Elevate Your Vocabulary: Enhance Communication with Powerful Words and Their Meanings

1. Vocabulary ASTEC

2. Tacit (a)—implied, implicit (antonym: explicit) • Taciturn (a)—habitually untalkative • Choleric (a)—easily aroused to anger, irascible • Precipitate (v)—to fall sharply, headlong, violently • Deign (v)—to do something considered below one’s self Subserve (v)—to be helpful or useful • Expiate (v)—to make amends for • Dissertate (v)—to write or speak at length 9. Prolepsis/-tic (n/a)—to answer beforehand 10. Contemn (v)—to disrespect, look down on Vocabulary

3. (in)auspicious—(not) favorable, propitious • (un)propitious— (not) auspicious, favorable • Peruse—to examine in detail, closely • Vet(v)–to examine closely, search out carefully • Whet(v)—to sharpen, stimulate, excite • Juxtapose(v)—side by side • Perspicuous (a)—to make clear, easy to understand • Agog (a)full of excitement or interest, excited, eager • Redact (v)—to revise, edit • Etiolate (v) –to make weak, pale, sick • Trans- (prefix)—over, beyond, through • Super- (prefix)—above, over, superior in size, quality, number Vocabulary

4. Brevity (n)—brief, concise in speech or writing • Concise(a)—using few words in speech or writing • Laconic (a)—using few words • Pithy (a)—brief and full of meaning and substance • Quiescent (a)—quiet; still; inactive • Reticent (a)—n/talking much; taciturn • Succinct (a)—clearly and briefly stated; concise • Taciturn(a)—silent; n/talking much • Terse (a)using only words needed to make the point; very concise Not talking very much! (Oct. 18th)

5. Circumlocution(n)-speaking in circles, roundabout • Diffuse (a)—spread out, wordy, n/concise (“d. argument”) • Desultory (a)—random • Garrulous (a)=loquacious (a)—very talkative • Prattle (v)—to speak ceaselessly • Rhetorical (a)—a) insincere, disingenuous; b) used to persuade • Verbose (a)—using too many words • Voluble (a)—talkative Speaking too much! Oct. 25th

6. Banal (a) dull b/c overused • Hackneyed (a) dull b/c overused • Trite (a) dull b/c overused • Cliché (n) an expression stale b/c of overuse • Vapid (a) boring b/c unoriginal; stale • Insipid (a) boring b/c it lacks flavor or taste or is unexciting • Lackluster (a)boring b/c it lacks energy or is unimpressive • Mundane (a) commonplace; ordinary so boring • Prosaic (a) dull; commonplace, w/o variety, interest • Platitude (n) an obvious remark said as if it was original • Derivative (a) unoriginal; taken from something already existing Been Said Before! (Nov. 1)

7. Ameliorate (v) to make better; lessen pain, difficulty, tension • Allay (v) to lessen fear; to relieve pain • Assuage (v) to lessen pain, conflict • Mitigate (v) to lessen the pain or severity • Mollify (v)to pacify, soothe • Placate (v) to make calm; to soothe • Quell (v) to pacify, subdue, quiet down • Conciliate (v) to win a person over Making Things Better (lessening the pain, tension, conflict) Nov. 8

8. Affable—friendly, amiable, cordial • Amiable—friendly, affable • Amicable—friendly, peaceable • Congenial—friendly, affable, cordial • Cordial—friendly, amiable, affable • Convivial—social, lively • Jocular—joking and liking to be around people Friendly (Nov. 15th)

9. Bellicose (a)—eager to fight, quarrel • Captious (a)—critical quarreling (eg: a c. pedant) • Disputatious (a)—likely to dispute, argue • Polemical (a)—inclined to argue • Pugnacious (a)—quick/eager to fight/argue • Contentious (a)—argumentative • Litigious (a, litij us)—tending quarrel • Tendentious (a)—expressing opinion in an argumentative way (also spelled tendencious) Cantankerous words (Nov. 29)

10. *Altruistic (a)—unselfish concern for others. • Largess (n)—generous giving • *Lavish (a)—generous giving • Munificent (a)—very generous • *Philanthropic (a)—helping others by giving gifts • *Prodigal (a)—wasteful Giving Words (Dec. 6th)