1. WOD 51 Pulverize Verb: To pound, crush, or grind to a powder or dust; to demolish Syn: beat, crush, annihilate, decimate Ant: mend, assemble, protect Sent: She sits on the ground with a hammer, hitting the bucket in an effort to pulverize the plaster and free her leg.

2. WOD 52 Advocate  verb: To speak or write in favor of  noun: a person who pleads for another Syn: support, promote, endorse Ant: interfere, oppose, frustrate Sent: The evolutionists advocate that mammalian life evolved from aquatic. He is an advocate of free markets, but he has also called for tighter regulation.

3. WOD 53 Exonerate: verb  To clear, as of an accusation; free from guilt or blame Syn: release, discharge, pardon, justify Ant: blame, condemn, convict N: exoneration adj: exonerative Sent: The defense attorney worked hard to exonerate his clients and keep them out of jail.

4. WOD 54 Interminable: adj  Seeming to be without end Syn: endless, ceaseless, infinite Ant: finite, temporary, occasional Adv: interminably Sent; We had an interminable wait at the airport because the heavy snowstorm shut down the runways.

5. WOD 55 Impel; verb => to drive or to propel Syn: goad, spur, urge, motivate Ant: restrain, rebuff, discourage Sent: A raging current impelled their raft downstream toward the waterfall. Hatred of slavery impelled Harriet Tubman to return repeatedly to the South to help other slaves escape.

6. WOD 56 Despondent; adj => depressed from loss of hope or confidence Syn: depressed, discouraged, wretched Ant: cheerful, spirited, hopeful Adv: despondently, Noun: despondency Sent: Failing my driver’s test for the third time left me completely despondent.

7. WOD 57 Alacrity: noun  Promptness in responding Syn: eagerness, readiness, enthusiasm Ant: reluctance, delay, unwillingness Sent: The seller of the classic car accepted my first offer with such alacrity that I wished I had offered less.

8. WOD 58 Haphazard: adjective  Marked by lack of plan, order, or direction Syn: random, aimless, purposeless Ant: planned, controlled, designed Adv: haphazardly Sent: He described in humorous details his haphazard travels around the world.

9. WOD 59 Marginalize: verb =>To place in a powerless or unimportant position within a society or group Syn: demean, belittle, disparage, depreciate Ant: elevate, praise, promote Noun: marginalization Sent: A society that labels certain people as outside the norm – weird, scary, hateful, or useless – marginalizes those people, edging them out.

10. WOD 60 Rebut: Verb  To prove something is false by using arguments or evidence Syn: discredit, disprove, refute Ant: confirm, prove, validate Adj: rebuttableNoun: rebuttal Sent: You should not only study their own point of view but be prepared to rebut the ideas of the opposing group.

11. WOD 61 Traverse: verb  To pass over, across, or through Syn: cross, intersect Sent: Route 66, which traverses the United States from Chicago to Los Angeles, is sometimes called “The Mother Road” because in 1932 it opened the west to the automobile.

12. WOD 62 Refute: verb  To prove that something is not true or false Syn: disapprove, dispute, deny, rebut Ant: acknowledge, admit, concede Adj: refutable Noun: refutation Sent: Regardless of what naysayers may still insist, the science on climate change is too robust to refute.

13. WOD 63 Dote; verb  To show excessive fondness for Syn: treasure, cherish Ant: despise, neglect, abandon Sent: She dotes on her grandson and indulges his every whim.

14. WOD 64 Disseminate: verb  To scatter or spread widely Syn: separate, disperse, sprinkle Ant: assemble, collect Noun: dissemination Sent: The wind disseminated the spores from the milkweed pods.

15. WOD 65 Feckless; adjective  Having no sense of responsibility Syn: careless, irresponsible, unreliable Ant: efficient, trustworthy, scrupulous N: fecklessness Adv: fecklessly Sent: Pip’s feckless ways in London left him devoid of cash.

16. WOD 66 Pensive: adj  Deep in thought, dreamily thoughtful Syn: thoughtful, reflective, contemplative Ant: thoughtless, carefree Adv: pensively Sent: Lying on my back, I grew pensive as I watched the drifting summer clouds.

17. WOD 67 Hubbub: noun  Noisy confusion Syn: uproar, commotion, chaos, racket Ant: silence, peacefulness, stillness Sent: Fans thronged onto the field in a hubbub of excitement when the Boston Red Sox won the pennant.

18. WOD 68 Wanton: adj  Ignoring what is right  Excessive or unrestrained Syn: immoral, senseless, reckless Ant: justified, cautious, restrained Sent: In refusing to remove abestos from the ceilings, the company showed a wanton disregard for its employee’s health and safety.

19. WOD 69 Odoriferous : adj  Having or giving off a smell Syn: aromatic, perfumed, scented, fragrant Ant: smelly, rancid, fetid, noxious Sent: Odoriferous fragrance permeated throughout the room when the beautiful blonde lady entered the room.

20. WOD 70 Meander : verb  To follow a winding course  To wander aimlessly syn: roam, wander, ramble Sent: The Mississippi River meanders from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

21. WOD 71 Punctilious : adjective Careful of and attentive to details, especially ones relating to good manners and behavior Syn: precise, scrupulous, meticulous Ant: casual, careless, cursory Sent: A punctilious host tries to leave nothing to chance when preparing for guests.

22. WOD 72 Paraphernalia: noun  Personal belongings  Equipments associated with a particular activity Syn: possessions, accessories, equipments Sent: We accumulated so much paraphernalia that the closets couldn’t hold it all.

23. WOD 73 Regale : verb  To entertain or delight Syn: charm, amuse, entrance Ant: bore, tire, irritate Noun: regalement Sent: Charlie regaled the guests with his funny stories.

24. WOD 74 Callow : adjective => young and inexperienced Syn: youthful, immature, unsophisticated Ant: experienced, mature Sent: The student was too callow to know he was being fooled.

25. WOD 75 Wry : adjective => turned or bent to one side in distaste or humor or amusing in a quiet but sharp way Syn: crooked, ironic, sarcastic Ant: straight, unbent, normal Sent: He gave a wry smile as he admitted believing such a far- fetched tale.

26. WOD 76 Wheedle; Verb => to gain by using sly persuasion or insincere praise. Syn: cajole, flatter, entice, influence Ant: dissuade, discourage, deter sent: The agent wheedled several thousand dollars from the couple for a life insurance policy that was practically worthless.

27. WOD 77 Rant: verb or noun to talk very loudly, even wildly Syn: rave, bellow, babble Ant: murmur, whisper, mutter, mumble Sent: The audience stopped listening after a while when the speaker ranted on and on.

28. WOD 78 Verbose: adjective using too many words Syn: wordy, redundant, repetitious Ant: concise, direct, terse Noun: verbosity, verbiage Adv: verbosely Sent: The teacher asked Isabella to cut her verbose speech from 40 to 15 minutes.

29. WOD 79 Complacent: adjective a feeling of being satisfied with how things are and not wanting to try to make them better. Syn: self-satisfied, gratified, unconcerned Ant: concerned, bothered, agitated Noun: complacence, complacency Sent: Carole could get an A in math, but she’s too complacent to work for it.

30. WOD 80 Ostentatious: adjective Having to do with showing off Syn: showy, flashy, flamboyant, garish Ant: simple, modest, plain Noun: ostentation, --ness Adv: --ly Sent: Meredith talks about nothing but her father’s yacht, ski trips to Aspen, and other ostentatious displays of wealth.

31. WOD 81 Placate: verb => to make calm and peaceful Syn: appease, pacify, reconcile, soothe Ant: irritate, displease, dissatisfy Noun: placation Sent: The restaurant tried to placate us with free appetizers after a one hour wait for a table.

32. WOD 82 Conciliate: verb => to win a person over (through friendly acts or persuasive methods) Syn: persuade, reconcile, arbitrate Ant: antagonize, arouse, stir up Adj: conciliatory, conciliative Noun: conciliation Sent: Hoping to end the argument, Judd offered a conciliatory handshake to his adversary.

33. WOD 83 Affable: adj => easy to talk to, easy to approach Syn: friendly, approachable, amiable Ant: unfriendly, unapproachable, standoffish Noun: affableness, affability Adv: affably Sent: Don’s friendly grin conveys his affable personality.

34. WOD 84 Squander: verb => to spend money (or time) in a wasteful, uncaring fashion Syn: waste, deplete, consume, exhaust Ant: save, store, conserve Sent: Jimmy squandered a perfectly good day, aimlessly watching TV from dawn to dusk.

35. WOD 85 Impending; adj about to occur Syn: looming, imminent, foreboding Ant: distant, remote Verb: impend Sent: Throughout the country was the feeling of impending evil as if some unknown terror would come out of the deep shadows.

36. WOD 86 Egregious; adj well beyond the bounds of what is right or proper Syn: brazen, outrageous, notorious Ant: delightful, pleasing, wonderful Adv: egregiously Sent: You have a chance to defend yourself against these rumors of your egregious acts.

37. WOD 87 Ubiquitous: adj appearing to be present in large numbers or in many different places Syn: omnipresent, widespread, universal Ant: rare, scarce, absent Sent: Tourists with cameras are ubiquitous in Europe every summer.

38. WOD 88 Incontrovertible; adj impossible to dispute Syn: undeniable, unquestionable, indisputable Ant: deniable, controversial, debatable Adv: incontrovertibly Sent: The facts were incontrovertible and the defendant was found guilty.

39. WOD 89 Fraught; adj full of or accompanied by (usually followed by with) Syn: full, abounding, replete Ant: scan, skimpy, sparse Sent: We abandoned our idea of traveling up the Amazon River when we learned that such a trip would be fraught with danger.

40. WOD 90 Encumber: verb To weigh down or burden Syn: clog, overload, oppress Ant: free, lighten, ease Noun: encumbrance Sent: I stumbled through the terminal door, encumbered by two heavy suitcases

41. WOD 91 Flippant; adj marked by lack of proper seriousness or earnestness Syn: disrespectful, discourteous, impertinent, sassy Ant: mannerly, courteous, civil Adv: Flippantly Noun: flippancy Sent: My flippant response earned me an angry glance from my instructor.

42. WOD 92 Intermittent: adj not continuous, happening at intervals Syn; discontinuous, interrupted, irregular Ant: continuous, continual, constant Noun: intermittence Adv: intermittently Sent: Although the forecast had promised sunshine, the intermittent showers throughout the day ruined the party we planned at the park.

43. WOD 93 Insuperable; adj incapable of being overcome or defeated Syn: invincible, unbeatable, indomitable Ant: conquerable, reachable, attainable Noun: insuperability Sent: During my senior year, passing Greek seemed an insuperable obstacle to my graduating with my class.

44. WOD 94 Impetus ; noun a driving force, anything that causes an action Syn: stimulus, motive, incentive, spur SENT: Her hope of winning an athletic scholarship provided the impetus for years of grueling training on the swim team.

45. WOD 95 Detract: verb to take away, especially from the value, beauty, or importance of Syn: damage, tarnish, blemish Ant: enhance, polish, promote, augment Noun: detraction Sent: The addition of a modern family room detracted from the cozy style of the bungalow

46. WOD 96 Malleable; adj capable of being shaped or formed by forceful action Syn: moldable, pliable, adjustable Ant: firm, rigid, stiff Adv: malleably Sent: Play-doh is good for children’s art projects because it’s both malleable and reusable.

47. WOD 97 Contingent: adj => Depending on something else; likely but not certain to happen Syn: conditional, uncertain, provisional Ant: planned, arranged, predetermined Noun: contingency Sent: Tanya’s plans for attending the university were contingent on receiving a scholarship.

48. WOD 98 Deluge; n => a flood of anything V => To flood or overwhelm Syn: flood, engulf, drench, overload Ant: trickle, drip, ooze Sent: As she convalesced from her surgery, Delia’s friends deluged her with cards, phone calls, and visits.

49. WOD 99 Copious; adj => large in quantity Syn: abundant, ample, replete Ant: scanty, meager, sparse Adv: copiously Sent: Mediterranean cooking uses copious amounts of olive oil

50. WOD 100 Grapple; verb => engage in a close fight or struggle without weapons (physically or mentally) Syn: wrestle, contend, confront, struggle, contest Ant: retreat, surrender, yield Sent: The community grappled with the problem of improving the quality of education in their schools.

51. WOD 101 Atrocity: Noun => an act of great cruelty and wickedness Syn: barbarity, brutality, inhumanity Ant: charity, kindness, Adj: atrociousAdv: atrociously Sent: The Nazis carried out atrocious medical experiments on their prisoners.

52. WOD 102 Dire: adj => having terrible consequences Syn: dreadful, disastrous, dismal Ant: favorable, beneficial, advantageous Sent: The children in the third world country are very ill and in dire need of clean water.

53. WOD 103 Flagrant: adj => conspicuously or obviously offensive Syn: scandalous, notorious, egregious Ant: clandestine, sneaky, concealed Adv: flagrantly Sent: The driver’s flagrant disregard for the speeding laws did not escape the police officer’s notice.

54. WOD 104 languish: verb => to become weak or weary, to fail to make progress Syn: weaken, deteriorate, decline Ant: develop, grow, improve Adj: languishing Adv: languishingly Sent: Rather than sponsor a bill he finds objectionable, the majority leader will allow this one to languish on a pile in his office.

55. WOD 105 congenial; adj => getting along well with others Syn: affable, agreeable, cordial, pleasant Ant: aloof, unsociable, unfriendly Noun: congeniality Adv: congenially Sent: Police officers are expected to be congenial with the citizens of their community

56. WOD 106 Enigmatic ; adj => difficult to interpret or understand Syn: mysterious, puzzling, ambiguous Ant: explicit, obvious, clear Noun: enigma Sent: Under the spotlight, the dark painting looked enigmatic and spooky.

57. WOD 107 Infallible; adj => incapable of making an error Syn: flawless, faultless, impeccable Ant: fallible, faulty, imperfect Sent: Fortunately, my attorney has an infallible proof to exonerate me from the robbery.

58. WOD 108 Stagnate; verb => to fail to develop, change, or move Syn: deteriorate, languish, vegetate Ant: improve, flourish, build Noun: stagnant Sent: The store manager is trying to create a marketing gimmick that will increase his store’s stagnant sales.

59. WOD 109 Voluminous; adj => having great bulk or volume Syn: ample, spacious, bulky, copious Ant: meager, small, slight Noun: volume Sent: Volumes of smoke poured from the chimneys of the factory. A voluminous cloak covered him from head to foot.

60. WOD 110 Embroil; verb => to involve in an argument, conflict, or difficult situation Syn: entangle, involve, muddle, implicate Ant: assist, support, cooperate Noun: embroilment Sent: The two countries were embroiled in a bitter dispute over where the border between them lay.