Chapter 11 Vocabulary

Shane Shapiro

3/2/09 Period 3

Epistle

• - A letter or literary composition in letter form.

• Syn: Communication, Message

• Sample Sentence:– Jeffrey worked numerous hours on the epistle

that he planned on sending to Duke University.

Avid

• - Enthusiastic; extremely interested.

• Syn: voracious, eager

• Ant: apathetic, uninterested

• Sample Sentence:– Jake, an avid child, asks his uncle Charlie

tons of questions.

Gadfly

• - an irritating and persistent person.

• Syn: nuisance, pest

• Sample Sentence:– I tried to switch my seats, but I got stuck next

to an annoying gadfly.

Humility

• - absence of vanity.

• Syn: modesty

• Ant: vanity, arrogance

• Sample Sentence:– Even though Kobe Bryant is the best player in

the league, he is an example of humility because he never boasts his accomplishments.

Dolorous

• - exhibiting sorrow or pain.

• Syn: mournful, angry

• Ant: joyous

• Sample Sentence:– O.J. Simpson became very dolorous when the

judge announced his sentencing to jail.

Gargantuan

• - of huge or extraordinary size and power.

• Syn: gigantic, huge

• Ant: tiny, frail

• Sample Sentence:– The Hulk is gargantuan compared to the rest

of the cities inhabitants.

Arduous

• - difficult; requiring much effort.

• Syn: strenuous, laborious, tough

• Ant: easy, uncontested, unchallenging

• Sample Sentence:– Although Judge Judy is old, she still remains

very arduous to convince.

Affable

• - friendly; agreeable; easy to talk to

• Syn: amiable, good-natured

• Ant: disagreeable, irascible

• Sample Sentence:– The affable therapist is well known across the

country.

Grandiloquent

• - pompous or high-flown in speech.

• Syn: pretentious

• Ant: plain-spoken

• Sample Sentence:– At times President Obama gets grandiloquent

when talking to the public.

Agrarian

• - concerning farms, farmers, or use of land.

• Syn: agricultural

• Ant: urban, industrial

• Sample Sentence:– Child is known as an agrarian nation, because

of the agricultural products they produce.

Grimace

• - a facial expression of fear, disapproval, or pain.

• Syn: scowl

• Ant: smile

• Sample Sentence:– Jason gave a grimace when the principal

announced who would not be graduating.

Harangue

• - a long, strongly expressed speech or lecture

• Syn: tirade

• Ant: short-speech

• Sample Sentence:– Mr. Barclay gave a long and boring harangue

to the student body about how we need to improve our test grades

Formidable

• - arousing fear or awe.

• Syn: intimidating

• Ant: unfearful

• Sample Sentence:– The new student knew he would be facing a

formidable challenge changing schools.

Sycophant

• - a flatterer; one who fawns on others in order to gain favor.

• Syn: toady

• Ant: contrarian

• Sample Sentence:– The sycophant volleyball players were acting

like such sycophants in front of their coach to try and get playing time.

Explicit

• - clearly and openly stated.

• Syn: exact

• Ant: precise

• Sample Sentence:– The annoying teacher gave the class explicit

instructions about the class guidelines and expectations for the new semester.