1. The advent of e-mail has revolutionized both business and personal communication. advent-noun Definition: the arrival of a notable person, thing or event; The first season of the church year, leading up to Christmas and including the four preceding Sundays Synonym: arrival, invention, Antonym: departure, elimination

2. Unlike her sister who is always kind and optimistic, she is captious and rude. captious-adjective Definition: Tending to find fault or raise petty objections; Intended to entrap or confuse (a captious question) Synonym: disparaging, querulous Antonym: complimentary, benign

3. Princess Diana, unlike most royals, did not condescend when she talked to ordinary citizens. Condescend- verb Definition: To show feelings of superiority; To do something in a haughty way, as though it is below one’s dignity Synonym: deign, patronize Antonym: n/a

4. We hoped the crescendo of our cheers would disconcert our opponents. Crescendo -noun Definition: a gradual increase in loudness in a piece of music; A progressive increase in force or intensity; The loudest point reached in a gradually increasing sound Synonym: n/a Antonym: decrescendo

5. Though the brakes malfunctioned, the derelict mechanic let the car pass inspection. Derelict -adjective Definition: Shamefully negligent in not having done what one should; A piece of property, especially a ship, abandoned and in poor condition Synonym: delinquent, negligent Antonym: responsible, competent

6. As they danced, he enjoyed the perfume that emanated from her. Emanated –verb Definition: To come or send forth, as from a source; To give out or emit something abstract or perceptible (to emanate strength) Synonym: emit, exude Antonym: withdraw, return

7. He did not respond when the judge harangued him, would look at none of the evidence against him, and pretended to go to sleep. Harangue- verb Definition:a scolding or a long or intense verbal attack; diatribe; a long, passionate, and vehement speech, especially one delivered before a public gathering. Synonym: tirade, chewing out Antonym: silence, taciturn

8. The relentlessly haughty, sarcastic tone suggests an almost sociopathic inability to feel empathy. Haughty- adjective Definition: disdainfully proud; scornfully arrogant; supercilious: Synonym: contemptuous, imperious Antonym: humble, unassuming

9. Sports writers often use hyperboles and alliteration to attract readers’ attention. hyperbole- noun Definition: an exaggeration or extravagant statement used as a figure of speech, not meant to be taken literally Synonym: exaggeration, overstatement Antonym: litote- ironical statement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of its contrary (You won’t be sorry)

10. Student did exhibit impetuous behavior without thinking about the possible consequences. Impetuous-adjective Definition: of, pertaining to, or characterized by sudden or rash action, emotion, etc.; impulsive Synonym: eager, headlong Antonym: planned careful

11. The United States delivered tons of food to the indigent people in the war-ravaged area. indigent- adjective Definition: lacking the means of subsistence, a needy or destitute person Synonym: impoverished, destitute Antonym: affluent, opulent

12. This character does not appear on stage until the penultimate act of the play. Penultimate –adjective Definition: next to the last in a series of things; second last Synonym: n/a Antonym: n/a

13. The professor’s ponderous speech and monotone lulled most of the audience to sleep. ponderous –adjective Definition: dull, laborious, or excessively solemn; having great weight; slow, clumsy, graceless, or unwieldy from weight; lacking fluency Synonym: verbose, pompous, Antonym: buoyant, airy

14. Greek mythology is replete with stories of Zeus and his progeny. Progeny –noun Definition: a descendent or the descendents of; the result of creative effort Synonym: posterity,descendent Antonym: ancestor

15. When she filed the lawsuit, she did not expect any recriminations. Recrimination –noun Definition: an accusation in response to one from someone else Synonym: retaliation, reprisal Antonym: n/a