Week 2  3/14

1.      Acoustic (adj.)

Meaning 1: of or relating to sound or to the sense of hearing of a musical instrument : not having its sound changed by electrical devices.

Meaning 2: made with or using acoustic instruments.

Sample sentence: She loves listening to acoustic folk music.

Synonyms: audial, audile, aural, auricular

Antonyms: nonauditory

 

2.      Deafening (adj.)

Meaning: extremely loud.

Sample sentence: It was the deafening roar of the planes that made me uncomfortable.

Synonyms: blaring, blasting, booming, clamorous, clangorous, loud, earsplitting, piercing, plangent, resounding, ringing,

Antonyms: gentle, low, soft

 

3.      Lethal (adj.)

Meaning: causing or able to cause death.

Sample sentence: He was sentenced to death by lethal injection.

Synonyms: baleful, deathly, fatal, fell, killer, deadly, mortal, murderous, pestilent, terminal, vital

Antonyms: healthful, healthy, nonfatal, nonlethal, wholesome

 

4.      Collar (n.) (v.)

Meaning 1: a part of a piece of clothing that fits around a person's neck and is usually folded down

Meaning 2: a band of leather, plastic, etc., worn around an animal's neck

Meaning 3: a ring or band used to hold something (such as a pipe or a part of a machine) in place

Meaning 4: to catch or arrest (someone)

Meaning 5: to stop (someone) in order to talk : to force (someone) to have a conversation

Sample sentence 1: He wore a shirt with a tight-fitting collar.

Sample sentence 2: She grabbed me by the collar.

Sample sentence 3: I bought a new collar for the dog.

Sample sentence 4: The police collared the guy a few blocks from the scene.

Sample sentence 5: He collared me on my way out the door.

Synonyms: choker, necklace, dog collar, lei

Antonyms: discharge

 

5.      Controversial (adj.)

Meaning: relating to or causing much discussion, disagreement, or argument : likely to produce controversy

Sample sentence 1: Abortion is a highly controversial subject.

Sample sentence 2: He is a controversial author.

Synonyms: argumentative, contentious, disputatious, hot-button

Antonyms: noncontroversial, safe, uncontroversial

 

6.      Affectionate (adv.)

Meaning: feeling or showing love and affection

Sample sentence: He is an affectionate child who gives hugs and kisses freely.

Synonyms: adoring, loving, devoted, fond, tender, tenderhearted

Antonyms: unloving

 

7.      Clamor (n.)

Meaning 1: a loud continuous noise (such as the noise made when many people are talking or shouting)

Meaning 2: a loud or strong demand for something by many people

Sample sentence 1: A clamor outside woke them in the night.

Sample sentence 2: There is growing clamor for reform.

Synonyms: howl, hubbub, hue and cry, hullabaloo, noise, outcry, roar, tumult, uproar, vociferation

Antonyms: quiet, silence, still, stillness

 

8.      Drudgery (n.)

Meaning: boring, difficult, or unpleasant work

Sample sentence: He hated the drudgery of his job.

Synonyms: donkeywork, drudge, fatigue, grind, labor, moil, slavery, sweat, travail

Antonyms: fun, play

 

9.      Shade (n.) (v.)

Meaning 1: an area of slight darkness that is produced when something blocks the light of the sun

Meaning 2: something that is used to block strong light

Meaning 3: a darkened area in a drawing, painting, etc.

Meaning 4: to shelter (something) from strong light and especially from sunlight

Meaning 5: to make an area in a drawing, on a graph, etc., darker than other areas

Meaning 6: to change (something, such as the truth) slightly in order to deceive people

Sample sentence 1: The buildings cast shade on the plaza.

Sample sentence 2: It was a hot sunny day, but luckily their seats for the game were in the shade.

Sample sentence 3: The article shaded the truth by revealing only one side of the story.

Synonyms: dusk, penumbra, shadiness, shadow, umbra, shadow

Antonyms: blaze, brightness, brilliance, day, daylight, glare, glow, light, lightness

 

10.  Strain (n.) (v.)

Meaning 1: to injure (a body part or muscle) by too much tension, use, or effort

Meaning 2: to try very hard to do or get something

Meaning 3: to be pulled or stretched in a forceful way

Sample sentence 1: Too much computer work strains the eyes.

Sample sentence 2: He strained a muscle in his leg.

Synonyms: pull, rack, stretch, wrench

Antonyms: loosen, slack, slacken

 

11.  Sway (n) (v)

Meaning 1: a slow movement back and forth

Meaning 2: a controlling force or influence

Meaning 3: to move slowly back and forth

Meaning 4: to cause (someone) to agree with you or to share your opinion

Sample sentence 1: The ancient Romans held sway over most of Europe.

Sample sentence 2: She persisted in her argument, but I wouldn't let her sway me.

Synonyms: impact, influence, mark, repercussion, effect

Antonyms: impotence, impotency, powerlessness

 

12.  Weed (n.) (v.)

Meaning 1: an obnoxious growth, thing, or person

Meaning 2: something like a weed in detrimental quality; especially :  an animal unfit to breed from

Meaning 3: to remove weeds from (an area of land, such as a garden)

Sample sentence: We need to weed the garden.

 

13.  Recount (v.)

Meaning 1: a second count of the votes in a very close election

Meaning 2: to count again

Sample sentence: The election was very close and the loser demanded a recount.

 

14.  Transplant (v.) (n.)

Meaning 1: to remove (a plant) from the ground or from a pot and move it to another place

Meaning 2: to move (a person or animal) to a new home

Meaning 3: a person who has moved to a new home especially in a different region or country

Sample sentence 1: The group transplanted the beavers to another part of the state.

Sample sentence 2: Doctors transplanted one of his kidneys into his sister.

 

15.  Proceed (v.)

Meaning 1: to continue to do something

Meaning 2: to continue being done

Meaning 3: to do something after you have done something else

Sample sentence 1: All passengers must proceed to the baggage claim area.

Sample sentence 2: After the interruption, she proceeded with her presentation.

Sample sentence 3: We will proceed according to plan.

Synonyms: advance, come, come along, do, fare, forge, get along

Antonyms: remain, stand, stay

 

16.  Wail (v.)

Meaning 1: to make a loud, long cry of sadness or pain

Meaning 2: to make a long, high sound

Meaning 3: to complain in a loud voice

Sample sentence 1: The child started wailing after she stumbled and fell.

Sample sentence 2: A saxophone wailed in the background.

Synonyms: fuss, gripe, grizzle, grouch, grouse, growl, grumble, grump

Antonyms: crow, delight, rejoice

 

17.  Writhe (v.)

Meaning: to twist your body from side to side

Sample sentence: She lay on the floor, writhing in pain.

Synonyms: interweave, lace, ply, twist, weave, wreathe, intertwine

Antonyms: braid, plait, plat, blend, fuse, join, link, mix

 

18.  Moan (n.) (v.)

Meaning 1: a long, low sound that someone makes because of pain, unhappiness, or physical pleasure

Meaning 2: a long, low sound

Meaning 3: a complaint about something

Meaning 4: to make a long, low sound because of pain, unhappiness, or physical pleasure

Meaning 5: to express unhappiness about something

Meaning 6: to say (something) in a way that shows pain or unhappiness

Sample sentence 1: She let out a long, deep moan.

Sample sentence 2: We were all moaning about the cold, rainy weather.

Sample sentence 3: The children were moaning and groaning all morning, but their mother would not let them go outside.

Antonyms: groan, wail

Synonyms: crow, delight, rejoice

 

19.  Pleading (n.)

Meaning 1: the act of asking for something in a serious and emotional way

Meaning 2: one of the formal, usually written statements made by the two sides of a legal case in a court of law

Sample sentence 1: I'm tired of their begging and pleading.

Sample sentence 2: Despite our pleadings to be allowed to leave, they kept us there for several more hours.

Antonyms: adjuration, appeal, conjuration, cry, desire, entreaty

Synonyms: application, requisition; call, claim, demand, insistence

 

20.  Poll (n.) (v.)

Meaning 1: an activity in which several or many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to get information about what most people think about something

Meaning 2: the record of votes that were made by people in an election

Meaning 3: the number of votes made in an election

Meaning 4: to ask (several or many people) a question or a series of questions in order to get information about what most people think about something

Meaning 5: to receive (a specified number or percentage of votes) in an election

Sample sentence 1: The magazine conducted a poll to find out the favorite 100 movies of all time.

Sample sentence 2: A recent poll shows a decrease in the number of teenagers who smoke.

Sample sentence 3: The conservative candidate polled more than 10,000 votes in the last election.

Synonyms: interview, canvass, solicit, survey

Antonyms: circularize; interrogate, question; feel (out), sound (out)

 

21.  Jerk (n.) (v.)

Meaning 1: a stupid person or a person who is not well-liked or who treats other people badly

Meaning 2: a quick pull or twist

Meaning 3: a sudden sharp movement

Meaning 4: to give a quick suddenly arrested push, pull, or twist to

Meaning 5: to propel or move with or as if with a quick suddenly arrested motion

Meaning 6: to mix and serve (as sodas) behind a soda fountain

Sample sentence 1: That jerk can't do anything right.

Sample sentence 2: The dead branch came loose after a few jerks.

Sample sentence 3: The car started with a jerk.

Synonyms: bastard, beast, bleeder [British], blighter [chiefly British], boor, bounder, bugger, buzzard

Antonyms: push

 

22.  Remedy (n.) (v.)

Meaning 1: a medicine or treatment that relieves pain or cures a usually minor illness

Meaning 2: a way of solving or correcting a problem

Meaning 3: to solve, correct, or improve (something)

Sample sentence 1: Building more roads isn't always the best remedy for traffic congestion.

Sample sentence 2: She was left without remedy since the court did not recognize her claim.

Sample sentence 3: The conflict can be remedied by scheduling the meeting for next week.

Synonyms: cure, drug, medicament, medication, medicinal, pharmaceutical, physic, medicine, specific

 

23.  Sob (v.) (n.)

Meaning 1: to cry noisily while taking in short, sudden breaths

Meaning 2: to say (something) while sobbing

Meaning 3: an act of sobbing

Meaning 4: a sound like that of a sob

Sentence 1: He began to sob uncontrollably.

Sentence 2: She could not stop sobbing.

Sentence 3: “I hate you,” she sobbed.

Synonyms: bawl, blub [chiefly British], blubber, cry, weep

Antonyms: scream, squall, wail, yowl; bleat, mewl, pule, whimper

 

24.  Propel (v.)

Meaning: to push or drive (someone or something) forward or in a particular direction

Sentence 1: He grabbed him and propelled him through the door.

Sentence 2: The train is propelled by steam.

Synonyms: drive, push, shove, thrust

Antonyms: bridle, check, constrain, contain, control, curb, inhibit

 

25.  Octave (n.)

Meaning: the difference in sound between the first and eighth note on a musical scale

Sentence: He sang the song an octave lower.