aesthetic
Relating to beauty or the appreciation of beautiful things, especially in art and design
The architect made aesthetic choices that made the building both beautiful and functional.
bolster
To support, strengthen, or improve something
Studying every day will bolster your confidence before the English exam.
caricature
A drawing or description of a person that exaggerates certain features in a funny or critical way
The street artist drew a caricature of the tourist, making his big nose look even larger.
corroborate
To provide information or evidence that supports or confirms what someone else has said
The witness was able to corroborate the defendant's story about where he was that night.
cursory
Done quickly without paying attention to details; not thorough
She gave the report a cursory glance before the meeting, so she missed some important information.
daunt
To make someone feel frightened or less confident about doing something difficult
The size of the project daunted her at first, but she started with small steps.
expository
Used to describe writing or speech that is meant to explain or give information about something clearly
The teacher asked students to write an expository essay explaining how plants make food from sunlight.
fracas
A noisy and disorganized fight or argument involving several people
A fracas broke out between the two groups of fans after the football match.
immune
Protected against something harmful, such as a disease or negative influence, so that it cannot affect you
After receiving the vaccine, she was immune to the virus and did not get sick.
inclined
Having a tendency or desire to think or behave in a particular way
After such a long day at work, she was not inclined to cook dinner.
jocular
Fond of joking; cheerful and humorous in a playful way
His jocular personality made every meeting more enjoyable for the whole team.
lucid
Clearly expressed and easy to understand; thinking or speaking in a clear and sensible way
The professor gave a lucid explanation of the difficult concept, and all the students understood it immediately.
miser
A person who hates spending money and tries to keep as much as possible, even when they have enough
The old miser never bought new clothes, even though he had plenty of money in the bank.
perceptive
Having the ability to notice and understand things quickly and clearly, especially things that are not obvious
The perceptive student noticed that the teacher seemed upset even though she was smiling.
pessimism
The tendency to expect bad things to happen or to see the worst side of situations
His pessimism made it hard for him to enjoy life, even when things were going well.
precarious
Not safe or stable; likely to fall or change in a dangerous way
The hiker was in a precarious position on the edge of the cliff.
profligate
Spending money or using resources in a careless and wasteful way
His profligate spending on luxury items left him with no savings.
reprove
To speak to someone in a way that shows disapproval of their behavior; to scold gently
The teacher reproved the students for talking during the exam.
superficial
Dealing only with what is on the surface or most obvious; not deep or thorough
His understanding of the topic was superficial because he had only read one short article about it.
uniform
Staying the same in all cases or at all times; not changing
The factory requires uniform quality in every product that leaves the building.
Synonyms are word pairs whose meanings are the same or nearly the same. Big and large are synonyms. From each group of four words below, click the two that are synonyms.
Match the vocabulary word with its correct definition.
| # | Ans. | Word | Definition |
|---|
Complete each sentence with the correct word from the word bank.