english vocabularies

1. PARAPHRASE (PAR-uh-frayz)
To restate, put what someone else has expressed into different words.
2. OSTENSIBLE (ah-STEN-suh-buul)
Apparent, appearing or seeming to be true, professed or declared as true without being
demonstrated or proved.
Synonyms: plausible, specious.
3. DIGRESS (di-GRES or dy-GRES)
To wander, stray from the point, ramble, deviate, go off in another direction.
Corresponding noun: digression.
Related words: ingress, the place you walk in, the entrance; egress, the place you walk
out, the exit.
Additional useful word: archaic (ar-KAY-ik), old-fashioned.
4. UNCANNY (uhn-KAN-ee)
Eerie, strange, weird, mysterious.
5. CANDOR (KAN-dur)
Frankness, openness, sincere expression.
Synonyms: straightforwardness, outspokenness, forthrightness, ingenuousness (in-JENyoo-
us-nis).
Corresponding adjective: candid, frank, open, sincere. Synonyms of candid include
forthright and ingenuous.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
6
6. MOROSE (muh-ROHS)
Gloomy, moody, glum, grumpy, ill-tempered, depressed.
Synonyms: sullen, dolorous, lugubrious, saturnine.
Antonyms: optimistic, jovial, sanguine.
Corresponding noun: moroseness.
Additional useful word: misanthropy, hatred of humankind.
7. ADEPT (uh-DEPT)
Skilled, handy.
Synonyms: clever, able, deft, expert, dexterous, proficient, adroit (Level 3, Word 41).
Corresponding noun: adept (AD-ept), a highly skilled person, an expert.
8. SATURATED (SACH-uh-ray-tid)
Soaked, drenched, thoroughly wet, full of moisture.
Synonyms: steeped, permeated, impregnated, imbued, sodden.
Corresponding noun: saturation.
9. PRAGMATIC (prag-MAT-ik)
Practical, having to do with actual practice, concerned with everyday affairs as opposed
to theory or speculation.
10. CONGENIAL (kun-JEE-nee-ul)
Sympathetic, agreeable, having the same taste, nature, or temperament.
Synonyms: compatible, kindred, harmonious.
Antonyms: alien, dissident, incongruous (in-KAHNG-groo-us).
11. CAPRICIOUS (kuh-PRISH-us)
Unpredictable, tending to change abruptly for no apparent or logical reason.
Synonyms: flighty, changeable, impulsive, fickle, erratic, whimsical, volatile, mercurial.
Antonyms: stable, reliable, unwavering, steadfast, abiding.
Corresponding noun: caprice, a sudden change of mind or change in the emotions.
Pronunciation tip: caprice is pronounced kuhPREES; capricious should rhyme with
delicious.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
7
12. BLATANT (BLAY-tint)
Noisy, disagreeably or offensively loud, boisterous, clamorous; also, sticking out in a
glaring way, obtrusive, flagrant.
13. OBLIGATORY (uh-BLIG-uh-tor-ee)
Required, necessary, binding, mandatory.
Antonyms: optional, voluntary.
14. NEGLIGIBLE (NEG-li-juh-buul)
Unimportant, trifling, of little consequence.
Synonyms: trivial, insignificant
15. ADAMANT (AD-uh-mint)
Unyielding, immovable, inflexible, refusing to give in.
Synonyms: unshakable, unrelenting, implacable.
16. SPORADIC (spor-RAD-ik)
Occasional, infrequent, irregular, not constant, happening from time to time, occurring in
scattered or random way.
Antonyms: constant, incessant, unremitting.
17. VANGUARD (VAN-gard)
The forefront of an action or movement, leading position or persons in a movement.
18. CONCUR (kun-KUR)
(1) To agree, be in accord with, unite in opinion.
(2) To act together, combine in having an effect.
(3) To happen together, occur at the same time, coincide.
Etymology tip: One meaning of the Latin prefix con- is "together." By derivation, that
which concurs happens together, acts together, or is together in opinion.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
8
19. PRECOCIOUSNESS (pruh-KOH-shus-nis)
Early development or maturity, especially in mental ability.
Antonym: retardation.
Corresponding adjective: precocious.
20. ALOOF (uh-LOOF)
Apart, at a distance, removed, withdrawn, not wishing to speak or associate with others.
Synonyms: unsympathetic, unapproachable, standoffish, indifferent.
21. CREED (KREED, rhymes with seed)
Belief, professed faith or opinion, especially a system of religious belief.
Synonyms: doctrine, dogma, credo (KREE-doh or KRAY-doh).
Related words: incredible, credible, credulous. Credulous means willing to accept
something as true without questioning. Credulous and gullible are synonymous.
22. TAWDRY (TAW-dree)
Cheap and showy, gaudy, garish, sleazy.
Etymology: Tawdry comes from the phrase "tawdry lace," a corruption of "Saint Audrey
lace," an inferior type of lace sold at Saint Audrey's fair in England.
23. PEEVISH (as spelled, PEE-vish)
Irritable, cross, complaining, fretful, ill-humored and impatient, difficult to please, full of
complaints.
Corresponding noun: peeve, something that irritates or annoys.
N.B. Compare cantankerous (Level 1, Word 41).
24. ARDUOUS (AHR-joo-us)
Very difficult, hard to achieve or accomplish, requiring great effort.
Synonyms: strenuous, laborious, toilsome.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
9
25. REASONABLE (PUR-suh-nuh-buul)
Attractive, pleasing in appearance.
Synonyms: handsome, comely, fair, presentable.
Usage tip: Avoid using personable to mean having nice personality. Sociable, affable,
and amiable already suggest people who are friendly, pleasant, and approachable. An
awkward or unbecoming person, no matter how friendly and pleasant, cannot correctly be
personable. Reserve personable either for someone who is attractive in appearance or
attractive both in appearance and personality.
26. RESOLUTE (REZ-uh-loot)
Firmly determined or settled, resolved, having a set opinion or purpose.
Synonyms: steadfast, unwavering, persevering.
Antonyms: irresolute, unsteady, vacillating.
Corresponding verb: resolve, to decide, determine, settle once and for all.
27. SUPPOSITION (SUHP-uh-ZISH-un)
An assumption, theory, hypothesis, conjecture.
28. ARBITRARY (AHR-bi-trair-ee)
(1) Unreasoned; based on personal feelings or preferences rather than on reason, logic, or
law; making discretionary judgments or decisions that may or may not be fair or
reasonable.
(2) Determined or arrived at in a random or illogical manner.
(3) Exercising unrestrained or absolute power.
Related words: Arbiter and arbitrator both mean a judge or umpire who makes a final
decision or resolves a dispute.
29. MONOTONOUS (muh-NAH-tub-nus)
Lacking variety, tediously uniform, unvarying and dull; literally, having one continuous
sound or tone.
Etymology tip: The prefix mono- means "one, single," as in the related words
monogamy, monocle, and monogram.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
10
30. LEGACY (LEG-uh-see)
Something handed down from the past.
Synonyms: inheritance, bequest.
31. MANIFOLD (MAN-i-fohld)
Numerous and varied, consisting of many kinds, containing many elements, features, or
characteristics.
Synonyms: multifarious, multitudinous.
32. PLIANT (PLY-int)
Bending easily, flexible.
Synonyms: adaptable, workable, pliable, supple.
33. RETORT (ri-TORT)
A quick reply, especially one that is cutting or witty.
Synonym: rejoinder.
34. OBSTINATE (AHB-sti-nit)
Stubborn, inflexible, unwilling to give in or compromise, not yielding to argument or
persuasion.
Synonyms: hidebound, intractable, intransigent, adamant (Level 1, Word 15).
Pronunciation tip: Obstinate is sometimes mispronounced as if it were spelled
obstinant. Take care to spell obstinate correctly and pronounce it AHB-sti-nit.
35. LACERATE (LAS-ur-ayt)
Literally, to tear, cut roughly, rend, mangle. Figuratively, to wound, afflict, cause pain.
36. OMNIPOTENT (ahm-NIP-uh-tint)
All-powerful, almighty, having unlimited power or authority.
Etymology tip: The element omni- means "all," as in omnidirectional, omnipresent, and
omniscient (ahm-NISH-int), all-knowing.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
11
37. UNSCRUPULOUS (uhn-SKROO-pyoo-lus)
Untrustworthy, dishonorable, deceitful, corrupt, lacking integrity or moral principles.
Related words: scruple, something that causes hesitation or doubt in determining what is
appropriate and proper; scrupulous, having scruples-hence, taking pains to do something
exactly right.
38. RENAISSANCE (ren-uh-SAHNS orREN-uh-sahns)
A revival, renewal of life or vigor.
Synonyms: rebirth, resurgence
39. GENESIS (JEN-i-sis)
A coming into being, beginning.
Synonyms: origin, birth, creation.
40. WARRANT (WAH-rint or WAR-int)
(1) To justify, give good reason for, authorize, sanction.
(2) To guarantee, promise, give formal assurance of.
Related word: unwarranted, without good reason or authorization, unjustifiable.
41. CANTANKEROUS (kan-TANGK-uh-rus)
Difficult to deal with, disagreeable, argumentative, quick to quarrel or to exhibit ill will.
Synonyms: contentious, malicious, irascible (i-RAS-uh-buul).
N.B. Compare peevish (Level 1, Word 23).
42. FLIPPANT (FLIP-int)
Disrespectful in a frivolous way, treating something serious in a trivial manner.
Synonyms: cheeky, fresh, thoughtless, impertinent.
Antonyms: solemn, sober, sedate, grave.
43. SUBJUGATE (SUHB-juh-gayt)
To conquer, defeat, vanquish, overwhelm completely, bring under rigid control, make
submissive, dominate, enslave.
Corresponding noun: subjugation.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
12
44. WRY (like rye, rhymes with why)
Twisted, crooked, lopsided, askew, distorted in an odd, amusing way.
45. URBANE (ur-BAYN)
Polished, sophisticated, suave, cosmopolitan.
Related word: urban, pertaining to or living in a city. Urbane suggests the polished
sophistication of a city dweller.
46. JARGON (JAHR-gun)
Specialized and often pretentious language; unnecessarily complex phraseology; speech
or writing that is highly technical and difficult to understand; specifically, obscure
language or a private vocabulary used and understood only by members of a particular
group or profession.
47. PRUDENT (PROO-dint)
(1) Cautious, careful, planning wisely, exercising sound judgment in practical matters.
Synonyms: discreet, circumspect (Level 3, Word 21).
(2) Spending carefully, using one's resources wisely.
Synonyms: thrifty, economical, frugal (Level 2, Word 35).
Related words: provide, provident (Level 4, Word 1).
48. INVIOLABLE (in-VY'l-uh-buul)
Secure; safe from assault, infringement, or destruction.
Synonyms: sacred, untouchable, unassailable, incorruptible.
Etymology tip: Inviolable combines the prefix in-, not, the suffix -able, and the verb to
violate, and means literally "not able to be violated."
49. COMMODIOUS (kuh-MOH-dee-us)
Spacious, having plenty of room, comfortably convenient.
Synonyms: ample, capacious (kuh-PAY-shus).
Related words: commode, accommodate, accommodations.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
13
50. PROXIMITY (prahk-SIM-i-tee)
Nearness, closeness, the state of being in the vicinity of something.
Usage tip: Avoid using the common phrase "close proximity." It's a redundancy.
Proximity means closeness; therefore "close proximity" means "close closeness." Drop
close and let proximity do its work alone.

VERBAL ADVANTAGE
Level II
B y C h a r l e s H a r r i n g t o n E l s t e r
Verbal Advantage
Level Two
With Pronunciations, Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Information Listed in Order of
Presentation, by Level and Number. The abbreviation N.B. stands for the Latin nota bene
and means "note well, take good note of.
1. ADVOCATE (AD-vuh-kayt)
To support, plead for, be in favor of, defend by argument; especially, to speak or write in
favor or in defense of a person or cause.
Synonyms: champion, endorse, espouse.
Corresponding noun: advocate, a supporter or defender of a cause, a champion, or a
person who speaks for another.
Related words (from the Latin vocare, to call, summon): vocation; avocation;
vocational; vocal; convoke, to call together; convocation, the act of calling together, or a
group that has been summoned; evoke, to call out, call forth; and evocative, calling forth a
response, especially an emotional one.
2. DELEGATE (DEL-uh-gayt)
To entrust with authority or power, deliver to another's care or management, hand over to
an agent or representative.
3. UNPRECEDENTED (uhn-PRES-uh-den-tid)
Unheard-of, novel, new, having no precedent or parallel, having no prior example or
justification.
4. POIGNANT (POYN-yint)
Piercing, sharp, penetrating; specifically, piercing or penetrating to the senses, to the
emotions, or to the intellect.
Synonyms: biting, cutting, keen, acute.
Related words (from the Latin pungere, to pierce or prick): puncture; pungent, piercing
to the smell or taste; expunge, to punch out, erase, delete.
5. NEBULOUS (NEB-yuu-lus)
Unclear, vague, obscure, hazy, indefinite, indistinct.
Related word: nebula, a cloudy mass of dust or gas visible between stars in space
(plural, nebulae).
Verbal Advantage
Level Two
6. CLANDESTINE (klan-DES-tin)
Kept secret, done in secrecy, especially for an evil, immoral, or illegal purpose.
Synonyms: private, concealed, covert, underhand, sly, stealthy, furtive, surreptitious.
Pronunciation tip: Avoid the recent variants klanDES-tyn, klan-DES-teen, KLAN-destyn,
and KLAN-des-teen. The traditional and preferred pronunciation is klan-DES-tin.
7. TIRADE (TY-rayd or ty-RAYD)
A long-drawn-out speech, especially a vehement and abusive one.
Additional useful words: protracted, drawn out to great length (see Level 3, Word 25);
vituperative, full of harsh, abusive language; censorious, tending to censor, to blame or
condemn.
8. RECUR (ri-KUR or nee-KUR)
To happen again, occur again, especially at intervals or after some lapse of time.
N.B. This discussion explains the distinction between the verbs recur and reoccur.
9. TACIT (TAS-it)
Unspoken, silent, implied or understood without words, done or made in silence, not
expressed or declared openly.
Related word: taciturn (Level 3, Word 2).
10. ALLEGATION (AL-uh-GAY-shin)
An assertion or declaration, especially one made without proof. In law, an allegation is
an assertion. of what one intends to prove.
11. GULLIBLE (GUHL-uh-buul)
Easily deceived, fooled, or cheated.
Synonym: credulous.
Related words: gull and dupe, which both mean to fool, cheat, deceive, take advantage
of.
Verbal Advantage
Level Two
12. BENIGN (buh-NYN, rhymes with a sign)
(1) Kindly, good-natured, gracious, mild, having or showing a gentle disposition.
(2) Favorable, positive, propitious.
(3) Of the weather or climate, healthful, beneficial, wholesome, salubrious.
(4) In medicine: mild, not deadly, or severe.
13. PERIPHERAL (puh-RIF-uh-rul)
External, outer, lying at or forming the outside or boundary of something; hence, not
essential, irrelevant.
14. REBUFF (ri-BUF or ree-BUF)
To refuse bluntly, reject sharply, turn down abruptly, snub, spurn.
Corresponding noun: rebuff, an abrupt refusal or rejection.
15. ANIMOSITY (AN-i-MAH-si-tee)
Ill will, hostility, antagonism, strong dislike or hatred.
Synonyms: malice, aversion, malevolence, antipathy, rancor, enmity.
16. TENUOUS (TEN-yoo-us)
Thin, slender, slight, flimsy, weak, not dense or substantial, lacking a strong basis, having
little substance or strength.
17. COMPLACENT (kum-PLAY-sint)
Self-satisfied, smug, overly pleased with oneself.
Usage tip: Take care to distinguish between complacent and complaisant, which is
pronounced kum-PLAY-zint and means inclined to please, gracious, obliging, courteous,
affable, and urbane (Level l, Word 45).
18. ACME (AK-mee)
The peak, highest point, especially the point of culmination, the highest possible point in
the development or progress of something.
Synonyms: summit, zenith.
Corresponding adjective: acmatic.
Verbal Advantage
Level Two
19. DEFUNCT (di-FUNGKT or dee-FUNGKT)
Dead, extinct, obsolete; no longer in existence, effect, operation, or use.
20. ABET (uh-BET)
To encourage, support, help, aid, promote, assist in achieving a purpose (either good or
evil).
Usage tip: Abet is often used to mean assist in wrongdoing, as in the legal cliché "to aid
and abet," but abet may also be used favorably to mean assist in achieving a good
purpose.
* * * * *
N.B. At this point in Level 2 there is a discussion of ending sentences with prepositions. Also
noted is the useful word debunk, to expose as false, deceitful, or exaggerated.
* * * * *
21. HAGGARD (HAG-urd)
Worn out, tired, drawn; wild-eyed and wasted, as from exhaustion, illness, or grief.
Synonyms: gaunt, emaciated.
22. WAIVE (like wave)
To relinquish voluntarily, give up, forgo; also, to postpone, defer, or dispense with.
23. CARNAL (KAHR-nul)
Bodily, pertaining to the flesh as opposed to the spirit.
Synonyms: sensual, corporeal.
Usage tip: Carnal is used of basic physical appetities.
24. SANCTION (SANGK-shin, be sure to pronounce the C)
To approve, allow, permit, authorize, certify, ratify.
Verbal Advantage
Level Two
25. AMBIGUOUS (am-BIG-yoo-us)
Uncertain, unclear, doubtful, dubious, questionable, puzzling, having an obscure or
indefinite meaning.
Synonyms: enigmatic, cryptic, equivocal.
Antonyms: distinct, apparent, evident, conspicuous, manifest.
26. SPENDTHRIFT (pronounced as spelled, stress on spend)
Wasteful, spending extravagantly or foolishly, squandering one's resources.
Synonyms: improvident, prodigal, profligate
27. MOLLIFY (MAH-li-fy)
To calm, soothe, soften in feeling or tone, make less harsh or severe.
Synonyms: pacify, appease, assuage (Level 2, Word 37).
Related word: emollient (adjective), softening, soothing, mollifying; (noun) a softening
or soothing agent.
28. UNEQUIVOCAL (UHN-i-KWIV-uh-kul)
Clear and direct, definite, straightforward, certain; having a single, obvious meaning;
capable of being interpreted in only one way.
Antonyms: equivocal, ambiguous (Level 2, Word 25).
Pronunciation tip: Many people mispronounce (and misspell) unequivocal as
unequivocable. Unequivocal ends with -vocal, not -vocable. Take care to pronounce the
word in five syllables: un-e-qui-vo-cal.
29. MALLEABLE (MAL-ee-uh-buul or MAL-yuhbuul)
Capable of being shaped, able to be molded or manipulated.
Synonyms: adaptable, impressionable, tractable.
Antonyms: inflexible, unyielding, stubborn, adamant, obstinate, intransigent.
Verbal Advantage
Level Two
30. VERBOSE (vur-BOHS)
Wordy, having too many words, long-winded, full of verbiage.
Synonyms: garrulous (Level 4, Word 8), loquacious, voluble (Level 5, Word 1), prolix
(Level 9, Word 1).
Corresponding noun: verbosity.
Related words (from the Latin verbum, word): verbal; verbatim, expressed in precisely
the same words; verbiage, an excess or overabundance of words.
Additional useful word: proffer, to put forward for acceptance, present as a gift.
Pronunciation tip: Carriage and marriage have two syllables, but verbiage and foliage
have three. Don't say VUR-bij and FOH-lij (or FOY-lij). Take care to pronounce these
words in three syllables: VUR-bee-ij and FOH-lee-ij.
N.B. This discussion concludes with a "Word to the Wise" on the proper distinction
between oral and verbal.
31. TRANSIENT (TRAN-shint)
Temporary, passing away with time, lasting or staying only a short while, momentary,
fleeting, short-lived.
Synonyms: transitory, evanescent, ephemeral (Level 4, Word 12), fugitive, fugacious.
Antonyms: permanent, timeless, eternal, everlasting.
Pronunciation tip: Pronounce transient in two syllables, with the same sh sound as in
ancient. Also, in the words short-lived and long-lived, the second half, -lived, does not
come from the verb to live but from the noun life plus the suffix -ed. Therefore the
preferred pronunciation for the I is long, as in the adjective alive.
32. NETTLE (NET'l)
To irritate, annoy, vex, harass, pester, provoke.
33. REPUDIATE (ri-PYOO-dee-ayt)
(1) To reject, cast off, disown, renounce, refuse to accept as one's own.
(2) To reject as false, deny the authority of, refuse to accept as true.
34. IMPETUOUS (im-PETCH-oo-us)
Hasty, rash, overeager; acting in a sudden, vigorous, emotional way, with little thought.
Synonyms: impulsive.
Antonyms: prudent (Level 1, Word 47), discreet, circumspect (Level 3, Word 21).
Verbal Advantage
Level Two
35. FRUGAL (FROG-gul)
Spending carefully and wisely; also, involving little expense, not wasteful or lavish.
Synonyms: thrifty, economical, provident, parsimonious.
36. INCONGRUOUS (in-KAHNG-groo-us)
Out of place, inappropriate, inconsistent, unsuitable, lacking harmony of parts or
agreement in character.
Related words: congruous and congruent, which both mean coming together
harmoniously, fitting in consistently.
37. ASSUAGE (uh-SWAYJ)
To relieve, ease, make less severe or intense; also, to satisfy, appease, make content.
Synonyms: allay, mollify (Level 2, Word 27), mitigate.
Pronunciation tip: Don't pronounce the G in assuage like the G in garage or the Z in
azure. In assuage, the A is long (as in day) and the G is pronounced like J: uh-SWAYJ.
38. CORROBORATE (kuh-RAHB-uh-rayt)
To confirm, support, make more certain or believable, strengthen by providing additional
evidence or proof.
Synonyms: authenticate, verify, substantiate.
39. EMBELLISH (em-BEL-ish)
To decorate, dress up, adorn, enhance with ornamentation, make more beautiful, elegant,
or interesting.
Corresponding noun: embellishment, an ornament, decoration.
40. AVARICIOUS (AV-uh-RISH-us)
Greedy, money-grubbing, miserly, consumed with a selfish desire to accumulate money
or property.
Synonyms: covetous, mercenary (Level 3, Word 14).
Corresponding noun: avarice, greed, an inordinate desire for wealth.
Verbal Advantage
Level Two
* * * * *
N.B. At this point in Level 2 there is a discussion of the distinction between sensual and
sensuous and the proper use of the verb comprise.
* * * * *
41. CURSORY (KUR-suh-ree or KUR-sur-ee)
Quick, hasty, not methodical, done rapidly with little attention to detail, passing quickly
over or through something that deserves closer examination.
Synonyms: hurried, haphazard, slapdash, superficial.
Antonyms: thorough, careful, scrupulous, exhaustive, prolonged, protracted.
Related words (from the Latin currere, to run): course, curriculum, courier.
42. VACILLATE (VAS-i-layt)
To waver, fluctuate, be indecisive, show uncertainty, hesitate in making up one's mind.
43. CLEMENT (KLEM-int)
(1) Mild, calm, tranquil, moderate, temperate, not severe or extreme.
(2) Merciful, lenient, inclined to pardon or forgive.
Corresponding noun: clemency.
44. LUCRATIVE (LOO-kruh-tiv)
Profitable, producing wealth, money-making, financially productive, remunerative.
Related word: lucre (LOO-kur), money, profit, especially tainted money, ill-gotten gains
(as in the cliché "filthy lucre").
45. ALLOCATE (AL-uh-kayt or AL-oh-kayt)
To assign, designate, earmark, set aside for a specific purpose.
46. RECONCILE (REK-un-syl or rek-un-SYL)
(1) To make friendly again, restore friendly relations between, settle, resolve, bring into
harmony or agreement.
(2) To bring into agreement, make consistent.
(3) To resign oneself to accept something undesirable.
Verbal Advantage
Level Two
47. PARAGON (PAR-uh-gahn)
A model of excellence, perfect example.
48. ANALOGOUS (uh-NAL-uh-gus)
Similar, alike in certain ways, corresponding partially, sharing some aspects of form,
function, or content.
Synonyms: akin, comparable.
Related word: analogy, a partial similarity, likeness, or resemblance that allows for a
comparison between things.
49. DIURNAL (dy-URN-'l)
(1) Daily, recurring each day, performed or happening in the course of a day.
(2) Active during the day, as opposed to nocturnal, active at night.
50. PRETEXT (PREE-tekst)
An excuse, ostensible reason or motive, professed purpose; specifically, an excuse or
false reason given to hide the true reason or purpose.

VERBAL ADVANTAGE
Level III
B y C h a r l e s H a r r i n g t o n E l s t e r
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
With Pronunciations, Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Information Listed in Order of
Presentation, by Level and Number. The abbreviation N.B. stands for the Latin nota bene
and means "note well, take good note of.
1. DEFRAY (di-FRAY)
To pay, provide money for, cover the cost or expenses of.
2. TACITURN (TAS-i-turn)
Silent, not talkative, holding one's tongue, habitually silent and withdrawn.
Synonyms: reserved, uncommunicative, reticent.
Antonyms: garrulous (Level 4, Word 8), loquacious, effusive, voluble (Level 5, Word 1).
Related word: tacit (Level 2, Word 9), unspoken, done or made in silence.
3. TERSE (rhymes with curse)
Brief and to the point, free of superfluous words, expressed in a pointed and polished
way.
Synonyms: concise, pithy, succinct, laconic (Level 3, Word 18).
Antonyms: long-winded, redundant, verbose (Level 2, Word 30), prolix (Level 9, Word
1).
Beastly mispronunciation: suh-SINGKT for succinct. Take care to pronounce the
double C like KS: suhk-SINGKT.
4. BOON (rhymes with moon)
A blessing, timely and welcome benefit, something beneficial bestowed upon one,
something to be thankful for.
Additional useful words: yore, time long past; supplicant, a person who begs for
something; supplication, the act of begging for something humbly and earnestly;
archaic, old-fashioned, of a former time.
5. PROLETARIAT (PROH-Iuh-TAIR-ee-it)
The working class, especially the industrial wageearning class, which earns its living
by manual labor, the lowest and poorest class of people in society.
Corresponding adjective: proletarian, of or relating to the working class.
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
6. HETEROGENEOUS (HET-uh-roh-JEE-nee-us)
Varied, composed of parts of different kinds, made up of unrelated or diverse
elements, mixed, dissimilar, miscellaneous.
Antonym: homogeneous (HOH-moh-JEE-nee-us).
Useful information: The prefix homo- means same, similar, like; the prefix heteromeans
other, different, unlike.
7. PITTANCE (PIT'ns, rhymes with admittance)
A small amount, portion, or share, especially a small or meager amount of money.
Memory aid: Think of the pit of a fruit, which is . small and hard, and you'll easily
remember that a pittance is a small amount of money that is hard to live on.
8. GLIB (rhymes with rib)
Smooth-spoken, speaking in a ready, fluent manner, with natural or offhand ease,
talkative in a nonchalant way.
Synonyms: suave, facile, bland, voluble (Level 5, Word 1), flippant, unctuous.
Useful information: The synonym unctuous means having a slimy, slippery, or
smarmy manner; self-serving and insincere.
Additional useful word: unguent, a medicinal ointment, salve.
9. PENCHANT (PEN-chint)
A liking, leaning, strong inclination, decided taste.
Synonyms: propensity, proclivity.
10. SOLICITOUS (suh-LIS-i-tus)
Concerned, showing care and attention, especially in a worried, anxious, or fearful
way.
Usage tip: In the above sense, solicitous may be followed by the prepositions of, for,
or about. When used to mean eager, full of desire, willing, solicitous is followed by
the preposition to.
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
* * * * *
A Dictum on Diction
Useful words:
dictum: a formal pronouncement, official opinion or decree (plural, dicta).
diction: choice of words, manner of expression (also, vocal expression, enunciation).
apposite (AP-uh-zit): both relevant and appropriate.
Usage tips:
•Irregardless is not a legitimate word. Use regardless or irrespective.
•Use peruse to mean to read carefully and critically, examine closely, read through to
the end (not skim, browse, dip into or glance through).
•Don't use reticent to mean reluctant. A reluctant person is hesitant, disinclined,
unwilling to do something. A reticent person is reluctant to speak
•Loathe and loath: When you are loath to do or say something, you are reluctant
almost to the point of aversion or disgust. The verb to loathe means to hate, despise.
Loath rhymes with both; the TH in loathe is pronounced like the TH in other
•Emulate and imitate: To imitate is to follow the example of, take as a model. To
emulate means to strive to equal or excel.
* * * * *
11. CIRCUMSCRIBE (SUR-kum-SKRYB)
To limit, restrict, confine, hem in, fix the boundaries of (literally, to draw a line around).
Related words: circum- means around. You can see this combining form in the words
circumstance; circumcision; circumvent, to go around, bypass, especially in a clever or
resourceful way; circumlocutory, expressed in a roundabout way; and circumnavigate, to
navigate or sail around.
12. DEARTH (rhymes with earth)
A lack, scarcity, insufficiency, inadequate supply of something needed.
Synonym: paucity (Level 10, Word 2).
Antonyms: abundance, surplus, excess, superfluity, plethora, surfeit.
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
13. INGRATIATING (in-GRAY-shee-ay-ting)
Flattering, attempting to win approval or curry favor, trying to gain acceptance, done to
charm or please another.
Synonym: unctuous.
Usage tip: Dictionaries and thesauruses often give charming, pleasing, and agreeable as
synonyms of ingratiating, but today the word invariably has the negative suggestion of
insincerely charming, pleasing or agreeable so as to gain approval or get into the good
graces of another.
14. MERCENARY (MUR-suh-ner-ee)
Greedy, done for payment only, motivated by a selfish desire for money or other reward.
Synonyms: covetous, avaricious (both discussed in Level 2, Word 40).
Additional related word: venal, corruptible, capable of being bribed or bought off.
Corresponding noun: mercenary, a hired soldier, one who fights not for a cause or for
love of country but for money.
15. EXTEMPORIZE (eks-TEM-puh-ryz)
To improvise, to speak or compose with little or no preparation or practice, perform
something in an offhand or unpremeditated way.
Corresponding adjective: extemporaneous (eks-TEM-puh-RAY-nee-us), spoken or
composed with little or no preparation or practice.
16. ERUDITE (preferably, ER-uu-dyt or AIR-uu-dyt; commonly, AIR-yoo-dyt)
Learned, scholarly, possessing extensive knowledge acquired chiefly from books.
Corresponding noun: erudition (preferably ER- or AIR-uu-DISH-un; commonly, AIRyoo-
DISH-un), extensive knowledge acquired from reading books.
Usage tip: erudite may be used either of people or things.
17. AUSTERE (aw-STEER)
Severe, serious, characterized by strict selfdiscipline or severe self-denial, stern in
appearance, manner, or practice.
Synonyms: somber, grim, grave, forbidding, dour (rhymes with poor).
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
18. LACONIC (luh-KAHN-ik)
Using few words, briefly and often bluntly expressed.
Synonyms: succinct, concise, pithy, succinct, terse (Level 3, Word 3).
Etymology: Laconic comes from the Greek lakonikos, a resident of the ancient city state
of Sparta, which was renowned for its austere and warlike people. By derivation laconic
refers to the Spartans' reputation for rigorous self-discipline and reticence. Like the
ancient Spartans, the laconic speakers and writers of today are determined to use no more
words than are necessary to get the point across, even at the risk of giving offense.
Illustrative anecdote: Julius Caesar's three-word pronouncement, Veni, vidi, vici ("I
came, I saw, I conquered"), is one of the most famous laconic statements of all time.
19. AMELIORATE (uh-MEEL-yuh-rayt)
To make or become better or more tolerable, raise the condition or state of.
Synonyms: improve, amend, correct, reform, rectify.
Usage tip: Ameliorate is used chiefly of improving something that needs help because it
is inferior, oppressive, or intolerable.
20. EXPUNGE (ek-SPUNJ)
To erase, delete, cancel; punch, strike, or wipe out something completely so it appears as
though it had never existed.
Synonyms: eradicate, obliterate.
21. CIRCUMSPECT (SUR-kum-spekt)
Careful, cautious, wary, watchful, carefully considering all circumstances before acting
or making a judgment.
Synonyms: discreet, vigilant, prudent (Level 1, Word 47).
Etymology: Circumspect comes from the Latin circum-, around, and specere, to look at
carefully, observe. The Latin specere is also the source of the words spectator, spectacle,
and spectacular, wonderful to behold.
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
22. QUIESCENT (kwy-ES-int)
Still, quiet, tranquil, inactive, at rest or repose.
Antonyms: vigorous, animated, sprightly, vivacious, ebullient.
Related words: latent, which applies to something that has not yet been revealed;
dormant, which applies to something inactive or that seems asleep.
Connotation: Quiescent suggests a temporary cessation of activity, a period of rest or
repose.
23. FOIBLE (FOY-buul)
A weak point, slight fault or flaw,,-minor failing, especially a (usually forgivable)
weakness in a person's character.
Etymology: By derivation foible means the weak part of a sword, and it is related to the
word feeble, weak, frail.
24. FERVENT (FUR-vint)
Passionate, having or showing great warmth or intensity of feeling, fiery, earnest,
impassioned.
Synonyms: vehement, ardent, fervid, zealous.
Antonyms: lukewarm, listless, apathetic, indifferent, impassive, phlegmatic (fleg-MATik).
Etymology and usage tip: Fervent and fervid both come from the Latin fervere, to boil,
glow. Fervent suggests great warmth and earnestness. Fervid is stronger and suggests
intense, even violent emotion.
25. PROTRACT (proh-TRAKT)
To draw out, drag out, extend in time, lengthen, prolong, especially to excess.
Antonyms: abbreviate, condense, curtail, truncate (Level 7, Word 5).
Etymology and connotation: Protract comes from the Latin tractare, to draw, drag
around. It suggests drawing or dragging something out needlessly, often to the point of
irritation or boredom
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
26. OSTENTATIOUS (AH-sten-TAY-shus)
Showy, extremely conspicuous, extravagant, flamboyant; specifically, displayed or done
in a flashy, vain manner.
Antonyms: simple, plain, modest, unassuming
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the words pretentious, pompous, and ostentatious, all
of which refer to persons or things that are showy, extravagant, and self-important.
27. QUANDARY (KWAHN-duh-ree)
A state of uncertainty, perplexity, or doubt.
Synonyms: predicament, dilemma.
28. CENSURE (SEN-shur)
To blame, condemn, find fault with, criticize harshly, express stern disapproval of.
Synonyms: denounce, reprimand, reprehend.
Antonyms: commend, extol, laud.
Connotation: Censure usually implies condemnation of irresponsible behavior rather
than condemnation of character.
Usage tip: Be careful not to confuse the words censure, to blame, condemn, find fault
with, and censor (SEN-sur), to suppress or delete something objectionable.
29. CAVIL (KAV'l)
To criticize or complain unnecessarily, point out petty flaws, raise trivial or frivolous
objections.
Synonyms: nitpick, niggle, carp, quibble. (All these words suggest making unnecessary
criticisms or complaining about trivial things.)
30. ASSIMILATE (uh-SIM-i-layt)
To absorb, take in; also, to adapt to or become absorbed by a system or culture.
Synonyms: comprehend, incorporate, appropriate.
* * * * *
Fewer and Less: Less modifies quantities, abstractions, things that are considered single or
whole (less food, less time, less money). Fewer modifies things that can be itemized,
enumerated, broken down into separate elements or parts (fewer thoughts, fewer words, fewer
mistakes).
* * * * *
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
31. RESCIND (ri-SIND)
To cancel, take back, take away, remove; also, to render void, annul, repeal.
32. DISCERNIBLE (di-SURN-i-buul)
Recognizable, detectable, perceptible, capable of being recognized by the senses or by
the mind.
Synonyms: apparent, evident, distinguishable, manifest.
Antonyms: obscure, invisible, indistinct, imperceptible.
Related words and etymology: Discernible (adjective), discern (verb), discernment
(noun), and discerning (adjective) come from a Latin word meaning to sift, separate,
distinguish between, and all of these words pertain to sifting or separating things in order
to distinguish them. Challenging synonyms of discernment include astuteness, acumen
(uh-KYOO-min), and perspicacity (PUR-spi-KAS-i-tee).
33. CATACLYSM (KAT-uh-kliz'm)
A disaster, great mishap, catastrophe, violent upheaval.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the synonyms disaster, catastrophe, calamity, debacle
(di-BAHK'l), and cataclysm, all of which refer to accidents, misfortunes, and sudden or
violent changes.
Etymology tips: The negative prefix dis- denotes the absence or reverse of what follows:
dislike is an absence of affection, discomfort is the absence of comfort, disadvantage is
the reverse of an advantage. Catastrophe and cataclysm begin with the Greek kata-,
which means "down."
Additional useful words: deluge (DEL-yooj), a great flood or downpour; inundate (INun-
dayt), to overflow or overwhelm.
34. NARCISSISM (NAR-si-SIZ'm)
Self-love, excessive admiration of oneself.
Synonyms: vanity, conceit, egotism, amour-propre (ah-MOOR PROH-pruh).
Antonyms: humbleness, modesty, humility.
Etymology: Narcissism comes from Narcissus, a character in Greek mythology who fell
in love with his reflection in a pool of water.
Related words: narcissist, a person afflicted with narcissism, self-love; narcissistic
(adjective) means full of admiration for one's own appearance, abilities, or achievements.
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
35. INCRIMINATE (in-KRIM-i-nayt)
To charge with a crime, accuse of wrongdoing, implicate, present evidence or proof of
involvement in a wrongful act.
36. STIGMA (STIG-muh)
A mark of shame or disgrace, a moral blemish, a stain on one's character or reputation.
Etymology: Stigma, from Greek, means literally a mark, brand, tattoo; in its original
but no longer common sense, stigma refers to a brand or, scar made with a red-hot iron
in the flesh of slaves and criminals. Later it came to be used of anything that branded a
person as unwholesome or disgraceful, a mark of shame, stain on one's character or
reputation.
Corresponding verb: stigmatize, to brand as shameful, set a mark of disgrace upon.
N.B. The plural of stigma is either stigmas or stigmata (preferably STIG-muh-tuh, often
stigMAH-tuh). Stigmata, the Latinate plural, may also refer to marks resembling the
wounds on the crucified body of Jesus Christ that are believed to have been
supernaturally impressed on the bodies of certain persons, such as St. Francis of Assisi.
Additional useful word: anglicize, to make English, conform to English modes of
spelling, pronunciation, and usage.
37. BREVITY (BREV-i-tee)
(1) Shortness, briefness.
(2) Brief expression, shortness of speech.
Synonyms: (sense 2) conciseness, succinctness, terseness, pithiness.
Etymology and related words: Brief and brevity both come from the Latin brevis, short,
the source also of the unusual word breve (rhymes with leave). A breve is one of the
diacritical marks or symbols used to indicate pronunciation: It's a small curve, like a tiny
smile, placed over a vbwe1 to indicate a short sound, as in the e in pet or the a in cat.
38. PERQUISITE (PUR-kwi-zit)
A benefit, incidental gain or reward; specifically, an expected or promised benefit,
privilege, or advantage received in addition to one's normal salary or wages.
39. INDIGENT (IN-di-jint)
Poor, needy, penniless, impoverished, down-and-out.
Synonyms: destitute, impecunious (IM-pi-KYOO-nee-us).
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
40. CLAIRVOYANT (klair-VOY-int)
Having exceptional powers of perception, unusually clear-sighted or discerning;
specifically, able to see objects or events that others cannot, having extra-sensory
perception or the power of divination.
Etymology: the Latin clarus, clear, and videre, to see (literally, "to see clearly what
others cannot").
Related words: clairvoyance (noun), exceptional insight or perception; clairvoyant
(noun), a person who supposedly possesses the power to see into the future, a medium,
soothsayer.
41. ADROIT (uh-DROYT)
Skillful, clever, dexterous; specifically, showing skill in using one's hands or in using
one's brains.
Synonyms: deft, resourceful, ingenious, artful, adept (Level 1, Word 7).
Antonyms: awkward, clumsy, inept, maladroit (mal-uh-DROYT).
Etymology tips and related words: Adroit comes from Latin through the French droit,
right, and means literally "to the right." The Latin dexter means on the right side; hence,
skillful. From dexter we inherit the word dexterous, skilled with the hands or body. The
Latin sinister means left, on the left side, and also wrong, evil, unfavorable, adverse, the
meaning of the English word sinister today. People who are ambidextrous are equally
skillful or dexterous with both hands. The unusual word ambisinister means literally
having two left hands, equally awkward with both hands. In French gauche means left,
but also crooked, awkward, clumsy; in English gauche refers to a person who is
awkward, crude, or blundering, or to behavior that lacks culture or social grace.
Usage tip: Adroit may refer either to physical dexterity or mental ingenuity.
42. PLATITUDE (PLAT-i-t(y)ood)
A flat, dull, ordinary, remark, a trite statement or hackneyed saying, especially one
uttered as if it were original or profound.
Synonyms: cliche, truism, bromide (BROH-myd).
Etymology: Platitude comes from the French word for flat, and means literally "a flat
remark."
Related words: platitudinous (adjective) refers to speech or expression that is dull,
ordinary, commonplace, insipid, banal. Platitudinize (verb) means to utter platitudes.
A platitudinarian (noun) is a person who habitually utters platitudes-flat, dull,
ordinary remarks.
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
43. FASTIDIOUS (fa-STID-ee-us)
(1) Extremely delicate, sensitive, or particular, especially in matters of taste or
behavior.
Synonyms: dainty, fussy, finicky, overnice.
(2) Hard to please, extremely picky or demanding, exacting, critical to a fault.
Etymology and usage: Fastidious descends from Latin words meaning squeamish,
disgusted, disdainful, and conceited. The fastidious person is so excessively concerned
with details that he may become squeamish or disgusted if things are not just right. The
fastidious person may also be so hard to please, so critical and demanding, that she
appears contemptuous of others.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the words scrupulous, meticulous, punctilious, and
fastidious, all of which suggest demanding standards and careful attention to detail.
44. VENDETTA (ven-DET-uh)
A bitter, protracted feud or rivalry.
Etymology: Vendetta comes through Italian from the Latin vindicta, revenge,
vengeance.
Related word: vindictive, vengeful, seeking a revenge.
Usage: Vendetta refers specifically to the violent tradition of revenging the murder of a
relative by killing the murderer or a member of his family. Vendetta is now also used
more generally to mean any long, bitter feud or rivalry, not necessarily between families
and not necessarily attended by bloodshed.
45. LUCID (LOO-sid)
(1) Clear, easy to see or understand, plainly expressed.
(2) Clear of mind, mentally sound, rational, sane.
Synonyms: (sense 1) intelligible, comprehensible, limpid, perspicuous (pur-SPIK-yoous).
Antonyms: murky, obscure, befuddled, nebulous (Level 2, Word 5), ambiguous (Level
2, Word 25), abstruse.
Related word: pellucid (pe-LOO-sid), exceptionally clear, extremely easy to see or
understand.
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
46. SALIENT (SAY-lee-int)
Conspicuous, noticeable, prominent; sticking or jutting out.
Synonyms: protruding, manifest, obtrusive, protuberant.
Antonyms: inconspicuous, unassuming, unobtrusive, indiscernible, unostentatious.
Etymology and usage: Salient comes from the Latin verb salire, to leap, jump, spring.
That which is salient seems to leap out at you, jump into view, or spring forward to
command your attention. Salient may apply to things that are conspicuously attractive
or unattractive.
47. CATEGORICAL (KAT-uh-GOR-i-kuul)
Absolute, unqualified, explicit; without exceptions, conditions, or qualifications.
Antonyms: ambiguous (Level 2, Word 25), doubtful, dubious, indefinite, enigmatic,
equivocal.
Usage: Categorical refers to statements or assertions that are absolute, unqualified,
direct and explicit. The word often suggests a statement or state of mind that is rigid,
narrow, arrogant, or arbitrary.
48. INSCRUTABLE (in-SKROO-tuh-buul)
Incomprehensible, unfathomable, extremely difficult to understand, not open to
investigation or analysis.
Synonyms: mysterious, impenetrable, esoteric, arcane (ar-KAYN).
Antonyms: lucid (Level 4, Word 45), perspicuous.
Etymology: Inscrutable combines the negative prefix in-, which means not, with the
Latin scrutari, to examine, inspect, search thoroughly.
Related words: scrutinize, to investigate, examine closely; scrutiny, a close
examination.
Usage tips: The phrase "an inscrutable smile" is a cliche, a hackneyed expression;
unless you're trying to be humorous, it's best to avoid it altogether. Also, in the past
inscrutable was often applied to Asians or to the Asian race. Today this use is
considered not only cliche but also derogatory and offensive.
49. CONSTRUE (kun-STROO)
To interpret, explain the meaning or intention of.
Related words: construct, construction.
Etymology: By derivation, the verb to construe means to put a particular construction
on something, to interpret it, explain its underlying meaning or intention.
Verbal Advantage
Level Three
50. ALLUDE (uh-LOOD)
To refer to something indirectly, make a casual reference.
Synonyms: suggest, hint, insinuate, intimate (IN-ti-mayt).
Antonyms: indicate, specify, detail, enumerate.
Corresponding noun: allusion, an indirect, casual, or passing reference.
VERBAL ADVANTAGE
Level IV
B y C h a r l e s H a r r i n g t o n E l s t e r
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
With Pronunciations, Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Information Listed in Order of
Presentation, by Level and Number. The abbreviation N.B. stands for the Latin nota bene
and means "note well, take good note of.
1. PROVIDENT (PRAH-vi-dint)
Thrifty, economical, saving or providing for future needs.
Synonyms: prudent (Level l, Word 47), frugal (Level 2, Word 35).
Related word: provide.
2. IMPUTE (im-PYOOT)
To charge or attribute, especially with a fault or misconduct, lay the responsibility or
blame upon, ascribe, assign.
Usage tip: The verb to credit has a favorable connotation. The verbs to assign and to
ascribe are neutral. The verb to impute often has a negative connotation: "We usually
ascribe good, but impute evil" (Samuel Johnson).
Corresponding noun: imputation, a charge or accusation.
3. ASTUTE (uh-ST(Y)OOT)
Shrewd, clever, perceptive, discerning, acute, keenly aware, quick-witted.
Synonyms: sagacious, perspicacious, sapient (SAY-pee-int).
4. NEOPHYTE (NEE-uh-fyt)
A beginner, novice, amateur, tyro; specifically, a new member of or convert to a religion.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the words tyro, amateur, dilettante, novice, and
neophyte.
5. ENIGMA (i-NIG-muh)
A mystery, puzzle, riddle; perplexing problem; something or someone hard to understand
or explain; anything baffling, inexplicable, or inscrutable.
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
6. CREDENCE (KREE-dins)
Belief, acceptance, especially belief in a published report or acceptance of another's
opinion or testimony.
Related words: credence, creed, credible, and credulous all come from the Latin
credere, to believe.
Usage tip: Credence is often used with the verbs to give or lend.
7. VENERATE (VEN-uh-rayt)
To respect deeply, revere, regard with awe and adoration.
Corresponding adjective: venerable, worthy of veneration, of being venerated.
Venerable is often used of something or someone old or long-established.
8. GARRULOUS (GAR-uh-lus, also GAR-yuh-lus)
Talkative, especially in a rambling, annoying, pointless, or long-winded way.
Synonyms: verbose (Level 2, Word 30), loquacious, voluble (Level 5, Word 1), and
prolix (Level 9, Word 1).
Antonyms: reserved, reticent, taciturn (Level 3, Word 2), laconic (Level 3, Word 18).
Etymology: Garrulous comes from the Latin garrire, to chatter, babble, talk in a
rambling and tiresome way (literally, "to chatter like a jaybird").
9. TRENCHANT (TREN-chent)
Keen, penetrating, vigorously effective, sharp and to the point.
Synonyms: forceful, acute, incisive.
10. AUTONOMOUS (aw-TAHN-uh-mus)
Independent, self-governing, not under the control of something or someone else.
Etymology and related words: The Greek autos, self, is the source of the English
combining form auto-, self, which appears in many words, including autobiography,
autograph, automobile, automatic, and autocracy, rule by one self or one personhence,
dictatorship, tyranny, despotism.
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
11. PANACEA (PAN-uh-SEE-uh)
A cure-all, universal antidote, remedy for all diseases and difficulties.
Etymology and related words: The English prefix pan- (from Greek), means "all." This
prefix appears in front of a number of useful English words, including panorama,
pantheism, and pantheon.
Usage tip: The common expression "a panacea for all ills" is redundant. Panacea by
itself means a cure for all ills, a universal remedy.
12. EPHEMERAL (e-FEM-ur-ul)
Short-lived, passing, fleeting, lasting for a short time.
Synonyms: transitory, evanescent, fugitive, fugacious. For more on these words, review
the discussion of transient (Level 2, Word 31).
Usage tip: The common expression "daily journal" is redundant, for by derivation
journal (from the French jour, day) means something written or published each day.
13. ONEROUS (AHN-ur-us)
Burdensome, troublesome, oppressive, hard to bear, difficult to accomplish or endure.
Related word: onus (OH-nus, rhymes with bonus), a burden, obligation, especially a
disagreeable responsibility.
14. LAITY (LAY-i-tee)
Nonprofessionals, laypeople collectively, all the people outside of a given profession or
specialized field; specifically, all who do not belong to the clergy, religious worshipers in
general.
Corresponding adjective: lay, nonprofessional, not belonging to a particular profession;
specifically, not a member of the clergy.
15. PUNGENT (PUN-jint)
Sharp, penetrating, biting, acrid, caustic.
Etymology and usage: Pungent comes from the same Latin source as poignant and
expunge-the Latin pungere, to pierce, prick. Pungent may refer to that which is sharp to
the sense of taste or smell or to that which penetrates the mind or emotions.
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
16. PROSAIC (proh-ZAY-ik)
Dull, ordinary, uninteresting, unimaginative.
Synonyms: commonplace, humdrum, tedious, dry, stale, mediocre, matter-of-fact,
insipid, pedestrian, vapid, jejune (Level 10, Word 1).
17. CHARLATAN (SHAR-luh-tin)
A fake, quack, impostor, fraud, humbug; specifically, a person who pretends to have a
special skill or knowledge.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the words charlatan and mountebank, which are
close in meaning.
Memory aid: In The Wizard of Oz, the Wizard is a classic example of a charlatan.
18. PERFUNCTORY (pur-FUNGK-tuh-ree)
Mechanical, routine, listless; done merely as a duty; performed in an indifferent,
halfhearted, superficial, and often careless way, without interest or enthusiasm.
19. MORASS (muh-RAS or maw-RAS)
Literally, a swamp, marsh, bog; figuratively, some-thing that traps, confines, or confuses,
a sticky situation or troublesome state of affairs.
20. SOPHISTRY (SAH-fis-tree)
Deceptive reasoning, subtle and misleading argument.
Related word: sophisticated.
Corresponding adjective: sophistic or sophistical
* * * * *
What Is Usage?
N.B. At this point in the program, there is a discussion of the concept of usage, which
explores the creeds of permissivism and purism, defines the terms prescriptive and
descriptive, points out what a dictionary does and doesn't tell you, and makes a case for
a compromise between the ideological extremes of "Humpty Dumpty" and "Miss
Thistlebottom."
Useful word: lexicographer (LEKS-i-KAHG-ruh-fur), a person who writes or edits a
dictionary.
* * * * *
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
21. PROLIFIC (proh-LIF-ik)
Fruitful, fertile, productive.
Antonyms: unproductive, barren, sterile, impotent, effete.
22. MUNDANE (muhn-DAYN)
Of the world, worldly, earthly, material as distinguished from spiritual.
Synonyms: terrestrial, temporal, secular, sublunary (suhb-LOO-nuh-ree).
Antonyms: lofty, heavenly, sublime, celestial, ethereal, extraterrestrial.
Usage tip: Some usage experts object to the use of mundane as a synonym of ordinary,
humdrum, commonplace, banal, unimaginative, and prosaic. In strict usage, mundane is
reserved for things that are worldly as opposed to heavenly, material as opposed to
spiritual, secular as opposed to religious.
23. MYRIAD (MIR-ee-id)
Countless, innumerable, infinite, consisting of a great or indefinite number.
Corresponding noun: myriad, a great or indefinite number.
24. DISSIDENT (DIS-uh-dint)
Disagreeing, disaffected, dissenting, nonconformist.
Etymology: Dissident comes from the Latin dis-, apart, and sedere, to sit, and by
derivation means to sit apart; hence, to withdraw one's approval or belief, disagree.
Corresponding noun: dissident, a person who disagrees with a prevailing opinion,
method, or doctrine.
25. LAUDABLE (LAW-duh-buul)
Praiseworthy, commendable, worthy of approval or admiration.
Synonyms: meritorious, estimable.
Antonyms: contemptible, deplorable, ignominious.
Corresponding verb: laud, to praise, commend, extol (ek-STOHL).
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
26. INIMITABLE (in-IM-i-tuh-buul)
Unable to be imitated, copied, or reproduced; beyond compare.
Synonyms: matchless, unrivaled, peerless, unparalleled, surpassing.
Etymology tip: The prefix in- often means "in" or "into," as in the words inhale, to
breathe in; ingrain, to rub in, fix in the mind; and ingress, the way in, the entrance.
However, it is just as often privative (PRIV-uh-tiv), meaning it deprives or takes away
the meaning of the word to which it is affixed. Like the prefix un-, the prefix in- often
means "not," as in the words informal, not formal; inaudible, not audible, unable to be
heard; and injustice, something that is not fair or just. Inimitable combines this privative
prefix in- with the somewhat unusual word imitable, able to be imitated, to mean "not
able to be imitated."
27. JADED (JAY-did)
Worn out, tired, fatigued, weary, exhausted.
Related words and usage tip: One meaning of the noun jade is a worn-out or brokendown
horse, a nag. The verb to jade means to be or become like a worn-out or brokendown
horse. The adjective jaded means like that broken-down horse; specifically, worn
out from overwork or overindulgence.
28. MYOPIC (my-AHP-ik)
Short-sighted; not able to see the long-range picture; having a narrow or circumscribed
view; lacking discernment, foresight, or perspective.
Synonyms: narrowminded, purblind, obtuse.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the adjectives purblind, obtuse, and myopic.
Antonyms: broadminded, liberal, tolerant, catholic, latitudinarian
Corresponding noun: myopia (my-OH-pee-uh), nearsightedness.
29. DEMONSTRABLE (di-MAHN-struh-buul)
(1) Capable of being demonstrated, able to be proved.
(2) Obvious, apparent, self-evident.
Corresponding verb: demonstrate.
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
30. CALLOW (KAL-oh)
Immature, inexperienced, unsophisticated, green, naive, lacking experience in and
knowledge of the world.
N.B. Callow was formerly used of very young birds to mean without feathers, unfledged.
Today callow and the word fledgling are used of persons, behavior, or things that are
immature or inexperienced. A fledgling is a young bird that has just acquired its feathers
and is learning to fly. From that original sense fledgling has come to refer either to a
young and inexperienced person or to some thing that is just getting off the ground, as a
fledgling enterprise.
Callow suggests an immaturity or inexperience manifested by a lack of sophistication.
Because callow means immature, it sometimes also suggests childishness or foolishness.
Synonyms of callow in this unfavorable sense include juvenile, sophomoric, and puerile
(PYOOR-ul or PYOO-ur-ul).
* * * * *
At this point in the program there is a "Word to the Wise" called "Just Between Us, This One's
for You and Me," which covers the proper and improper use of the nominative personal pronoun
I and the objective personal pronoun me.
Wrong: This is a good investment for you and I.
Right: This is a good investment for you and me.
Wrong: Let's keep this information just between you and I.
Right: Let's keep this information just between you and me.
Rule of thumb: Whenever something is between someone else and you, or for someone else and
you, say me, not I: "There's no difference between you and me." Or try this little trick: Eliminate
the other people in the sentence and see how it sounds. If you're about to say "It's for him and I,"
take out the "him" and you'll hear that "it's for I” sounds wrong, which it is.
* * * * *
31. ACQUIESCE (ak-wee-ES)
To agree without protest, accept without argument or resistance, give in quietly.
Synonyms: consent, comply, submit, assent, accede.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the verbs to assent, accede, and acquiesce.
Corresponding noun: acquiescence (AK-wee-ES-ins), passive agreement, quiet
acceptance.
Usage tip: Acquiesce is sometimes followed by the preposition in, as to acquiesce in a
decision.
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
32. PONTIFICATE (pahn-TIF-i-kayt)
To speak in a pompous and overbearing way; make pretentious or categorical statements;
express one's opinion as though it were an official, authoritative decree.
Corresponding noun: pontification (pahn-TIF-iKAY-shin).
Related words: pontiff, the Roman Catholic pope, also known as the Bishop of Rome.
The pontiff issues official decrees on church doctrine called papal bulls. To these decrees
the pontiff affixes a seal called a bulla (BUUL-uh).
Additional useful word: dogmatic (dawg-MATik), means opinionated, dictatorial,
expressing an opinion as if it were fact.
33. DELETERIOUS (DEL-i-TEER-ee-us)
Harmful, destructive, injurious, detrimental; especially, harmful to health or well-being.
Synonyms: ruinous, noxious, pernicious, malignant.
Antonyms: healthful, advantageous, wholesome, salutary (SAL-yuh-ter-ee).
34. AMBIVALENT
Uncertain, indecisive; having conflicting feelings or desires; simultaneously drawn in
opposite directions; attracted to and repulsed by something at the same time.
Corresponding noun: ambivalence, a state of uncertainty or indecisiveness.
Etymology tip and related words: One meaning of the combining form ambi- is "both,"
as in the words ambidextrous, skilled with both hands, and ambivert, a person who is
both introverted, innerdirected, and extroverted, outer-directed. The word ambivalent
combines ambi-, both, with the Latin valere, to be strong, to mean literally "having
strong feelings both ways"; hence, uncertain, indecisive.
35. PENSIVE (rhymes with intensive)
Thoughtful, absorbed in thought, especially in a deep, dreamy, or melancholy way.
Synonyms: reflective, meditative, wistful, contemplative (kuhn-TEM-pluh-tiv).
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the words pensive, contemplative, and wistful.
Etymology: Pensive comes ultimately from the Latin pensare, to ponder, consider, weigh
in the mind. When you are pensive, you are thinking deeply about something, pondering
it, weighing it in your mind.
Corresponding noun: pensiveness.
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
36. IMPROMPTU (im-PRAHMP-t(y)oo)
Made up or done on the spur of the moment, uttered or performed without preparation,
improvised for the occasion.
Synonyms: offhand, spontaneous, extemporaneous (see extemporize, Level 3, Word 15).
Usage: Impromptu may apply either to spontaneous expression or activity: an impromptu
speech; an impromptu party
37. CONJECTURE (kuhn-JEK-chur)
To guess; especially, to make an educated guess; to form an opinion or make a judgment
based on insufficient evidence.
Synonyms: suppose, imagine, suspect, presume.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the verbs to guess, speculate, surmise, and
conjecture, all of which mean to form an opinion or reach a conclusion based upon
uncertain or insufficient evidence.
Corresponding noun: conjecture, an educated guess, an assumption or conclusion based
on insufficient evidence.
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
38. SURREPTITIOUS (SUH- or SUR-rip-TISH-us)
Stealthy; characterized by secrecy and caution; done, made, obtained, or enjoyed in a
secret and often sly or shifty manner, so as to avoid notice.
Synonyms: crafty, furtive, covert, underhand, clandestine (Level 2, Word 6).
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the adjectives stealthy, furtive, clandestine, covert,
and surreptitious, all of which mean secret, hidden from the knowledge or view of
others.
Antonyms: evident, unconcealed, overt, aboveboard, manifest.
Etymology and usage: Surreptitious comes from the Latin verb surripere, to snatch,
pilfer, take away or withdraw secretly. By derivation surreptitious means snatched while
no one is looking, and in modern usage the word combines the deliberate, cautious
secrecy suggested by stealthy with the crafty, evasive secrecy suggested by furtive.
Pronunciation tip: The traditional pronunciation of covert is KUH-vurt (like cover with
a t at the end). Until the 1960s, KUH-vurt was the only pronunciation recognized by
dictionaries. Since then the variant KOH-vurt has become so popular that several
dictionaries now list it first. Dictionaries still list KUH-vurt and many older educated
speakers prefer it out of respect for the word's tradition, which dates back to the 14th
century. Another popular variant, koh-VURT, is often not listed at all (and is best
avoided).
Those who preferto say KOH-vurt are not wrong; that pronunciation is now fully
standard (meaning "acceptable"). On the other hand, if you are not afraid to distinguish
yourself as a cultivated speaker at the risk of raising a few eyebrows, then consider using
the traditional pronunciation, KUH-vurt.
39. EXEMPLARY (eg-ZEM-pluh-ree)
Worthy of imitation, praiseworthy, commendable, serving as a model of excellence,
appropriateness, or correctness.
Synonyms: ideal, admirable, meritorious, estimable, laudable (Level 4, Word 25).
Antonyms: shameful, disreputable, contemptible, deplorable, ignominious, odious,
heinous (HAY-nus).
Etymology: Exemplary comes from the same Latin source as the word example. By
derivation, something exemplary sets an example, and is therefore worthy of imitation.
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
40. IMPECCABLE (im-PEK-uh-buul)
(1) Perfect, faultless, flawless; free from faults or imperfections.
(2) Unable to do wrong, incapable of sin.
Synonyms: unimpeachable, irreproachable.
Antonyms: reprehensible, censurable, culpable.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the words impeccable, immaculate, and infallible.
Etymology: Impeccable combines the privative prefix in-, meaning "not," with the Latin
peccare, to make a mistake, do wrong, blunder, sin. By derivation, impeccable means not
able to make a mistake, incapable of sinning or doing wrong; hence, perfect, faultless.
N.B. When the prefix in- is attached to a word beginning with the letter B, P, or M, the N
changes to an M: imbalanced means not balanced; impossible means not possible; and
immutable means not mutable, not changeable, fixed. When the prefix inappears before a
word beginning with L or R, the N changes to an L or an R: illogical means not logical;
irreproachable means not reproachable, without fault or blame. These alterations in the
spelling of the prefix in- have occurred to make these and dozens of other analogous
words easier to pronounce.
Additional useful words: fallible (FAL-i-buul), capable of error or likely to be wrong;
macula (MAK-yuh-luh), a spot or stain, specifically a blemish on the skin or a sunspot;
maculate (MAKyuh-lit), stained, blemished, impure, corrupt; peccadillo (PEK-uh-DILoh),
a small sin, minor fault or flaw; peccant (PEK-int), guilty, sinful, culpable; and
peccable (PEK-uh-buul), liable to sin or do wrong.
* * * * *
N.B. At this point in the program there is a "Word to the Wise" on commonly mispronounced
words. This discussion covers the preferred pronunciations for the following words:
•respite: RES-pit, not ruh-SPYT. (Respite means "an interval of rest or relief; a lull, hiatus.")
•program: PROH-gram, not PROH-grum.
Take care not to slur the second syllable, -gram.
•influence, not influence
•affluent, not affluent
•superfluous, not superfluous
•preferable, not preferable
•comparable, not compairable
•formidable, not formidable
•integral, not integral
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
•hospitable, not hospitable
•applicable, not applicable
•exquisite, not exquisite
•err: Traditionally, UR (rhymes with sir); now commonly AIR (rhymes with hair).
•negotiate, negotiation: ne-GOH-shee-ayt, ne-GOH-shee-AY-shin. The third syllable in
these words should be pronounced -shee-, not -see-.
•controversial: KAHN-truh-VUR-shuul, not KAHN-truh-VUR-see-ul. The word should have
four (not five) syllables, with the final syllable pronounced -shuul (rhymes with pull).
•species: SPEE-sheez, not SPEE-seez.
The discussion of pronunciation is followed by a look at these commonly confused words:
imply, infer
To imply is to suggest, hint, indicate indirectly. To infer means to deduce, conclude, draw
a conclusion. Someone who implies throws out a hint, a suggestion; someone who infers catches
that suggestion and makes a conclusion, deduction.
disinterested, uninterested
The words are not synonymous or interchangeable. Uninterested means not interested,
unconcerned. Disinterested means impartial, unbiased, not influenced by selfish motives: a
disinterested judge.
anxious, eager
Take care not to use anxious when you mean eager. Anxious means full of anxiety,
worried, nervous, concerned. Eager means showing keen interest or impatient desire.
Wrong: "Mike is anxious to see the new movie"; "Amanda was anxious to get a promotion."
Right: "Mike is eager to see the new movie, but anxious about whether he'll be able to get a
good seat"; "Amanda was eager to get a promotion, but anxious about handling the greater
responsibility of the job."
* * * * *
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
41. ATTEST (uh-TEST)
(1) To affirm to be true, genuine, or correct; certify or authenticate officially; stand as
proof or evidence of.
(2) To bear witness to, give testimony.
Etymology and related words: Attest comes from the Latin ad, to, and testari, to bear
witness, and ultimately from testis, a witness, the source also of the words testify;
testimony; testimonial; testator (TES-tay-tur), a person who has made a valid will; and
intestate (in-TES-tayt), not having made a legal will.
42. COPIOUS (KOH-pee-us)
Abundant, plentiful, large in amount or number.
Synonyms: ample, bountiful, profuse.
Antonyms: scanty, meager, sparse, paltry.
Etymology and related word: Copious comes from the Latin copia, abundance, plenty,
the source also of the English word cornucopia, a horn of plenty, hence, any overflowing
stock or supply.
43. FALLACIOUS (fuh-LAY-shus)
False, misleading, deceptive, invalid, based on a fallacy.
Synonyms: erroneous, spurious, untenable, illusory, sophistical.
Related words: A fallacy is a false or misleading idea or statement, an argument that
violates the laws of reasoning. Sophistry (Level 4, Word 20) refers to reasoning that
deliberately uses fallacies (misleading arguments) to confuse or deceive.
Etymology: Fallacy and fallacious come from the Latin fallere, to deceive, lead astray.
44. STOIC (STOH-ik)
Showing no feelings, unemotional, unaffected by pleasure or pain, bearing pain or
suffering without complaint.
Synonyms: impassive, dispassionate, indifferent, apathetic, placid, languid, phlegmatic,
imperturbable.
Antonyms: ardent, vehement, zealous, fervid, fervent (Level 3, Word 24).
Corresponding noun: stoicism, indifference to pleasure or pain.
Etymology: Stoic and stoicism come from the Greek stoa, a porch or covered walkway -
specifically, the famous Painted Porch in ancient Athens where the philosophical doctrine
of Stoicism was born.
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
45. RECRIMINATION (ri-KRIM-i-NAY-shin)
A countercharge or counter accusation.
Etymology: Recrimination combines the prefix re-, which means "back" or "again," with
the Latin verb criminari, to accuse, bring a charge against, and means literally to accuse
in return, accuse again.
Corresponding noun: recriminate, to bring a countercharge against, denounce in return.
Corresponding adjective: recriminative or recriminatory.
46. AFFINITY (uh-FIN-i-tee)
(1) Close resemblance or relationship; a strong likeness, similarity, or connection.
Synonyms: kinship, correspondence, compatibility, consanguinity.
(2) A natural attraction to, or liking for, a person or thing.
Synonyms: penchant (Level 3, Word 9), propensity, proclivity.
47. VOLATILE (VAHL-uh-tuul)
(1) Changeable, unstable, inconstant, likely to change or shift rapidly and unpredictably.
Synonyms: fickle, flighty, capricious (Level 1, Word 11), erratic, protean, mercurial.
Antonyms: stable, fixed, steadfast, invariable, immutable, quiescent (Level 3, Word 22).
N.B. Volatile, which entered English in the early 1600s, has a volatile history, full of
many shifts and changes in meaning. The word may also mean:
(a) evaporating quickly, easily vaporized;
(b) fleeting, vanishing swiftly, transient, ephemeral;
(c) lighthearted, lively and carefree, whimsical, prone to flights of fancy;
(d) explosive, likely to erupt into violence.
Etymology and related word: Volatile comes from the Latin volare, to fly, and its
original meaning was "flying" or "having the power to fly." Today volatile is rarely used
in this sense, and instead we have the word volant (VOH-lint), from the same Latin
volare, to fly. Volant means flying, able to fly, or quick, nimble, agile.
Memory and usage tip: Remember that in all of its senses volatile describes that which
can swiftly fly away from one condition or mood into another.
Corresponding noun: volatility.
Pronunciation tip: The pronunciation VAH-luh-tyl (-tyl like tile) is British.
Verbal Advantage
Level Four
48. SQUALID (SKWAH-lid)
Dirty and run-down as a result of poverty or neglect, foul or filthy from lack of care,
wretched, miserable, degraded.
Synonyms: seedy, unkempt, dilapidated, slovenly (see also abject, Level 5, Word 50).
Antonyms: unsullied, immaculate, pristine.
Corresponding noun: squalor, filthiness, foulness, degradation; a wretched, miserable
condition resulting from poverty or neglect.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes between the adjectives squalid and sordid.
49. EXPEDITE (EKS-puh-dyt)
To speed up, hasten, facilitate, accelerate the progress of, handle or perform quickly and
efficiently.
Antonyms: delay, postpone, hinder, retard, slacken, protract (Level 3, Word 25).
Etymology: Expedite comes from the Latin verb expedire, to set free, disentangle, get
ready for action.
50. ABJECT (AB-jekt or ab-JEKT)
Degraded, brought low in condition or status; hence, lacking self-respect, contemptible,
wretched.
Synonyms: debased, despicable, ignoble, groveling, servile, squalid (Level 4, Word 48).
Antonyms: noble, dignified, lofty, majestic, eminent, illustrious.
Corresponding noun: abjection, a degraded, wretched, contemptible state.
Etymology: In Middle English abject meant "outcast." The word comes ultimately from
the Latin ab, meaning "away" or "off," and the verb jacere, to throw, and means literally
"thrown away, cast off."
* * * * *
N.B. Level Four ends with a discussion of the acceptability of the use of done to mean finished,
completed, as in "I'm just trying to get the job done," concluding on the basis of overwhelming
linguistic evidence that this usage is informal but not incorrect.
* * * * *VERBAL ADVANTAGE
Level V
B y C h a r l e s H a r r i n g t o n E l s t e r
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
With Pronunciations, Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Information Listed in Order of
Presentation, by Level and Number. The abbreviation N.B. stands for the Latin nota bene
and means "note well, take good note of.
N.B. Level Five begins with an overview of the subject of pronunciation. Following is a
summary of some of the main points - three things you can do, starting now, that will improve
your speech:
(1) pay closer attention to how other people speak;
(2) make sure to check the pronunciation of every word you look up in the dictionary; and
(3) learn how to interpret diacritical marks-the symbols dictionaries use to indicate
pronunciation.
(The discussion covers the macron, breve, schwa, dieresis, and circumflex, as well as stress or
accent marks.)
Watch out for these common mispronunciations:
•height with kite, not HYTH (like high plus -th).
•wash Don't insert an R and say wash
•mischievous MIS-chuh-vus (three syllables), not mis-CHEE-vee-us (four syllables).
•accurate AK-yuh-rit, not AK-ur-it.
•drowned One syllable, rhyming with sound, not DROWN-did (two syllables).
•idea Say eye-DEE-uh, not eye-DEER.
•irrelevant Say i-REL-uh-vint, not i-REV-uh-lint.
•jewelry Say JOO-wuul-ree, not JOO-luh-ree.
•theater Say TREE-uh-tur, not thee-AY-tur.
•nuclear Say NOO-klee-ur, not NOO-kyuh-lur.
•admirable Say ADmirable, not adMIRable.
•formidable Say FORmidable, not forMIDable.
•comparable Say COMparable, not comPAIRable.
•impotent Say IM-puh-tent, not im-POH-tent.
•disparate Say DIS-puh-rit, not dis-PAR-it.
•gondola Say GON-duh-luh, not gahn-DOH-luh.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
•influence Say INfluence, not inFLUence.
•superfluous Say soo-PURF-loo-us, not soo-pur-FLOO-us
Take care to eschew (avoid, shun) these two bad habits:
(1) Don't invent your own pronunciations or guess how a word is pronounced.
(2) Don't blindly imitate other people's pronunciation. When in doubt, go to the dictionary.
1. VOLUBLE (VAHL-yuh-buul)
Talkative, talking much and easily, characterized by a great and continuous flow of
words.
Synonyms: long-winded, glib (Level 3, Word 8), garrulous (Level 4, Word 8),
loquacious, verbose (Level 2, Word 30), effusive.
Antonyms: reticent, terse (Level 3, Word 3), laconic (Level 3, Word 18), taciturn.
2. COMMISERATE (kuh-MIZ-uh-rayt)
To sympathize, feel or express sympathy, show sorrow or pity for.
Synonym: condole.
Usage tip: Commiserate is often followed by with: "They commiserated with her."
3. DILEMMA (di-LEM-uh)
A predicament; specifically, a predicament in which one must choose between equally
undesirable alternatives.
Synonyms: quandary (Level 3, Word 27), quagmire.
Usage tip: Dilemma is often used today of any difficult problem or troublesome
situation, but many good writers and speakers object to that as loose usage. Strictly
speaking, dilemma should be used only of situations in which one faces a choice between
equally undesirable alternatives. Officials often face the dilemma of either voting for
what their constituents want and going against their conscience, or voting their
conscience and losing the support of their constituents.
4. TRANSITORY (TRAM-si-tor-ee or TRAN-zi-for-ee)
Passing, temporary, fleeting, not permanent or enduring.
Synonyms: transient (Level 2, Word 31), ephemeral (Level 4, Word 12), evanescent.
Etymology and related words: Transitory, transient, transit, and transition all come
from the Latin transire, to go or pass over.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
5. PHILANTHROPIC (FIL-an-THRAHP-ik)
Charitable, benevolent, humane; motivated by or done out of a desire to help or improve
the welfare of others.
Corresponding noun: philanthropy.
Etymology and related words: Philanthropy and philanthropic both come from the
Greek philein, to love (as in philosophy, literally "love of wisdom," and philharmonic,
literally "loving or devoted to music"), and anthropos, man (as in anthropology, the study
of mankind, of human customs, habits, and traditions, and anthropomorphic, shaped like
or resembling a man or human being).
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the words philanthropic, humanitarian, altruistic, and
charitable, all of which mean "helping others."
6. LETHARGY (LETH-ur-jee)
Lack of energy, sluggishness, dullness; an abnormally dull, drowsy, inactive condition or
state of mind.
Synonyms: apathy, stupor, torpor, somnolence, lassitude, languor, stupefaction.
Corresponding adjective: lethargic.
7. EXONERATE (eg-ZAHN-uh-rayt)
To free from blame; free from a charge or the imputation of guilt; declare blameless or
innocent.
Synonyms: acquit, absolve, exculpate (ek-SKUHLpayt or EKS-kul-payt).
Etymology: Exonerate combines the Latin ex-, out, with onus, a burden; in modern
usage, removing the burden of guilt.
8. PUGNACIOUS (puhg-NAY-shus)
Given to fighting, combative, quarrelsome, ready and willing to fight.
Synonyms: contentious, belligerent, bellicose.
Antonyms: peaceable, clement (Level 2, Word 43), amicable.
Etymology: Pugnacious comes from the Latin pugnare, to box, fight with the fists, ready
to put up his dukes.
9. CONTRITION (kun-TRISH-in)
Remorse, penitence, repentance, deep and devastating sorrow for one's sins or for
something one has done wrong.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
10. ABROGATE (AB-ruh-gayt)
To abolish by legal or authoritative action or decree.
Synonyms: cancel, revoke, repeal, annul, nullify, rescind (Level 3, Word 31).
11. OFFICIOUS (uh-FISH-us)
Meddlesome, nosy, intrusive, interfering, prying; specifically, offering unwanted advice
or unnecessary services, especially in a highhanded, overbearing way.
Related word: quidnunc (KWID-nungk), a busybody, nosy person.
12. INTRACTABLE (in-TRAK-tuh-buul)
Hard to manage or control, stubborn, unruly.
Antonyms: obedient, compliant, malleable (Level 2, Word 29), docile, tractable.
Etymology and related words: The antonyms tractable and intractable, and the familiar
words traction and tractor, come from the Latin tractare, to drag around, haul; also, to
manage, control.
13. ALTRUISM (AL-troo-iz'm)
Selflessness, unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
Antonym: egoism, self-centeredness; specifically, the doctrine that self-interest is the
proper goal of the individual.
Usage tip: Egoism is distinguished from egotism, which denotes extreme selfinvolvement,
excessive reference to oneself in speech or writing.
Corresponding noun: altruist, a person who puts the needs of others and of society first.
14. ACCOLADE (ak-uh-LAYD, but see tip below)
An award; sign of respect or esteem; expression of praise; mark of acknowledgment;
anything done or given as a token of appreciation or approval.
Etymology: Accolade comes from the Latin accollare, to embrace, which comes in turn
from ad-, meaning "to," and collum, the neck, the source of the word collar. Originally,
an accolade was an embrace, specifically the ritual embrace used in conferring
knighthood.
Pronunciation tip: Accolade may also acceptably be pronounced AK-uh-layd, ak-uh-
LAHD, and AKuh-lahd.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
15. VERNACULAR (vur-NAK-yuh-lur)
The native language of a people; especially, the common, everyday, informal language of
ordinary people.
Corresponding adjective: vernacular, of or pertaining to the common, everyday
language of ordinary people; also, native as opposed to foreign.
Related expression: "In the vernacular" means in ordinary and unpretentious language.
N.B. The vernacular comprises all language that is common and informal, any word or
expression that ordinary people use-whether it is considered bad or good, acceptable or
improper.
16. JUDICIOUS (joo-DISH-us)
Wise and careful, having or showing sound judgment.
Synonyms: sensible, levelheaded, prudent (Level 1, Word 47), discreet.
Antonyms: thoughtless, foolhardy, impetuous, temerarious.
Etymology and related words: From the Latin judex, a judge, and judicare, to judge,
pass judgment, we inherit the words judge, judgment, judicial, judiciary, and judicious.
Spelling tip: Judge has an E at the end, but in American English there is no E in the
middle of the word judgment (the British spell it judgement).
17. CHRYSALIS (KRIS-uh-lis)
(1) The pupa of a butterfly; the stage during which the insect is enclosed in a case or
cocoon.
(2) A sheltered and undeveloped state or stage of being.
18. GENTEEL (jen-TEEL)
Refined, polite, well-bred, sophisticated; elegantly stylish or fashionable; pertaining or
belonging to high society.
Usage tip: In current usage genteel often suggests an excessive or affected refinement.
19. JOVIAL (JOH-vee-u1)
Merry, full of good humor, hearty and fun-loving, jolly.
Synonyms: sociable, jolly, convivial (Level 5, Word 46).
Etymology: Jovial comes from the name Jove (also Jupiter), the chief deity in Roman
mythology, called Zeus by the ancient Greeks. Jove was renowned for his love of
feasting and merriment.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
20. SUBTERFUGE (SUHB-tur-fyooj)
A deception, trick, underhanded scheme.
Synonyms: stratagem, artifice, ruse (rhymes with fuse and choose).
Usage tip: Subterfuge applies to any secret or illicit plan or activity designed to conceal a
motive, escape blame, or avoid something unpleasant.
Pronunciation tip: Don't soften the G and say SUHB-tur-fyoozh. The fuge should rhyme
with huge.
* * * * *
N.B. At this point in the program there is a discussion of the formation of English plurals for
certain problematic words derived from Latin and Greek, such as octopus, and whether to use a
singular or plural verb with the words media, data, and bacteria.
Pronunciation tip: The word process is pronounced PRAH-ses (the pronunciation PROHses is
British), and the plural processes should be pronounced PRAH-ses-siz, not PRAH-ses-seez.
* * * * *
21. EBULLIENCE (i-BUHL-yints or i-BUUL-yints)
Lively enthusiasm, high spirits, bubbly excitement.
Synonyms: exuberance, exhilaration, effervescence.
Etymology and related words: The Latin ebullire, to boil, bubble, is the source of the
English words ebullition, ebullient, and ebullience.
Pronunciation tip: In the words ebullience and ebullient, the second syllable, -bul-,
may be pronounced either like bul- in bulk or in bull.
22. IMPERVIOUS (im-PUR-vee-us)
Impenetrable, incapable of being entered or passed through; hence, unable to be moved
or affected by something.
Synonyms: impassable, impermeable, opaque.
Antonyms: penetrable, passable, accessible, permeable, translucent, diaphanous.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
23. REMONSTRATE (ruh-MAHN-strayt)
To object, protest, reprove, rebuke, argue or plead against.
Synonym: expostulate
24. EFFACE (i-FAYS)
(1) To rub out, wipe out, erase.
(2) To withdraw from notice, make oneself inconspicuous.
Synonyms: obliterate, expunge.
Usage tip: Take care to distinguish efface and deface, to spoil the appearance of, ruin,
disfigure,
25. CHIMERA (ky-MEER-uh, also ki-MEER-uh)
A foolish fancy, fantastic notion or idea, figment of the imagination.
Synonyms: whimsy, crotchet, maggot, caprice.
Etymology: In Greek mythology, the Chimera was a fire-breathing monster with the
head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. In modern usage chimera may
refer to that fabulous creature or to any absurd and fabulous creation of the mind.
Corresponding adjective: chimerical, imaginary, fantastic, preposterous, absurd.
26. INCORRIGIBLE (in-KOR-ij-uh-buul)
(1) Bad beyond correction or reform, hopeless, irreformable.
Synonyms: irredeemable, irreclaimable, unrepentant, inveterate, unregenerate.
(2) Unruly, unmanageable, difficult to control.
Synonyms: obstinate (Level 1, word 34), willful, intractable.
Antonym: corrigible, capable of being corrected, amended, or reformed.
27. JUXTAPOSE (juks-tuh-POHZ)
To place side by side or close together, especially so as to compare or contrast.
Etymology and related words: Juxtapose comes from the Latin juxta, near, close by,
and ponere, to put, place, the source also of position and posit (PAH-zit), to put forward
as true, set down as a fact.
Corresponding noun: juxtaposition.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
28. CONVERSANT (kun-VUR-sint)
Familiar, acquainted, well-informed or well-versed.
Etymology and related words: Conversant comes from the Latin conversari, to
associate with, the source also of converse and conversation.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the synonyms conversant and versed.
29. ESOTERIC (ES-o-TER-ik)
Intended for or designed to be understood only by a select group, known only by a few
people; hence, not public, secret, confidential.
Synonyms: mysterious, impenetrable, inscrutable (Level 3, Word 48), cryptic, abstruse,
arcane, recondite (REK-un-dyt).
Antonyms: plain, apparent, accessible, manifest, discernible (Level 3, Word 32), lucid
(Level 3, Word 45), perspicuous. The direct antonym is exoteric.
30. AUSPICIOUS (aw-SPISH-us)
Favorable, fortunate; marked by favorable circumstances or good fortune; conducive to
success; boding well.
Synonym: propitious.
Etymology: Latin auspicium, the act of predicting the future by observing the flight of
birds (from avis, bird, and specere, to look at, observe)
* * * * *
N.B. At this point in the program there is a discussion of the word unique.
Interesting words noted: rhinolalia (RY-nuh-LAY-lee-uh), an abnormally strong nasal tone in
a person's speech; echolalia (EK-uh-LAY-lee-uh), the habit of repeating what other people say.
* * * * *
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
31. ITINERANT (eye-TIN-ur-int)
Wandering, traveling about, moving from place to place, especially to perform work.
Synonyms: migratory, wayfaring, vagrant, nomadic, ambulatory, peripatetic (Level 9,
Word 47).
Etymology and related words: Itinerant and itinerary come from the Late Latin verb
itinerari, to travel, go on a journey. An itinerary is a route or course taken on a journey,
especially a detailed plan or list of places to visit while traveling.
Corresponding noun: Itinerant, an itinerant person, a wanderer, wayfarer, someone who
travels from place to place.
Usage tip: Itinerary and agenda are not synonymous. An agenda is a list of things to be
done or dealt with, especially a list of items to be addressed in a meeting. An itinerary is
a list of places to go, a detailed plan for a journey.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the words itinerant, nomadic, vagrant, and
ambulatory all of which mean moving or traveling about.
32. CULL (KUHL, rhymes with gull)
To pick out, select from various sources, gather, collect.
Etymology and related words: Cull comes from the Latin colligere, to gather, the
source also of collect and collection.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the verbs cull and glean.
33. PROMULGATE (pruh-MUHL-gayt or PRAHM-ul-gayt)
To make known, publish, proclaim, make public in an official manner.
Synonyms: announce, advertise, broadcast, disseminate, bruit (like brute). All these
words suggest bringing something to the attention of the public, making it widely known.
Corresponding nouns: promulgation, the act of making something public or widely
known; promulgator, a person who makes something widely known, who proclaims or
publicizes it.
Etymology and usage: Promulgate comes from the Latin promulgare, to publish,
proclaim. The word applies chiefly to making something known in a formal or official
way.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
34. GRATUITOUS (gruh-T(Y)OO-i-tus)
(1) Free; given without charge or obligation.
(2) Without legitimate cause or reason; uncalledfor, unjustified, baseless, unwarranted.
Etymology and related words: Gratuitous comes from the Latin gratuitus, meaning not
paid for, unprovoked, or spontaneous. From the same source come gratis (rhymes with
lattice), free, without charge, and gratuity, a gift or favor given in return for a service.
Usage tip: This discussion concludes with an admonition to avoid the redundant phrases
"free gift" (all gifts are free) and "toll-free 800 number" (all 800 numbers are tollfree),
and to drop the unnecessary for in the illogical phrase "for free." (You get something
either free or for nothing, not for free.)
Interesting word: joculism (as defined by William Safire, language columnist for The
New York Times), "a word or phrase intended to be an amusing error that is taken up as
accurate by the unwary."
35. NOMENCLATURE (NOH-men-KLAY-chur)
A system of names, especially a system of names used in a science, art, or branch of
knowledge.
Etymology and related word: Nomenclature combines the Latin nomen, name, with
calare, to call. From the same source comes nomenclator (NOH-men-KLAY-tur),
originally (in ancient Rome) an attendant who informed candidates for office of the
names of the persons they met; in modern usage, a person who assigns names in
scientific classification.
36. DROLL (rhymes with coal and hole)
Amusing, humorous, comical; especially, funny or witty in an odd or outrageous way.
Synonyms: ridiculous, ludicrous, farcical, waggish.
Antonyms: sober, sedate, staid (rhymes with fade), austere (Level 3, Word 17).
Corresponding noun: drollery.
37. INSATIABLE (in-SAY-shuh-buul)
Greedy, hungry, unable to be satisfied or appeased.
Synonyms: ravenous, voracious, unquenchable, unappeasable.
Antonym: satiable, capable of being satisfied.
Etymology and related words: From the Latin satis, enough, sufficient, English has
inherited the words insatiable, satiable, satisfy, and satiate, to satisfy completely or
somewhat to excess;and satiety, a state of excessive gratification, satisfaction beyond
what one normally desires.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
38. BEGUILE (bi-GYL, rhymes with a smile)
(1) To deceive, delude, or mislead.
Synonyms: dupe, gull, hoodwink, swindle, bamboozle, ensnare, cozen (pronounced like
cousin).
(2) To charm, amuse, or delight.
Synonyms: enchant, enrapture, enthrall, ensorcel (en-SOR-sul).
Etymology: The prefix be- at the beginning of the verb to beguile is an intensifier
meaning "completely, thoroughly," as in besmirch, befuddle, and beware. The word guile
(craftiness, deceit, treacherous cunning) comes through Old French probably from an Old
English word meaning sorcery or divination.
39. VINDICTIVE (vin-DIK-tiv)
Seeking or wanting revenge, vengeful, characterized by a desire to get even.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the synonyms vengeful and vindictive.
Related word: retribution, repayment in the form of punishment in return for a wrong.
40. REPLETE (ri-PLEET)
Fully or richly supplied, well-stocked, chock-full, filled to capacity.
Synonyms: stuffed, crammed, gorged, abounding, brimming, teeming, laden,
surfeited.
Etymology and related words: Replete comes from the Latin replere, to refill, fill
again, from reagain, and plere, to fill. From the Latin plere and the adjective plenus,
full, come the English words plenty, plentiful, plenitude, an abundance, ample
amount, and plenary (PLEE-nuh-ree), full or complete in all respects.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the words replete and fraught.
Usage tip: Replete and complete are not synonymous or interchangeable. Complete
means lacking nothing, having all necessary elements, ingredients, or parts: a
complete set of encyclopedias. Replete means well-stocked, fully or richly supplied:
a river replete with fish.
41. PRECLUDE (pri-KLOOD)
To prevent, make impossible, exclude or shut off all possibility of something
happening.
Synonyms: avert, obviate, forestall.
Antonyms: incite, instigate, engender.
Etymology: Latin prae-, before, and claudere, to shut, close up.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
42. CASTIGATE (KAS-ti-gayt)
To punish or criticize severely.
Synonyms: chasten, chastise, rebuke, reprimand, reprove, censure (Level 3, Word 28).
Antonyms: approve, reward, praise, commend, laud, extol, eulogize.
N.B. This discussion distinguishes the verbs to castigate, to chasten, and to chastise (the
corresponding noun, chastisement, may be pronounced either CHAS-tiz-mint or chas-
TYZ-mint.)
Corresponding noun: castigation.
43. COLLOQUIAL (kuh-LOH-kwee-ul)
Conversational; pertaining to, characteristic of, or used in spoken language; hence,
informal, casual, natural.
Etymology and related words: Colloquial comes from the Latin loqui, to speak,
converse-the source also of loquacious, extremely talkative, a synonym of garrulous
(Level 4, Word 8); colloquy (KAHLuh-kwee), a conversation-specifically, a formal or
intellectual discussion; and colloquium (kuh-LOHkwee-um), a conference or meeting for
discussion.
Corresponding noun: colloquialism, a colloquial expression; a bit of vernacular
language; a word or phrase used in common, everyday, informal speech.
Dictionary usage tip: When you see the abbreviation coll. or colloq. in a dictionary, it
means colloquial, appropriate to or characteristic of informal speech.
Colloquial usage tip: Avoid the expression "I could care less"; instead say "I could not
care less." If you can care less, that means you still have some caring left in you; if you
cannot care less, then you do not care at all.
N.B. This discussion concludes with an exploration of the nature of colloquial speech and
colloquialisms.
44. OBFUSCATE (uhb-FUHS-kayt or AHB-fuh-skayt)
To make obscure, cloud over, darken, make unclear or indistinct.
Synonyms: confuse, complicate, muddle, bewilder, shroud, eclipse, adumbrate (ad-
UHMbrayt or AD-uhm-brayt).
Antonyms: expose, unveil, clarify, elucidate.
Corresponding noun: obfuscation.
Etymology: Latin obfuscare, to darken.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
45. FACILE (FAS'l, rhymes with castle
Easy, easily done; performed or achieved in an easy, effortless way; working or acting in
a smooth, free, and unrestrained manner.
Synonyms: quick, ready, fluent, nimble, dexterous, expert, adroit (Level 3, Word 41).
Antonyms: difficult, awkward, unwieldy, laborious, irksome, obstinate (Level 1, Word
34), onerous (Level 4, Word 13), intractable (Level 5, Word 12), refractory (ri-FRAKtuh-
ree).
Etymology and related words: facile, facility, and facilitate all come through the Latin
facilis, easy to do, from facere, to make or do.
46. CONVIVIAL (kun-VIV-ee-ul)
Sociable, merry, festive.
Synonyms: jovial (Level 5, Word 19), genial, companionable, affable, gregarious.
Antonyms: unsociable, reserved, solitary, aloof.
Etymology: Latin convivium, a feast, banquet, from con-, meaning "together," and
vivere, to live. By derivation convivial means gathering together to eat, drink, and be
merry.
47. ESCHEW (es-CHOO)
To avoid, shun, abstain from; keep away from something harmful, wrong, or distasteful.
Usage tip: Eschew has nothing to do with chewing-for which the fancy synonym is
mastication.
48. PRODIGIOUS (pruh-DIJ-us)
Enormous, huge, tremendous, immense; extraordinary in size, extent, force, or degree.
Synonyms: mammoth, monumental, colossal, gargantuan, elephantine (EL-uh-FAN-tin,
EL-uh-FAN-teen, or EL-uh-FAN-tyn, in order of preference), herculean (hur-KYOOlee-
in or HUR-kyoo-LEE-in), Brobdingnagian (BRAHB-ding-NAG-ee-in; antonym:
Lilliputian). The last four synonyms listed are discussed in detail.
Etymology and related word: Latin prodigiosus, strange, wonderful, marvelous, from
prodigium, an omen, portent, sign. From the same source comes prodigy, a person of
marvelous talent or wonderful ahilitv.
Verbal Advantage
Level Five
49. IDIOSYNCRASY (ID-ee-oh-SIN-kruh-see)
A peculiarity; distinctive characteristic of a person or group; an identifying trait or
mannerism.
N.B. This lesson distinguished the synonyms idiosyncrasy, eccentricity, and quirk, which
designate behavior that is peculiar or distinctive.
Corresponding adjective: idiosyncratic, peculiar, distinctive, odd.
50. APPROBATION (AP-roh-BAY-shin)
Approval, acceptance; especially, official approval or authorization.
Synonyms: commendation, endorsement, sanction, ratification, acclamation.
Antonyms: rejection, opposition, disapprobation, renunciation, repudiation, disavowal,
abjuration.
Etymology: Latin approbare, to approve.