by S L Ager
7 earnest (adj) serious and sincere; solemn, deep, heartfelt, devoted. (ant) insincere, superficial.
8 sorrow (n) a feeling of grief or sadness; anguish, regret, agony, remorse, heartbreak, distress. (ant) joy, cheer.
9 fond (adj) affectionate or loving; tender, warm, sentimental, caring, doting, mushy. (ant) unfeeling, uncaring.
10 klutz (n) a clumsy, awkward person; bungler, butterfingers, lummox, clod, oaf, lump. (ant) sharp cookie.
11 inspection (n) careful examination or scrutiny; evaluation, assessment, review, analysis. (ant) neglect.
12 consider (v) think about or look at carefully; acknowledge, regard, believe, judge, deem. (ant) disregard.
13 appeal (v) attract or interest; engage, draw, please, grab, allure, invite. (ant) discourage, repel, bore.
14 cherish (v) hold dear and protect; prize, treasure, adore, appreciate, value, revere, relish. (ant) neglect.
15 heirloom (n) anything inherited from ancestors; inheritance, bequest, heritage, legacy.
16 commence (v) begin; start, arise, launch, embark, kick off. (ant) cease, stop, conclude, end, terminate.
17 commotion (n) a noisy disturbance and confusion; pandemonium, uproar, tumult, hubbub. (ant) calm, peace.
18 chaos (n) total disorder and confusion; mayhem, bedlam, pandemonium, disarray. (ant) order, tranquillity.
19 threaten (v) state one’s intention to take hostile action; warn, menace, intimidate. (ant) protect, reassure.
20 barge (v) move forcefully or roughly; rush, charge, burst, surge, push, shove, jostle, elbow. (ant) pull, glide.
21 gloat (v) dwell on one’s own success with smug pleasure; revel, glory, smirk, crow. (ant) commiserate.
22 eclair (n) an oblong choux dough pastry filled with cream and topped with icing; cake, bun.
23 whinge (v) complain or whine in an irritating way; moan, gripe, bellyache, bleat. (ant) accept, agree.
24 tend (v) regularly or frequently behave in a certain way; be prone, be inclined, favour. (ant) shun, dislike.
25 irritate (v) make annoyed or slightly angry; aggravate, bother, vex, exasperate. (ant) soothe, pacify, appease.
26 streak (n) a thin line or mark on something; band, strip, smudge, smear, stroke, stripe.
27 grimace (v) make an ugly, twisted expression on one’s face; scowl, frown, smirk, pout. (ant) smile, grin.
28 grimy (adj) covered with or characterised by grime; dirty, grubby, encrusted, caked, soiled. (ant) clean, neat.
29 pout (v) thrust out or protrude the lips; pull together, purse, pucker. (ant) smile, grin.
30 flamboyant (adj) attracting attention by being lively and confident; showy, extravagant, glitzy. (ant) simple.
31 flourish (n) a bold or extravagant gesture or action; display, wave, shake, gesture, brandish.
32 despise (v) look down upon, view with contempt; hate, detest, loathe, spurn, deride. (ant) love, admire.
33 waver (v) become weaker or falter; fluctuate, change, hesitate, dither, shake, vary. (ant) continue, persist.
34 reserve (v) arrange something to be kept for the use of; book, secure, prearrange, retain.
35 theatre (n) a building or outdoor area in which dramatic performances are given; playhouse, auditorium.
36 revert (v) return to (a previous state, practice, topic); regress, lapse, revisit. (ant) develop, grow.
37 expensive (adj) costing a lot of money; dear, costly, pricey, steep. (ant) inexpensive, cheap.
38 scrounge (v) sponge on or live at the expense of others; beg, cadge, borrow, bum, solicit. (ant) offer, give.
39 snipe (v) make a sly or petty verbal attack; criticise, scoff, taunt, ridicule, jeer, dig. (ant) praise, applaud.
40 grand (adj) of high rank or behaving in a proud or dignified way; impressive, striking. (ant) unimpressive.
41 snare (v) entangle or entrap; trap, net, bag, land, lure, catch, capture, tempt, seduce. (ant) free, disenchant.
42 former (adj) denoting the first mentioned of two people or things; previous, preceding, earlier. (ant) latter.
43 charming (adj) very pleasant or attractive; appealing, charismatic, delightful, pleasing. (ant) unattractive.
44 latter (adj) denoting the second mentioned of two people or things; later, hindmost. (ant) former.
45 peevishness (n) spiteful or obstinate in character or behaviour; irritability, pettiness. (ant) pleasantness.
46 sophisticated (adj) having experience of life, fashion and culture; classy, refined. (ant) unrefined, naïve.
47 loathe (v) feel intense dislike or disgust for; hate, despise, abhor, detest, disdain, scorn. (ant) adore, love.
48 humble (adj) having a low estimate of one’s importance; modest, respectful. (ant) proud, arrogant.
49 persistent (adj) continuing firmly or over a prolonged period; tireless, unrelenting. (ant) irresolute, fleeting.
50 chant (n) a repeated rhythmic phrase; song, mantra, tune, shout, slogan, chorus.
51 jolt (v) give a surprise or shock to initiate (cause) a change or act; jar, nudge, push, jerk.
52 wake (n) disturbed air or water following behind something; aftermath, trail, path, track, furrow, wash, train.
53 racket (n) a loud, unpleasant noise; row, din, rumpus, clamour, commotion, uproar. (ant) silence, peace.
54 rhythm (n) a regular pattern of movement or sound; beat, cadence, flow, pace.
55 smirk (v) smile, but in a smug, conceited or silly way; grin, sneer, leer, simper.
56 square (v) bring (shoulders) into position for a difficult task; adjust, align, prepare, brace.
57 impatience (n) the tendency to be impatient; annoyance, irritation, exasperation. (ant) patience.
58 crescendo (n) the loudest point reached in a gradually increasing sound; peak, pinnacle. (ant) diminuendo.
59 impeccable (adj) having the highest standards; faultless, flawless, precise, accurate, exact. (ant) flawed.
60 yank (v) pull with a sudden, hard movement; tug, jerk, wrench, heave, haul. (ant) push, shove.
61 unwitting (adj) not aware; unknowing, unconscious, oblivious, ignorant. (ant) knowing, conscious.
62 grace (n) smoothness and elegance of movement; poise, finesse, agility, refinement. (ant) awkwardness.
63 triumphant (adj) great jubilation (joy) after a victory; celebratory, gleeful, elated, delighted. (ant) defeated.
64 vanquish (v) defeat thoroughly; conquer, crush, trounce, annihilate, beat. (ant) lose, surrender.
65 quote (n) a quotation (line) from a text or speech; extract, citation, reference, repetition, excerpt.
66 despite (prep) in spite of, regardless of; even though, even with, undeterred by. (ant) because of.
67 mutual (adj) having or experiencing the same thing as another; reciprocal, joint, shared. (ant) unshared.
68 pact (n) a formal agreement; deal, understanding, bond, alliance, bargain. (ant) disagreement.
69 defeated (adj) beaten in a conflict; conquered, vanquished, pulverised, overpowered. (ant) victorious.
70 swagger (v) walk or behave in a confident and arrogant (self-important) way; strut, parade, sway. (ant) creep.
71 nonchalant (adj) casual and relaxed; cool, calm, untroubled, unruffled, blasé. (ant) nervous, concerned.
72 outmanoeuvre (v) evade (avoid) an opponent using speed or agility; outwit, overcome, outdo.
73 magnanimous (adj) generous or forgiving; benevolent, indulgent, ungrudging. (ant) mean, petty, selfish.
74 fleeting (adj) lasting for a very short time; brief, momentary, sudden, transitory. (ant) lasting, permanent.
75 literally (adv) in a literal manner or sense; exactly, precisely, really, truly. (ant) figuratively, indirectly.
76 akin (adj) of the same character; similar, like, analogous, comparable. (ant) unlike, different, dissimilar.
77 galley (n) the kitchen in a ship or aircraft; kitchen, scullery, cook-room.
78 resemble (v) have a similar appearance to or qualities in common with; approximat
e, echo. (ant) differ.
79 disarray (n) a state of disorganisation or untidiness; mess, disorder, shambles. (ant) order, organisation.
80 miscellaneous (adj) of a group composed of different things; various, assorted, varied. (ant) same, identical.
81 abundance (n) a large quantity of something; plenty, myriad, plethora. (ant) lack, dearth, few, deficiency.
82 strew (v) scatter or spread things untidily; throw, cast, distribute, toss, litter. (ant) gather, assemble.
83 pampering (n) indulgence; spoiling, coddling, cosseting, gratification. (ant) abstinence.
84 debris (n) the remains of anything broken down or destroyed; waste, rubbish, detritus.
85 habitually (adv) by way of habit; usually, routinely, normally, customarily. (ant) seldom, rarely, unusually.
86 minimum (n) the least or smallest amount possible; lowest, minimal, fewest. (ant) maximum.
87 treacle (n) a thick, sticky dark syrup made from partly refined sugar; molasses, syrup, compound.
88 warrant (v) justify or necessitate (allow) a course of action; deserve, merit, demand.
89 government (n) the system by which a state is governed; administration, authority, regime. (ant) anarchy.
90 scrawled (adj) written in a hurried, careless way; dashed off, scribbled, doodled, squiggled, sketched.
91 barely (adv) only just, almost not; hardly, narrowly, scarcely. (ant) easily, amply, fully, profusely.
92 discarded (adj) thrown aside, as no longer useful or desirable; abandoned, dumped, ditched. (ant) retained.
93 almighty (adj) great or enormous; massive, supreme, mighty. (ant) weak, insignificant, feeble.
94 blithely (adv) in a blithe (carefree) manner; casually, carelessly, unthinkingly. (ant) anxiously, warily.
95 navigate (v) find the way, guide or steer; cross, traverse, direct, journey.
96 cereal (n) a breakfast food typically eaten with milk; grain, oats, corn.
97 suspiciously (adv) in a way that arouses suspicion or distrust; questionably, doubtingly.
98 gape (v) be or become wide open; part, split, separate, divide, yawn. (ant) close, shut.
99 translucent (adj) (of a substance) allowing light to pass through; clear, transparent, lucent. (ant) opaque.
100 limp (adj) lacking internal strength or structure, not stiff or firm; bendy, droopy, floppy. (ant) stiff, rigid.
101 edible (adj) fit to be eaten; eatable, appetising, palatable, comestible. (ant) inedible, unpalatable, poisonous.
102 shrivelled (adj) contracted, wrinkled or curled up; dehydrated, shrunk, withered. (ant) expanded, grown.
103 stale (adj) no longer fresh and pleasant to eat; decayed, dry, hard, old, spoiled, rank. (ant) fresh, edible.
104 morph (v) undergo a gradual process of transformation; convert, modify, transform. (ant) preserve, sustain.
105 indignant (adj) anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair; offended, disgruntled, irate. (ant) content.
106 totter (v) move in a feeble or unsteady way; falter, wobble, stagger, teeter, dodder. (ant) balance, stabilise.
107 incessant (adj) continuing without pause or interruption; non-stop, ceaseless, constant. (ant) ceasing.
108 stifle (v) restrain a reaction or stop oneself acting on an emotion; suppress, repress, curb. (ant) encourage.
109 snigger (v) laugh in a half-suppressed, typically scornful way; snicker, sneer, smirk. (ant) admire, applaud.
110 flutter (v) move with a light, irregular or trembling motion; beat, flap, wave, tremble, flicker.
111 toy (v) consider an idea or proposal casually or indecisively; contemplate, ponder, muse. (ant) decide.
112 fossilised (adj) preserved so that it becomes a fossil; calcified, petrified, ossified.
113 bitter (adj) painful or unpleasant to accept or contemplate; acrimonious, harsh, upsetting. (ant) agreeable.
114 absolute (adj) complete, total; utter, outright, entire, pure, sheer, downright. (ant) partial, uncertain.
115 reckoning (n) the act of calculating or estimating something; calculation, total, count, estimation, guess.
116 flag (v) draw attention to; indicate, highlight, signpost, signal, identify. (ant) ignore, conceal.
117 craftily (adv) in an indirect or deceitful way; shrewdly, cunningly, slyly. (ant) sincerely.
118 earshot (n) the distance within which one can hear or be heard; close range, hearing, range.
119 ounce (n) a small amount of; scrap, grain, jot, smidgen, iota, speck, bit, particle.
120 self-restraint (n) self-control; discipline, willpower, moderation, restraint. (ant) impulse, abandon.
121 clamp (v) fasten firmly together; clasp, brace, press, lock, hold, secure. (ant) open, release, unclamp.
122 glare (n) an angry or fierce stare; scowl, glower, frown, stare. (ant) grin, smile.
123 fabulous (adj) very good; wonderful, tremendous, magnificent, extraordinary. (ant) ordinary, normal, poor.
124 coo (v) make soft murmuring sounds; fuss, cluck, murmur.
125 chemically (adv) relating to chemical usage; synthetically. (ant) naturally.
126 wayward (adj) difficult to control; unruly, disobedient, rebellious, wilful, defiant. (ant) obedient, compliant.
127 whim (n) a quick or impulsive change of mind; impulse, urge, inclination, desire, fancy, notion. (ant) plan.
128 sibling (n) brother or sister.
129 inherit (v) receive something from someone after their death; acquire, receive, obtain.
130 eradicate (v) destroy or completely put an end to; eliminate, remove, abolish, expunge. (ant) preserve.
131 transform (v) markedly change something; alter, modify, convert, remodel, revamp. (ant) preserve, sustain.
132 lock (n) a piece of hair; strand, tress, curl, wisp, tendril.
133 unnoticed (adj) unseen; ignored, overlooked, disregarded, unobserved. (ant) seen, noticed.
134 exasperated (adj) irritated greatly; agitated, frustrated, annoyed, infuriated, incensed. (ant) pleased.
135 oasis (n) peaceful area or period amidst a difficulty; shelter, refuge, retreat, haven, sanctuary.
136 tranquillity (n) the quality or state of being tranquil; calm, serenity, peacefulness, lull. (ant) turmoil, agitation.
137 affluent (adj) having a great deal of money; wealthy, rich, prosperous, comfortable. (ant) poor, destitute.
138 camouflage (v) hide or disguise by means of camouflage; conceal, mask. (ant) reveal, show.
139 modern (adj) the most up to date and in fashion; current, contemporary, new. (ant) dated, outmoded.
140 dwelling (n) a house, flat or other place of residence; home, accommodation, abode, lodging, habitat.
141 pricey (adj) expensive; costly, dear, steep, exorbitant, overpriced. (ant) cheap, inexpensive, economical.
142 respite (n) a period of rest or relief from something difficult; break, interval, delay. (ant) continuation.
143 refer (v) describe or denote something as; signify, mean, indicate, allude, imply, state.
144 sarcastically (adv) in a sarcastic (mocking) way; ironically, cynically, derisively.
145 unconditionally (adv) in an unconditional (unlimited) way; absolutely, utterly. (ant) conditionally.
146 spoil (v) harm by being too soft or giving someone too much; ruin, indulge, pamper. (ant) neglect, deprive.
147 studious (adj) spending a lot of time studying or reading; academic, bookish, brainy. (ant) unscholarly.
148 lithe (adj) (especially of the body) thin, supple and graceful; agile, fit, nimble. (ant) dumpy, chubby, stiff.
149 inseparable (adj) (of people) unwilling to be separated; close, devoted, faithful, bosom. (ant) separable.
150 exude (v) display an emotion or quality strongly and openly; radiate, convey, ooze, emit. (ant) absorb.
151 epitome (n) a person or thing that is a perfect example of something; embodiment, essence. (ant) antithesis.
152 dictionary (n) something that lists words and their m
eanings; lexicon, wordbook, vocabulary, thesaurus.
153 definition (n) the exact meaning of a word (often in a dictionary); explanation, description.