1. adj. courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to Synonyms: genial, amicable, agreeable, cordial Antonyms: surly, cantankerous, dour, inhospitable

2. v. To increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater Synonyms: augment, amplify, enhance, exalt Antonyms: reduce, decrease, diminish During World War II, Adolf Hitler was able to aggrandize himself because of his powerful rhetorical skills.

3. adj. shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization Synonyms: formless, unstructured, nebulous, inchoate Antonyms: definite, well-defined, clear-cut In science class, I made an amorphous glob of liquid that would turn into a solid if pressure was applied.

4.  ( n.) an original model on which something was patterned or replicated; the ideal example of a particular type of person or thing;  A recurrent symbol or motif in literature  Syn: model, prototype, epitome Gatsby’s love for Daisy embodies the archetype of long-lost love. Gatsby is an archetype of a “self- made” man.

5. n. That which surrounds (as an atmosphere); a distinctive air or personal quality Synonyms: ambience, atmosphere Despite his hard life, the child had an aura of kindness about him.

6. n. illegal traffic, smuggled goods; adj. illegal, prohibited Synonyms: illicit, bootleg, unlawful Antonyms: legal, lawful, licit During prohibition, many people sold contraband alcohol and made millions of dollars.

7. adj. scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic Synonyms: profoundly educated, well-read Antonyms: ignorant, uneducated, illiterate While Albert Einstein was extremely erudite, he also had a fun side.

8. adj. thin, light, delicate, insubstantial n. A very thin, light cloth Synonyms: filmy, diaphanous, sheer, airy, feathery, gauzy Antonyms: thick, dense, solid, massive Flower petals tend to be extremely gossamer, so one must handle the flowers with care.

9. (adj.) incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically Synonyms: impenetrable, incomprehensible, enigmatic Antonyms: comprehensible, intelligible, penetrable The inscrutable metal door sealed away the secrets behind it.

10. (adj.) relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated outlook or experience Synonyms: narrow-minded, parochial, provincial Antonyms: catholic, cosmopolitan, liberal The survivors became very insular after having been on the island for ten years.

11. (adj.) incapable of being changed or called back Synonyms: irreversible, unrecallable, unalterable Antonyms: reversible, changeable Prior to the removal surgery, getting a tattoo was an irrevocable decision.

12. (n.) a natural inclination or predilection toward Synonyms: natural bent, proclivity, penchant Antonyms: natural incapacity or inability I had a propensity for the decision of asking for directions rather than driving around aimlessly.

13. (adj.) peevish, complaining, fretful Synonyms: petulant, touchy, cranky, irritable Antonyms: uncomplaining, stoical, serene, placid The children were quite querulous on the road trip to their grandma’s house.

14. (V.) to argue or plead with someone against something, protest against, object to. When Elizabeth began to remonstrate with Annie about our project, I quickly interceded so as to not have them cause any problems in the group. Synonyms: reason against, expostulate

15. (V.) to disown, reject, or deny the validity of After making a false accusation, I had to repudiate my earlier statement to set things straight. Synonyms: disavow, abjure, renounce Antonyms: avow, affirm, aver, avouch.

16. (Adj.) able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly Synonyms: springy, elastic, buoyant, bouncy Antonyms: rigid, stiff, inflexible, unyielding. After the biking accident, resilient Emily was able to compete in the race after just two weeks of recovery.

17. (V.) to re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly The choirs’ singing reverberated off of the walls of the enormous church. Synonyms: rumble, thunder, boom, echo

18. (Adj.) Coarsely abusive, vulgar or low (especially in language), foul mouthed Synonyms: obscene, filthy, abusive, vituperative Antonyms: decorous, seemly, tasteful, dignified His scurrilous words left me frozen with my mouth hanging open.

19. (Adj.) persistent, showing industry and determination Synonyms: assiduous, tireless, indefatigable Antonyms: lackadaisical, listless, indolent, otiose She was a very sedulous student and turned in all of her work on time.

20. (Adj.) thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethically low, mean, or disreputable. Synonyms: inferior, cheesy, tawdry, tatty Antonyms: superior, first- rate, quality, sturdy The sleazy news reporter was so desperate that he took a random picture and started making up the story without the facts.