have a witness to the killing.

Several witnesses testified that there had been two gunmen.

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Aberration

a fact, an action or a way of behaving that is not usual, and that may be unacceptable

Abnormality, Deviation

(blank)

Noun

a temporary aberration of his exhausted mind

* A childless woman was regarded as an aberration, almost a social outcast.

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Affinity

a strong feeling that you understand sb/sth and like them or it

(blank)

Noun

Sam was born in the country and had a deep affinity with nature. * Humans have a special affinity for dolphins.

There is a close affinity between Italian and Spanish.

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Affluence

having a lot of money and a good standard of living:

Wealth; Riches

(blank)

Noun

affluent Western countries, The 1950s were an age of affluence in America.

a very affluent neighbourhood

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Alienation

to make sb less friendly or sympathetic towards you

ISOLATION, detachment

(blank)

Noun

His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. The new policy resulted in the alienation of many voters.

Very talented children may feel alienated from the others in their class. Many immigrants suffer from a sense of alienation.

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Dichotomy

the separation that exists between two groups or things that are completely opposite to and different from each other

CONTRAST, difference, polarity, conflict; gulf, chasm, division, separation, split

(blank)

Noun

In economics, the classical dichotomy is the division between the real side of the economy and the monetary side.

A false dichotomy is a logical fallacy consisting of a supposed dichotomy which fails one or both of the conditions: it is not jointly exhaustive or not mutually exclusive.

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Empathy

the ability to understand another person's feelings, experience, etc

sympathy, vicarious emotion, understanding

(blank)

Noun

both authors have the skill to make you feel empathy with their heroines

they had great sympathy for the flood victims

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Enigma

a person, thing or situation that is mysterious and difficult to understand

(blank)

Even after years he still remains an enigma to me.

(blank)

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fiasco

A complete Failure

(blank)

Noun

The party was a complete fiasco.

What a fiasco!

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Quintessence

the perfect example of sth, the perfect example of sth

(blank)

Noun

It was the quintessence of an English manor house.

a painting that captures the quintessence of Viennese elegance

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Abhor

to hate sth, for example a way of behaving or thinking, especially for moral reasons

detest; hate; dislike

(blank)

Verb

I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930); Sherlock Holmes in the Sign of Four (1890)

he problem with Establishment Republicans is they abhor the unseemliness of a political brawl

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Alleviate

to make sth less severe,make (pain or difficulty) less severe

Ease; Reduce

(blank)

Verb

A number of measures were taken to alleviate the problem.

the alleviation of poverty

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Ambivalence

having mixed feelings or opinions about something or someone.

Uncertainty

(blank)

Noun

There was ambivalence among church members about women becoming priests. She seems to feel ambivalent about her new job.

Many people feel some ambivalence towards television and its effect on our lives. He has an ambivalent attitude towards her.

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Banal

very ordinary and containing nothing that is interesting or important; tediously unoriginal or commonplace.

commonplace; trite; hackneyed

(blank)

Adjective

a banal conversation about the weather

The long story had many banal ideas in it, so it lost the interest of its readers.

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Clandestine

done secretly or kept secret

SECRET, covert, furtive, surreptitious, stealthy, cloak-and-dagger, hole-and-corner, closet, backstairs, hugger-mugger; informal hush-hush.

(blank)

Adjective

a clandestine meeting / relationship

the clandestine sale of weapons

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Debilitate

make very weak and infirm. to make sb's body or mind weaker

WEAKEN, enfeeble, enervate, devitalize, sap, drain, exhaust, weary, fatigue, prostrate; undermine, impair, indispose, incapacitate, cripple, disable, paralyse, immobilize, lay low; informal knock out, do in.

invigorate

Verb

a debilitating disease ; The troops were severely debilitated by hunger and disease

She found the heat debilitating. Prolonged strike action debilitated the industry. The economy is now strengthening after a long and debilitating recession.

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Trepidation

great worry or fear about sth unpleasant that may happen

FEAR, apprehension, dread, fearfulness, agitation, anxiety, worry, nervousness, tension, misgivings, unease, uneasiness, foreboding, disquiet, dismay, consternation, alarm, panic; informal butterflies, jitteriness, the jitters, a cold sweat, a blue funk,

equanimity, composure

Noun

He knocked on the door with some trepidation.

(blank)

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Vestige

a small part of sth that still exists after the rest of it has stopped existing

sign, mark, trace; remnant

(blank)

Noun

the last vestiges of the old colonial regime

There's not a vestige of truth in the rumour. His report offered not a vestige of comfort.

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belated

coming or happening late

LATE, overdue, behindhand, behind time, behind schedule, delayed, tardy, unpunctual.

early

Adjective

a belated birthday present;

the government's belated response to the report on nursery education

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trespass

to enter land or a building that you do not have permission or the right to enter:

(blank)

He told me I was trespassing on private land.

The sign on the fence said 'No trespassing'.

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recklessness

without thought or care for the consequences of an action

rashness, hastiness, impulsiveness, heedlessness

(blank)

Noun

She had fallen hopelessly and recklessly in love

He showed a reckless disregard for his own safety.

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soothe

to make sb who is anxious, upset, etc. feel calmer

CALM (DOWN), pacify, comfort, hush, quiet

agitate, aggravate

Verb

The music soothed her for a while

Take a warm bath to soothe tense, tired muscles

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astrological

(blank)

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divination

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haunt

(blank)

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horror

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intermediary

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invoke

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meditate

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phantom

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pyschic

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self-perpetuating

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astronomy

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dim

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contemplation

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haunted house

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accuser

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scuffle

small fight

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denounce

publicly declare to be wrong or evil.

(blank)

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liable

responsible by law; legally answerable

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fury

extreme anger

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confront

stand or meet face to face with hostile intent

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overlook

fail to notice. ▶ignore or disregard

(blank)

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ridicule

mockery or derision

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derision

contemptuous ridicule or mockery

(blank)

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shatter

break or cause to break suddenly and violently into pieces ▶damage or destroy

(blank)

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prominent

important or famous

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smashed

very drunk

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wrath

extreme anger

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condemned

express complete disapproval of

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encounter

unexpectedly meet or be faced with

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prone

likely or liable to suffer from, do, or experience

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admonish

reprimand firmly. ▶earnestly urge or warn

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he was severely admonished by his father

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reprimand

a formal expression of disapproval

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earnest

sincere and very serious

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dignity

the state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect

(blank)

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stand on one's dignity

insist on being treated with due respect.

(blank)

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appease

placate (someone) by acceding to their demands.

(blank)

an attempt to appease his critics

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placate

calm, pacify, or appease

(blank)

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cognet

(of an argument or case) clear, logical, and convincing

CONVINCING, compelling, strong, forceful, powerful, potent, weighty, effective; valid, sound, plausible, telling; impressive, persuasive, eloquent, credible, influential; conclusive, authoritative; logical, reasoned, rational, reasonable, lucid, coherent,

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waver

move quiveringly; flicker

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demean

cause to suffer a severe loss of dignity or respect. ▶(demean oneself) do something that is beneath one's dignity.

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impede

delay or block the progress or action of

HINDER, obstruct, hamper, hold back/up, delay, interfere with, disrupt

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hinder

make it difficult for (someone) to do something or for (something) to happen.

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rationalize

attempt to justify (an action or attitude) with logical reasoning

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he tried to rationalize his behaviour

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scrutinize

examine or inspect closely and thoroughly

EXAMINE, inspect, survey, study

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ransack

go hurriedly through (a place) stealing things and causing damage

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sordid

dirty or squalid; involving ignoble actions and motives

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vacilliate

waver between different opinions or actions

DITHER, be indecisive, be undecided, waver

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vacuous

showing a lack of thought or intelligence; empty

SILLY, inane, unintelligent, foolish, stupid, fatuous, idiotic, brainless

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adulterate

make (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance.

MAKE IMPURE, degrade, debase, spoil, taint, contaminate;

purify

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extricate

free from a constraint or difficulty

EXTRACT, free, release

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informal get someone/oneself off the hook.

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intricate

very complicated or detailed

COMPLEX, complicated, convoluted, tangled, entangled, twisted; elaborate, ornate, detailed, involuted; Brit. informal fiddly

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corroborate

confirm or give support to (a statement or theory).

CONFIRM, verify, endorse, ratify

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dissipate

be or cause to be dispelled or dispersed; DISAPPEAR

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his anger dissipated

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squander

waste in a reckless or foolish manner

WASTE, misspend, misuse

manage, make good use of, save

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eclectic

deriving ideas or style from a broad and diverse range of sources

WIDE-RANGING, broad-based, extensive, comprehensive

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fetid

smelling unpleasant

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odor

a distinctive smell

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be in good (or bad) odour informal be in or out of favour.

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stinking

foul-smelling

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felicitous

well chosen or appropriate

(blank)

his nickname was particularly felicitous:

the room's only felicitous feature

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inhibit

hinder, restrain, or prevent (an action or process)

IMPEDE, hinder, hamper, hold back

assist, encourage, allow

(blank)

she feels inhibited from taking part

(blank)

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refute

prove (a statement or the person advancing it) to be wrong

(blank)

I absolutely refute the charges made against me

attempts to refute Einstein's theory

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usurp

take (a position of power) illegally or by force. ▶supplant (someone in power).

SEIZE

(blank)

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muzzle

the projecting part of the face, including the nose and mouth, of an animal such as a dog or horse; prevent from freedom of expression

(blank)

attempts to muzzle the media

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repress

restrain, prevent, or inhibit

hold back

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smother

suffocate by covering the nose and mouth

(blank)

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Created by: ramz

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