UNIT 8 MRS. HOGAN

ASSURANCE

• (N.) a pledge; freedom from doubt, self confidence
• Syn - promise, sureness, poise, self-possession
• Ant - uncertainty, doubt, insecurity
• Customers want the assurance that they will get the best service from employees.

ASYLUM

• (N.) an instituition for the care of children, elderly people
• Syn - sanitorium, sanctuary
• My friends aunt had to be placed in an insane asylum due to her mental illness.

CONSOLE

• (V.) to comfort (n.) the keyboard of an organ
• Syn - solace, alleviate
• Ant - distress, aggravate, bother
• After the death of the boys dog, his parents had to console him.

DILATE

• (V.) to make or become larger or wider, to expand upon
• Syn - enlarge, expand, prolong
• Ant - compress, constrict
• The boys pupils dilated when he had a flashlight shined in his eyes.

DROSS

• (N.) refuse, waste products
• Syn - trash, detritus, dregs, scum
• Some lakes are in danger due to all the dross being dumped in it.

DWINDLE

• (V.) to lessen, diminish
• Syn - decrease, shrink, fade, peter out
• Ant - increase, enlarge, swell, proliferate
• The limited edition Mountain Dew quickly dwindled until stores ran out.

FLIPPANT

• (Adj.) lacking in seriousness; disrespectful, saucy
• Syn - frivolous, impudent, impertinent, insolent
• Ant - serious, respectful, deferential, obsequious
• My little sister is flippant and always questions my parents' authority.

IMMUNITY

• (N.) resistance to disease; freedom from some charge or obligation.
• Syn - exemption
• Ant - vulnerability
• After getting mono once, one can gain immunity to the disease.

INSTITUTE

• (V.) to establish, set up (n.) organization that promotes learning
• Syn - found, bring about, academy
• Ant - Terminate, discontinue
• The Ten Commandments instituted basic laws for people to obey.

LIABILITY

• N. A debt; soemthing disadvantageous
• Syn - difficulty, impediment
• Ant - advantage, asset
• Babies are liabilities because you always have to watch them so nothing goes wrong.

PREPOSTEROUS

• Adj. Ridiculous, sensless
• Syn - nonsensical, absurd, incredible
• Ant - sensible, reasonable, realistic
• Some people think that people who claim to be psychic are preposterous.

PUGNACIOUS

• Adj. Quarrelsome, fond of fighting
• Syn - combative, belligerent
• Ant - peace-loving, friendly
• aaA pugnacious attitude is exactly what you need in order to be a professional fighter.

RABID

• Adj. Furious, violently intense, unreasonably extreme; infected with rabies
• Syn - zealous, raving
• Ant - moderate, indefferent
• The bunny was rabid and was forced to get a rabies shot.

REALM

• N. A kingdom, a religion or field
• Syn - domain, duchy

REJUVENATE

• V. To make young again, to make like new
• Syn - renew
• Ant - wear out, exhaust
• After the car wash, the car looked young and rejuvenated.

REMUNERATE

• V. To reward, pay, reimburse
• Syn - satisfy,profit
• After winning the lottery, the man man was able to remunerate every one he owed.

SPARSE

• Adj. Meager, scant; scattered
• Syn - thin, scanty, few
• Ant - plentiful, abundant
• The Sea Turtle's population gets more and more sparse everyday.

STERLING

• Adj. Genuine, excellent, made of silver of standard fineness
• Syn - outstanding, worthy
• Ant - shoddy, sham
• The Cut Co. Salesman sold so many knives due to its sterling silver.

VENTURE

• N. A risky or daring undertaking; v. To expose to danger
• Syn - gamble; try, chance
• Ant - withdraw, retire
• In The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins ventured to kill the dragon.

WARP

• V. To twist out of shape; n. An abnormality
• Syn - bend, distort, irregularly
• Ant - straighten, unbend, rectify
• The wooden floor had warped after years of wear and tear.