WOD 51 PulverizeVerb: To pound, crush, or grind to a powder or dust; to demolishSyn: beat, crush, annihilate, decimateAnt: mend, assemble, protect

Sent: She sits on the ground with a hammer, hitting the bucket in an effort to pulverize the plaster and free her leg.

WOD 52 Advocate verb: To speak or write in favor of noun: a person who pleads for anotherSyn: support, promote, endorseAnt: interfere, oppose, frustrate

Sent: The evolutionists advocate that mammalian life evolved from aquatic.

He is an advocate of free markets, but he has also called for tighter regulation.

WOD 53• Exonerate: verbTo clear, as of an accusation; free from

guilt or blameSyn: release, discharge, pardon, justifyAnt: blame, condemn, convictN: exoneration adj: exonerativeSent: The job of the defense attorney is to

exonerate his clients and keep them out of jail.

WOD 54• Interminable: adjSeeming to be without endSyn: endless, ceaseless, infiniteAnt: finite, temporary, occasionalAdv: interminablySent; We had an interminable wait at

the airport because the heavy snowstorm shut down the runways.

WOD 55• Impel; verb => to drive or to propelSyn: goad, spur, urge, motivateAnt: restrain, rebuff, discourage

Sent: A raging current impelled their raft downstream toward the waterfall.

Hatred of slavery impelled Harriet Tubman to return repeatedly to the South to help other slaves escape.

WOD 56• Despondent; adj => depressed from

loss of hope or confidenceSyn: depressed, discouraged, wretchedAnt: cheerful, spirited, hopefulAdv: despondently, Noun: despondencySent: Failing my driver’s test for the third

time left me completely despondent.

WOD 57• Alacrity: nounPromptness in respondingSyn: eagerness, readiness, enthusiasmAnt: reluctance, delay, unwillingnessSent: The seller of the classic car

accepted my first offer with such alacrity that I wished I had offered less.

WOD 58• Haphazard: adjectiveMarked by lack of plan, order, or

directionSyn: random, aimless, purposelessAnt: planned, controlled, designedAdv: haphazardlySent: He described in humorous

details his haphazard travels around the world.

WOD 59• Marginalize: verb =>To place in a

powerless or unimportant position within a society or group

Syn: demean, belittle, disparage, depreciateAnt: elevate, praise, promoteNoun: marginalizationSent: A society that labels certain people as

outside the norm – weird, scary, hateful, or useless – marginalizes those people, edging them out.

WOD 60• Rebut: VerbTo prove something is false by using

arguments or evidenceSyn: discredit, disprove, refuteAnt: confirm, prove, validateAdj: rebuttableNoun: rebuttalSent: You should not only study their

own point of view but be prepared to rebut the ideas of the opposing group.

WOD 61• Traverse: verbTo pass over, across, or throughSyn: cross, intersectSent: Route 66, which traverses the

United States from Chicago to Los Angeles, is sometimes called “The Mother Road” because in 1932 it opened the west to the automobile.

WOD 62• Refute: verbTo prove that something is not true or false

Syn: disapprove, dispute, deny, rebutAnt: acknowledge, admit, concedeAdj: refutableNoun: refutationSent: Regardless of what naysayers may

still insist, the science on climate change is too robust to refute.

WOD 63• Dote; verbTo show excessive fondness forSyn: treasure, cherishAnt: despise, neglect, abandonSent: She dotes on her grandson

and indulges his every whim.

WOD 64• Disseminate: verbTo scatter or spread widelySyn: separate, disperse, sprinkleAnt: assemble, collectNoun: disseminationSent: The wind disseminated the

spores from the milkweed pods.

WOD 65Feckless; adjectiveHaving no sense of responsibilitySyn: careless, irresponsible, unreliableAnt: efficient, trustworthy, scrupulousN: fecklessnessAdv: fecklesslySent: Pip’s feckless ways in London left him devoid of cash.

WOD 66• Pensive: adjDeep in thought, dreamily thoughtfulSyn: thoughtful, reflective,

contemplativeAnt: thoughtless, carefreeAdv: pensivelySent: Lying on my back, I grew pensive

as I watched the drifting summer clouds.

WOD 67• Hubbub: nounNoisy confusionSyn: uproar, commotion, chaos,

racketAnt: silence, peacefulness, stillnessSent: Fans thronged onto the field in

a hubbub of excitement when the Boston Red Sox won the pennant.

WOD 68• Wanton: adjIgnoring what is rightExcessive or unrestrainedSyn: immoral, senseless, recklessAnt: justified, cautious, restrainedSent: In refusing to remove abestos from

the ceilings, the company showed a wanton disregard for its employee’s health and safety.

WOD 69• Odoriferous : adjHaving or giving off a smellSyn: odorous, perfumed, scented,

fragrantAnt: smelly, rancid, fetid, noxiousSent: Odoriferous fragrance permeated

throughout the room when the beautiful blonde lady entered the room.

WOD 70• Meander : verbTo follow a winding courseTo wander aimlessly syn: roam, wander, rambleSent: The Mississippi River

meanders from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

WOD 71• Punctilious : adjective• Careful of and attentive to details,

especially ones relating to good manners and behavior

• Syn: precise, scrupulous, meticulous• Ant: casual, careless, cursory• Sent: A punctilious host tries to leave

nothing to chance when preparing for guests.

WOD 72• Paraphernalia: nounPersonal belongingsEquipments associated with a

particular activitySyn: possessions, accessories,

equipmentsSent: We accumulated so much

paraphernalia that the closets couldn’t hold it all.

WOD 73• Regale : verbTo entertain or delightSyn: charm, amuse, entranceAnt: bore, tire, irritateNoun: regalementSent: Charlie regaled the guests

with his funny stories.

WOD 74• Callow : adjective• => young and inexperiencedSyn: youthful, immature,

unsophisticatedAnt: experienced, matureSent: The student was too callow to

know he was being fooled.

WOD 75• Wry : adjective• => turned or bent to one side in

distaste or humor or amusing in a quiet but sharp way

• Syn: crooked, ironic, sarcastic• Ant: straight, unbent, normal• Sent: He gave a wry smile as he

admitted believing such a far-fetched tale.

WOD 76• Wheedle; Verb=> to gain by using sly persuasion

or insincere praise.Syn: cajole, flatter, entice, influenceAnt: dissuade, discourage, deter sent: The agent wheedled several

thousand dollars from the couple for a life insurance policy that was practically worthless.

WOD 77• Rant: verb or noun

to talk very loudly, even wildlySyn: rave, bellow, babbleAnt: murmur, whisper, mutter,

mumbleSent: The audience stopped listening

after a while when the speaker ranted on and on.

WOD 78• Verbose: adjective

using too many wordsSyn: wordy, redundant, repetitiousAnt: concise, direct, terseNoun: verbosity, verbiageAdv: verboselySent: The teacher asked Isabella to

cut her verbose speech from 40 to 15 minutes.

WOD 79• Complacent: adjective• a feeling of being satisfied with how

things are and not wanting to try to make them better .

Syn: self-satisfied, gratified, unconcernedAnt: concerned, bothered, agitatedNoun: complacence, complacencySent: Carole could get an A in math, but

she’s too complacent to work for it.

WOD 80• Ostentatious: adjective

Having to do with showing offSyn: showy, flashy, flamboyant, garishAnt: simple, modest, plainNoun: ostentation, --nessAdv: --lySent: Meredith talks about nothing but her

father’s yacht, ski trips to Aspen, and other ostentatious displays of wealth.

WOD 81• Placate: verb

=> to make calm and peacefulSyn: appease, pacify, reconcile, sootheAnt: irritate, displease, dissatisfyNoun: placationSent: The restaurant tried to placate

us with free appetizers after a one hour wait for a table.

WOD 82• Conciliate: verb => to win a person

over (through friendly acts or persuasive methods)

Syn: persuade, reconcile, arbitrateAnt: antagonize, arouse, stir upAdj: conciliatory, conciliativeNoun: conciliationSent: Hoping to end the argument,

Judd offered a conciliatory handshake to his adversary.

WOD 83• Affable: adj

=> easy to talk to, easy to approachSyn: friendly, approachable, amiableAnt: unfriendly, unapproachable,

standoffishNoun: affableness, affabilityAdv: affablySent: Don’s friendly grin conveys his

affable personality.

WOD 84• Squander: verb

=> to spend money (or time) in a wasteful, uncaring fashion

Syn: waste, deplete, consume, exhaust

Ant: save, store, conserve

Sent: Jimmy squandered a perfectly good day, aimlessly watching TV from dawn to dusk.

WOD 85• Impending; adj

about to occurSyn: looming, imminent, forebodingAnt: distant, remoteVerb: impendSent: Throughout the country was

the feeling of impending evil as if some unknown terror would come out of the deep shadows.

WOD 86• Egregious; adj

well beyond the bounds of what is right or proper

Syn: brazen, outrageous, notoriousAnt: delightful, pleasing, wonderfulAdv: egregiouslySent: You have a chance to defend

yourself against these rumors of your egregious acts.

WOD 87• Ubiquitous: adj

appearing to be present in large numbers or in many different places

Syn: omnipresent, widespread, universalAnt: rare, scarce, absentSent: Tourists with cameras are

ubiquitous in Europe every summer.

WOD 88Incontrovertible; adj impossible to disputeSyn: undeniable, unquestionable,

indisputableAnt: deniable, controversial, debatableAdv: incontrovertiblySent: The facts were incontrovertible

and the defendant was found guilty.

WOD 89• Fraught; adj

full of or accompanied by (usually followed by with)

Syn: full, abounding, repleteAnt: scan, skimpy, sparseSent: We abandoned our idea of

traveling up the Amazon River when we learned that such a trip would be fraught with danger.

WOD 90• Encumber: verb

To weigh down or burdenSyn: clog, overload, oppressAnt: free, lighten, easeNoun: encumbranceSent: I stumbled through the

terminal door, encumbered by two heavy suitcases

WOD 91• Flippant; adj

marked by lack of proper seriousness or earnestness

Syn: disrespectful, discourteous, impertinent, sassy

Ant: mannerly, courteous, civilAdv: FlippantlyNoun: flippancySent: To be a little flippant, you are going to

die one day, you might as well die happy.

WOD 92• Intermittent: adj

not continuous, happening at intervalsSyn; discontinuous, interrupted, irregularAnt: continuous, continual, constantNoun: intermittenceAdv: intermittentlySent: Although the forecast had promised

sunshine, the intermittent showers throughout the day ruined the party we planned at the park.

WOD 94• Insuperable; adj

incapable of being overcome or defeatedSyn: invincible, unbeatable, indomitableAnt: conquerable, reachable, attainableNoun: insuperabilitySent: During my senior year, passing

Greek seemed an insuperable obstacle to my graduating with my class.

WOD 95• Impetus ; noun

a driving force, anything that causes an action

Syn: stimulus, motive, incentive, spurSENT: Her hope of winning an athletic

scholarship provided the impetus for years of grueling training on the swim team.

WOD 96• Detract: verb

to take away, especially from the value, beauty, or importance of

Syn: damage, tarnish, blemishAnt: enhance, polish, promote,

augmentNoun: detractionSent: The addition of a modern family

room detracted from the cozy style of the bungalow

WOD 97• Malleable; adj

capable of being shaped or formed by forceful action

Syn: moldable, pliable, adjustableAnt: firm, rigid, stiffAdv: malleablySent: Play-doh is good for children’s

arts projects because it’s both malleable and reusable.