Abhor

• Verb• To regard with horror and loathing; to hate

intensely.• Synonyms: despise, detest, aversion• Example: When I was a small child, I abhorred

eating liver.

Advocate

• Verb and noun• Verb – to speak or argue in favor of; to give active

public support to.• Noun – A person who pleads in the interest of a

cause or individual.• Synonyms: Support, uphold, recommend; defender,

spokesman.• Example: I have become her advocate because I

honestly believe in her ideas.

Allude

• Verb• To refer to indirectly.• Synonyms: hint at, suggest, insinuate• Example: During the course of the evening, he

alluded to the fact that he had attended Harvard.

Appall

• Verb• To fill with intense horror, fear, or dismay.• Synonyms: horrify, shock, stun• Example: I was appalled to hear that a fistfight

had broken out during the dinner party.

Atone

• Verb• To make up for or repent.• Synonyms: redeem, restitution, penance• Example: “You made an honest mistake,”

Wanda said. “Don’t feel that you have to atone for it.”

Badger

• Verb• To tease; to annoy with a constant string of

petty torments.• Synonyms: Harass, pester, torment• Example: A judge will reprimand an overly

aggressive attorney for badgering a witness.

Blithe

• Adjective• Merry and carefree, overly unconcerned;

reckless.• Synonyms: lighthearted, jolly, jovial• Example: Their blithe lack of concern for the

safety of the children in their care disturbed me greatly.

Buttress

• Noun and verb• Noun – a support or reinforcement.• Verb – To support or reinforce.• Synonyms: prop, brace, pillar• Example: The speaker buttressed her

arguments with a solid presentation of relevant facts and figures.

Censure

• Noun and verb• Noun – open and strong criticism or

disapproval.• Verb – to criticize severely; to disapprove

strongly.• Synonyms: reprimand, condemn, rebuke• Example: I am very wary of anyone who is too

quick to censure and too slow to forgive.

Cohere

• Verb• To hold or stick together; to fit together into

an orderly, logical, and unified whole.• Synonyms: combine, gel.• Example: If all the elements in your essay

don’t cohere properly, you won’t achieve a single overall effect.