| Words
|
Meanings & Synonyms |
Antonyms |
Usage |
| Allay |
Diminish or put at rest fear, suspicion,
or worry;
Reduce, Diminish, Decrease,
Lessen, Assuage, Alleviate |
Increase, Intensify |
The government is trying to allay public fears about the spread of the disease. |
| Battered |
Injured by repeated blows or punishment;
Beaten, Assaulted,
Thrashed, Hit, Thumped;
of a thing damaged by age and repeated use;
Shabby, Run Down, Worn Out,
Falling to Pieces, Falling Apart, Dilapidated |
Undamaged, Unabused, Protected |
Their battered bodies were found on the morning of Sept. 15, 2014, on a beach on the island of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand |
| Belligerent |
Hostile and aggressive;
Threatening, Antagonistic,
Pugnacious, Bellicose, Truculent |
Friendly, Peaceable |
The belligerent countries are having difficulties funding the war. |
| Bluster |
Talk in a loud, aggressive, or indignant
way with little effect;
Rant, Thunder |
Quiet, Silence, Still, Stillness |
He was still blustering, but there was panic in his eyes. |
| Divisive |
Tending to cause disagreement or
hostility between people;
Alienating, Estranging, Isolating, Schismatic |
Uniting |
The Vietnam war was an extremely divisive issue in the US |
| Erratic |
Not even or regular in pattern or movement; Unpredictable, Inconsistent,
Changeable, Variable, Inconstant, Uncertain, Irregular |
Predictable, Consistent |
She can be very erratic; one day she is friendly and the next she’ll hardly speak to you. |
| Ex gratia |
A sum of money paid when there was no obligation or liability to pay it. For example, a lump sum payment over and above the pension benefits of a retiring employee. In insurance claims, it may take the form of payment for which the insurer did not appear to be liable.
Ex gratia is Latin for “out of goodwill.” |
|
Ex gratia payments were made to all those who had been affected by the spillage. |
| Hefty |
Large and heavy;
Burly, Heavy, Sturdy,
Strapping, Bulky, Brawny, Husky |
Slight, Gaunt, Light |
Her salary will go up by a hefty 13 percent. |
| Hegemony |
Leadership or dominance,
especially by one state or social group over others;
Dominance, Dominion,
Supremacy, Ascendancy,
Predominance, Primacy |
Weakness, Impotence, Impotency, Powerlessness
|
The three nations competed for regional hegemony. |
| Obviate |
Remove a need or difficulty;
Preclude, Prevent, Remove,
Get Rid Of, Do Away With,
Get Around, Rule Out, Eliminate |
Abet, Aid, Assist
Ease, Facilitate, Smooth, Unclog
|
The new medical treatment obviates the need for surgery. |
| Painstaking |
Done with or employing great care and
thoroughness;
Careful, Meticulous, Thorough,
Assiduous, Sedulous, Attentive |
Careless, Negligent, Slapdash |
It took months of painstaking research to write the book. |
| Palliative |
Relieving pain without dealing with the cause of the condition;
Soothing, Alleviating, Sedative,
Calmative, Calming |
Intensifying |
We want long-term solutions, not short-term palliatives. |
| Recur |
Occur again periodically or repeatedly;
Happen Again, Reoccur,
Occur Again, Be Repeated |
Halt, Stop |
The theme of freedom recurs throughout her writing. |
| Resentment |
Bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly;
Bitterness, Indignation, Irritation,
Pique, Displeasure, Dissatisfaction |
Contentment, Happiness |
She bitterly resented her father’s new wife. |
| Transcends |
Be or go beyond the range or limits of a field
of activity or conceptual sphere;
Surpass, Excel, Exceed, Beat,
Trump, Top, Cap, Outdo, Outstrip |
Fail, fall behind, Lose
Surrender
|
The best films are those which transcend national or cultural barriers. |
| Unbridled |
Uncontrolled, Unconstrained |
Bridled, Checked, Constrained, Controlled, Curbed, Governed, Hampered |
The crowd was swept with unbridled enthusiasm. |
| Unprecedented |
Never done or known before;
Unparalleled, Unequalled,
Unmatched, Unrivalled, Without Parallel, Without Equal |
Normal, Common |
This century has witnessed environmental destruction on an unprecedented scale. |
| Unravel |
Investigate and solve or explain something complicated or puzzling;
Solve, Resolve, work out, Clear up, Puzzle out |
Complicate |
You’d better mend that hole before the whole sweater starts to unravel. |
