1. My broad hint that I had paid for the lessons myself brought smiles of approbation from all the judges at the piano recital.

2. Approbation Synonyms: commendation, sanction
Latin: approbation- "an approval,"from ad- "to"
+ probare "to try, test something (to find if it is good),"
from probus "honest, genuine" (see prove).
(noun) the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval
Synonyms: commendation, sanction

3. Her eyes told me that more than a few well-chosen words would be needed to assuage her hurt feelings.

4. Assuage
ad- "to" (see ad-) +
suavis "sweet,
agreeable"
(verb) to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench
Synonyms: mitigate, alleviate, slake, allay

5. The various community organizations formed a coalition to lobby against parking laws.

6. Coalition
Late Latin coalitus "fellowship," originally past participle of Latin coalescere (see coalesce
(noun) a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose
Synonyms: alliance, league, federation, combine

7. Some characterized her love of chocolate as decadence because she ate at least two candy bars a day.

8. Decadence
Latin de- "apart, down" (see de-) + cadere "to fall"
(Noun) decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence
Synonyms: degeneration, corruption

9. My attempt to elicit information over the phone was met with a barrage of irrelevant recording.

10. Elicit
ex- "out" (see ex-) + -licere, comb. form of lacere "to entice, lure, deceive"
(verb) to draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person)
Synonyms: call forth, evoke, extract, educe
Antonyms: repress, quash, squelch, stifle

11. Shakespeare’s Hamlet finds it useless to expostulate with his mother for siding with his stepfather.

12. Expostulate
from ex- "from" (see ex-) + postulare "to demand"
(verb) to attempt to dissuade someone from some course or decision by earnest reasoning
Synonyms: protest, remonstrate, complain

13. The Great Gatsby tells a universal story without being marred by hackneyed prose.

14. Hackneyed
hack in special sense of
"one who writes anything
for hire."
(adjective) used so often as to lack freshness of originality
Synonyms: banal, trite, commonplace, corny
Antonyms: new, fresh, novel, original

15. I was awakened not by a sudden sound but by a hiatus in the din of traffic.

16. Hiatus
hiatus "opening, aperture, rupture, gap,"
(noun) a gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing)
Synonyms: pause, lacuna
Antonyms: continuity, continuation

17. Those lacking the facts or afraid of reprisals often tarnish an enemy’s reputation by use of innuendo.

18. Innuendo
innuere "to mean, signify," literally "to nod to," from in- "at" + nuere "to nod"
(noun) a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense)
Synonyms: insinuation, intimation
Antonyms: direct statement

19. She will intercede in the dispute between the two children, and soon they will be playing happily again.

20. Intercede
from inter- "between" (see inter-) + cedere "go"
(verb) to plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement
Synonyms: intervene, mediate

21. The wilted handclasp and the fast-melting smile mark the jaded refugee from too many parties.

22. Jaded
(adjective) wearied, worn-out, dulled (in the sense of being satiated by excessive indulgence)
Synonyms: sated, surfeited, cloyed
Antonyms: unspoiled, uncloyed

23. Bright, sensational, and often lurid some old-time movie posters make today’s newspaper ads look tame.

24. Lurid Lurid
luridus "pale yellow, ghastly,"
(adjective) causing shock, horror, or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow in color; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restraint
Synonyms: gruesome, gory, grisly, baleful, ghastly
Antonyms: pleasant, attractive, appealing, wholesome

25. Many years of meritorious service could not dissuade him from feeling that he had not chosen work that he liked.

26. Meritorious (adjective) worthy, deserving recognition and praise
merere "to earn"
(adjective) worthy, deserving recognition and praise
Synonyms: praiseworthy, laudable, commendable
Antonyms: blameworthy, reprehensible, discreditable

27. An overworked parent may be unlikely to indulge the complaints of a petulant child.

28. Petulant
petere "to attack, assail; strive after; ask for, beg, beseech"
(Adjective) peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset
Synonyms: irritable, testy, waspish
Antonyms: even-tempered, placid, serene, amiable

29. She seemed to feel that a snooze at her desk was not an annoying habit but the prerogative of a veteran employee.

30. Prerogative
prae- "before" (see pre-) +
rogare "to ask"
(noun) a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence.
Synonyms: perquisite, perk

31. The banjo, once thought to be a provincial product of the Southern Hills, actually came here from Africa. And is awesome: The Devil Makes Three

32. Provincial
(adjective) pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; of simple, plain design that originated in the countryside; (noun) a person with narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area
Synonyms: narrow-minded, parochial, insular, naive
Antonyms: cosmopolitan, catholic, broad-minded

33. Some skilled actors can simulate emotions they might never have felt in life.

34. Simulate
(verb) to make a pretense of, imitate; to show the outer signs of
Synonyms: feign, pretend, affect

35. A great work of art may be said to transcend time, and it is remembered for decades, or even centuries.

36. Transcend (Verb) to rise above or beyond, exceed
from trans- "beyond" (see trans-) + scandere "to climb"
(Verb) to rise above or beyond, exceed
Synonyms: surpass, outstrip

37. She hesitated to offer her opinion, fearing that they would take umbrage at her criticism.

38. Umbrage
Latin umbraticum "of or pertaining to shade; being in retirement,"
(noun) shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion.
Synonyms: irritation, pique, annoyance
Antonyms: pleasure, delight, satisfaction

39. Her constant inquiring about the health of my family at first seemed friendly, later merely unctuous.

40. Unctuous
Latin unguentem "ointment,"
(adjective) excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable
Synonyms: mealy-mouthed, servile, fawning, greasy
Antonyms: gruff, blunt