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Admonish
1. admonish (verb) 1. to warn against something 2. to scold someone
1. Mr. Paddington admonished us not to throw food in the cafeteria. 2. After the food fight, the principal admonished us for having participated.
Synonyms: 1. advise, forewarn 2. reprimand
Anonymous
2. anonymous (adj) 1. unknown or unnamed 2. lacking individuality or character
1. The author of the book remained anonymous even after the book won countless awards.
2. My block was a long row of boring, anonymous houses.
Synonyms: 1. incognito, secret
Antonyms: 1. known, recognized
Other forms: The actor tried to maintain his anonymity (noun) in the crowd, but he was soon recognized.
Astute
3. astute (adj) smart and perceptive
Young Jordan made the astute comment that bullies often have problems at home.
Synonyms: bright, insightful
Antonyms: ignorant, idiotic
Bystander
4. bystander (noun) one who looks on or observes; a person present but not taking part
Among all the bystanders at the parade, I was the shortest so I had the worst view.
Synonym: witness, spectator
Antonym: participant
Casualty
5. casualty (noun) a person killed or injured in a war or accident
During the American Civil War there were 360,222 Union casualties and 258,000 Confederate casualties, making it by far the deadliest war in American history.
Deceased
6. deceased (adj) dead
The deceased soldier was given a full military funeral.
Antonyms: alive
Other forms: Deceased can also be a noun meaning “a dead person or people,” as in: Some people believe that the deceased watch down over us.
Downright
7. downright thoroughly, totally
Camille is just a downright nice girl.
Other forms: Downright can also be an adjective meaning “total”: That is a downright lie!
Grimy
8. grimy (adj) very dirty, covered with dirt or soot
Acey’s house was on the north side of town, among the grimy industrial buildings and smokestacks.
Antonyms: clean, pure
Other forms: When was the last time you cleaned your room? There’s grime (noun) and dirt everywhere!
Homage
9. homage (noun) honor or respect shown publicly
The mayor paid homage to the students who had helped build the new skate park.
Synonyms: praise
Antonyms: dishonor
Hurtle
10. hurtle (verb) to move with great speed; to rush violently
The out-of-control truck hurtled down the freeway.
legitimate
11. legitimate (adj) 1. lawful; according to the laws or rules 2. genuine or justifiable
1. In soccer, hitting the ball with your hand is not a legitimate shot. 2. I felt that my complaint about the heat in our classroom was legitimate, but the custodian wouldn’t listen to me.
Synonyms: accepted, customary, rightful
Antonyms: illegal, invalid, illegitimate
Other forms: If you are famous, you are renowned (adj).
Lethal
12. lethal (adj) causing death or made to cause death
Socrates was forced to swallow a lethal dose of poison.
Synonyms: fatal, deadly
Magnitude
13. magnitude (noun) the great size or importance of something
The magnitude of electing the first African-American president will be felt for generations.
Synonyms: greatness, significance
Antonyms: insignificance, unimportance
Stodgy
14. stodgy (adj) heavy, dull, or boring; old-fashioned
Chris likes reading comic books, not stodgy old novels from the 19th century.
Synonyms: dreary, formal
Antonyms: exciting
Other forms: The stodginess (noun) of Leah’s plain clothes make her seem older than she actually is.
Utmost
15. utmost (adj) greatest, highest, farthest
Respecting people who are different from you is of the utmost importance.
Synonyms: absolute, maximum
Antonyms: little, slightest
Other forms: Utmost can also be a noun meaning “the extreme limit or greatest possible,” as in: My patience was tested to the utmost.
Muhammad Ali
In the 1960s, a young boxer named Cassius Clay came out of Kentucky, winning lots of fights. He even won the gold medal at the Olympics in Rome when he was only 18 years old. Still, most sports experts didn’t think much of Cassius Clay. First, he had the nerve to call himself “the greatest.” Second, he had a very strange boxing style, in which he dodged more than he blocked. Third, he would rhyme before a fight – clever freestyles that would later lead people to call him the first rapper ever. He went on to live up to his self-proclaimed “greatest” title. After switching his name to Muhammad Ali and converting to Islam, the boxer was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. He refused, arguing that the war was immoral. This got him banned from boxing in the United States for three years, until the Supreme Court decided that Ali should have the right to box. Ali came back in grand style, at an enormous fight, called the Rumble in the Jungle.
Agile
1. agile (adj) able to move quickly and easily; flexible
Cheerleaders are very agile as evidenced by their fancy stunts and dance moves.
Synonyms: nimble, spry
Other forms: Chimpanzees have a lot of agility (noun) since they are able to swing freely and easily from limb to limb without ever falling to the ground.
Audacious
2. audacious (adj) bold, daring or uninhibited
The audacious young baseball player was eager to work his way up from the minor leagues.
Synonyms: courageous, nervy
Antonyms: timid, cowardly
Crusade
3. crusade (noun) a military expedition; a campaign for a cause
The king led the crusade across the country to take over more land and people.
Other forms: Crusade can also be a verb meaning “to fight for a cause,” as in: The sixth graders
crusade all year long to be able to attend the seventh and eighth grade dances. A crusader is one who crusades.
Dub
4. dub (verb) to choose; to name
The English teacher announced that she was going to dub Lawrence the best speller in the entire class.
Synonyms: designate, label
Era
5. era (noun) a period of time marked by distinct events
The invention of the Ford Model T marked a new era in travel.
Exceptional
6. exceptional (adj) unusual, extraordinary
Brittney was such an exceptional speller that even our English teacher asked her how to spell words.
Synonyms: atypical, phenomenal, peculiar
Grapple
7. grapple (verb) to struggle with physically or mentally
Steven grappled with the idea of losing both his mom and his brother in the car accident.
Heritage
8. heritage (noun) legacy or tradition
The family had been located in the town for over one hundred years and were very proud of their heritage.
Legendary
9. legendary (adj) well-known or famous
Wild Bill, the outlaw, was legendary for his bank robbery hold-ups and gun fights.
Antonyms: obscure, unknown
Other form
Mien
10. mien (noun) manner or appearance
The king was a man of honorable mien, so the townspeople did not fear him.
Muse
11. muse (verb) to think about or ponder something
My dad told me that my problem wasn’t that I mused too much and that an idle mind was the devil’s
playground.
Muster
12. muster (verb) to gather or to summon
Like many teenage students, Gloria has to muster a lot of courage to stand in front of her peers and
deliver a speech.
Antonyms: disperse, scatter
Pivotal
13. pivotal (adj) important, vital
A pivotal moment in the football game occurred when the opposing team’s quarterback fell and broke his arm.
Antonyms: insignificant, minor, incidental
Other forms: A pivotal event is like a pivot (noun), a pin in the ground around which other things turn.
Stamina
14. stamina (noun) endurance
Most marathon runners have a lot of stamina to run long distances.
Synonyms: staying power, endurance
Stance
15. stance (noun) 1. an intellectual or emotional attitude toward something 2. the position of one’s feet.
1. Gavin’s mom took a negative stance on taking drugs because her father had died from a drug addiction.
2. The baseball player’s stance was awkward, yet he consistently hit home runs when he was at bat.