Lesson Two---Antithesis to Venerate
Lesson Two---Antithesis to VenerateAntithesis: a direct
opposite; a contrastAscend: to move upward; rise from a lower
stationAustere: strict; stern; unadorned; unembellishedautonomous:
independent, self-containedbanal: common, ordinary, lacking
freshness, benign: not causing harm, beneficialcapricious: changing
suddenly, fickledawdle: to waste time, to spend time idly,
defamation: act of harming or ruining another's reputationesoteric:
understood only by a small group or a select fewexacerbate: to
aggravate, to irritate, to vexextol: to praise, to glorifyLesson
Twofastidious: reflecting a meticulous or demanding attitude,
critical to an extremefurtive: secret in an underhanded way,
stealthygregarious: sociable and outgoinghypocrite: one who is
insincere or deceitfulinnate: existing from birth, inbornlethargic:
sluggish, languidmelancholy: depression of spiritsopaque: not
allowing the passage of light, not transparent, hard to
understandprolific: abundantly fruitful, marked by a great
productivityreprove: to scold or to rebuke for a misdeed usually
with kindly intentsymmetry: balanced proportionstranquil: peaceful,
calmvenerate: to honor, to revere
antithesis(noun ) Direct opposite; contrast
The antithesis of peace is war.
ascendTo move upward; rise above(verb)My grades are currently in
the dumps; I sure hope they ascend soon.
austereStrict; stern; unadorned(adj)
The Puritan lifestyle was austere compared to most periods of
culture and literature.autonomousIndependent-(adj)
The teen longed to be autonomous from her parents and couldnt
wait until she could drive by herself.
banalPlain; ordinary; not fresh; hackneyed or clichedMake sure
the essay you write for college is not banal; no one wants to read
about how you would be an asset to the school.
benignInnocuous; not harmfulWe were so relieved to hear that her
tumor was benign.
capriciousChanging suddenly; fickle
The capricious girl had two dates to the homecoming dance and
rejected both guys at the last minute.
dawdleTo waste time; spend time idly (verb)
Dont dawdle when you leave the room with a pass to go to the
restroom.
defamationThe act of harming or disparaging anothers reputation
(noun)
The actress sued the Inquirer magazine for defamation of
character after it doctored photos of her from her teen years.
esotericUnderstood by only a select fewShe liked to read about
esoteric subjects so that she could impress her friends.
exacerbateTo make worse; to worsen; to aggravate
The problems with the economy were exacerbated by the falling
house prices.
extolTo praise; laud (verb)
The health benefits of exercise are widely extolled.
fastidiousParticular; fussy about details (adj)
We hired Martha to clean, because she was the most fastidious,
and we could count on her to make things immaculate.
furtiveSneaky (adj)
I prefer dogs to cats, because cats can be quite furtive when
they are in the house.
gregariousSocial; affable; outgoing
You have to be gregarious in your first year of college if you
want to meet friends.
Hypocrite (noun)Duplicitous; two-faced; says one thing but does
the other
The expression the pot calling the kettle black refers to
someone who is hypocritical by calling someone out for lying or
doing something wrong, when he is in fact doing the same thing or
worse.innateIn-born; naturalHer artistic ability is innate; her
parents are artists as well.
lethargicLazy; slow; fatigued
This flu has left me feeling so lethargic, it is an effort to
walk.
melancholySadness; despair; state of lamentHis melancholy mood
was evident by the way she dressed in dark, baggy clothing.
opaqueTransparent (adj)
Many people decorate the windows or doors of their homes with
stained glass or other forms of opaque screening so that light gets
in but the view is obscured.
prolificAbundant; copious; productive
Shakespeare is one of the most prolific writers in English
literature.
reproveTo scold; castigate; criticize
His mother reproved him for leaving dishes in the sink.
symmetryState of balance
Symmetry in our landscape, our writing, and our furnishings
engenders a feeling of peace and balance.
tranquilQuiet; taciturnThe tranquil serenity of the ocean was
disrupted by the loud group of motorcyclists.
venerateTo honor; revere
We venerate the heroes of the past and study their
accomplishments.