Vocab 13

• Very difficult, requiring much effort
• Doing wordly wise every week is such an arduous task.

Synonyms: backbreaking, burdensome, exhausting, fatiguing, formidable, grueling, harsh, heavy, labored, laborious, painful, punishing, rigorous, rough, severe, strenuous, taxing, tiring, tough, troublesome, trying, uphill

Antonyms: easy, facile, motivating

• Careful and shrewd, watching over your own interests.
• Jason is canny when guarding his candy.

Synonyms: able, acute, adroit, astute, cagey, careful, cautious, circumspect, cunning, dexterous, discreet, foxy*, frugal, ingenious, intelligent, judicious, knowing, nimble-witted, perspicacious, prudent, quick, quick-witted

Antonyms: foolish, inept, silly

• The greatest moment of an event
• The climax of the Giver was when he found out what release was.

Synonyms: ahigh spot, highlight, intensification, limit, maximum, top, turning point, utmost

• Antonyms:
• anticlimax, cliffhanger

• to sign the back of a check before cashing it
• I have to stamp the back of each scrip check to endorse it.
• to approve of or support
• We endorse Gene Masuda for City Council
• To be favorably associated with a product in return for payment

Synonyms: advocate, affirm, approve, attest, authenticate, bless, boost, certify, champion, commend, confirm, defend, favor, recommend

Antonyms: disapprove, oppose, protest, reject, repel, unauthorize

Tiger Woods gets paid a fortune to endorse golf gear.

• Happy and excited
• I was exuberant when you got a 9.7 at States
• Also used as exuberence
• Your exuberance showed when you could not stop smiling

Synonyms: bold, courageous, daring, dauntless, fearless, gallant, gritty, gutsy, heroic, nerveless, plucky, resolute, unafraid, undaunted, unflinching, valiant, valorous

Antonyms: cowardly, meek, timid

• courageous, feeling or showing no fear.
• The intrepid hiker reached the top of the waterfall even though the water was gushing.

• 1. to start burning
• The newspaper kindled the fire
• Also used as kindling. We used small twigs as kindling to start the campfire.

Synonyms: blaze, burn, fire, flame, flare, glow, ignite, inflame, light, set alight, set fire

Antonyms: extinguish, put out

• 2. to become excited, stir up
• The thought of new apps kindled my interest in the Nook Color.

Synonyms: agitate, animate, arouse, awaken, bestir, burn up, challenge, egg on, exasperate, fire up, foment, inspire, key up, provoke, rally, rouse, sharpen, stimulate, stir, thrill, turn on, wake, waken

Antonyms: disenchant, turn off

• Producing wealth or profit
• I hope you picked lucrative stocks for your project.

Synonyms: advantageous, cost effective, fruitful, gainful, good, high-income, money-making, paying, profitable, worthwhile

Antonyms: poorly paid, unprofitable

• A wise or loyal friend or adviser
• Think Yoda

Synonyms: coach, confidant, consultant, counsel, counselor, director, doctor, expert, friend, guide, helper, instructor, judge, partner, teacher, tutor

• An interest, idea or feeling that you cannot get out of your mind.
• Is Jason finally over his obsession with Star Wars?

Synonyms: attraction, compulsion, delusion, enthusiasm, fancy, fascination, hang-up, idée fixe, infatuation, mania, preoccupation

Antonyms: indifference

• friendly and pleasing
• I like people who are personable and easy to get along with.

Synonyms: sociable, agreeable, all heart, all right*, amiable, attractive, charming, easygoing, gregarious, likable, nice, okay, pleasant, pleasing, presentable

Antonyms: disagreeable, unfriendly, unsociable

• Able to do something very well, skilled
• You are proficient at level 5 but not yet at level 6.
• Also used as proficiency. My proficiency in typing helps me to work fast.
• Synonyms:

accomplished, adept, apt, capable, clever, competent, consummate, effective, effectual, efficient, experienced, expert, finished, gifted, pro, qualified, savvy, sharp, skillful,*, talented, trained, up to speed

Antonyms: clumsy, incompetent, inept, unable, unskilled

• not enough or just barely enough, small in size
• I can't get Jason to eat even a scanty amount of vegetables.

inadequate

Synonyms: bare, barely sufficient, close, deficient, failing, insufficient, limited, little, meager, minimal, narrow, poor, rare, restricted, short, skimpy, slender,sparse, stingy, thin

Antonyms: abundant, ample, plentiful

• 1. A narrow body of water connecting 2 larger ones.
• The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Med & the Atlantic.
• Synonyms: inlet, narrows, sound

• 2. Trouble or need
• We are in desperate straits this week with all these tests and papers due!
• Synonyms: dilemma, distress, embarrassment, emergency, exigency, extremity, hardship, plight, predicament

Antonyms: advantage, solution, success

• great enjoyment or excitement.
• Personable people seem to have such a zest for life.
• Also used as zestful - I feel zestful after a nice shower.

Synonyms: energy, gusto, bounce, cheer, delectation, delight, eagerness, ecstasy, elation, enjoyment, enthusiasm, fervor, happiness, pleasure, satisfaction

Antonyms: apathy, indifference, laziness, lethargy