Atone (v.): to make up for
• Synonyms: expiate,
make amends for
• What can you come up
with for antonyms?
What do you do when you
need to atone for
something?
Bondage (n.): slavery; any state of
being bound or held down
• Synonyms: servitude,
captivity, subjection,
dependence
Do you know who this is?
• Antonyms: freedom,
liberty, independence
Harriet Tubman helped
many escape bondage
through the underground
railroad.
Credible (adj.): believable
• Synonyms: plausible,
acceptable, likely
• Antonyms: unbelievable,
implausible, improbable
Is this a credible image?
Is this?
Elaine Davidson,
the woman
with more than
6,000 piercings
Defray (v.): to pay for, offset cost of
• Synonyms: settle, bear
the cost, foot the bill
With the holidays coming
up, will you be able to
defray all your bills? What
will your biggest purchase
be?
Diligent (adj.): hardworking,
industrious, not lazy
• Synonyms: assiduous,
sedulous
• Antonyms: lazy,
indolent, cursory,
perfunctory
Who is the most
diligent person you
know?
Will it pay off when you
are diligent?
Doleful (adj.): sad, dreary
• Synonyms: sorrowful,
mournful, melancholy,
dolorous
Would you rather spend
time with doleful or
cheerful people?
• Antonyms: cheerful,
blithe, jaunty, buoyant
What can you do to get
a baby out of a
doleful mood?
Ghastly (adj.): frightful, horrible,
deathly pale
• Synonyms: dreadful,
appalling, gruesome,
grisly
• Antonyms: pleasant,
agreeable, attractive,
delightful
Some ghastly scenes
from movies:
Hamper (v.): to hold back
• Synonyms: hinder,
obstruct, impede,
inhibit
• Antonyms: facilitate,
ease, smooth the way
A laundry hamper is used
to hamper what?
Hew (v.): to shape or cut down with
an ax, to hold to
• Synonyms: chop, hack
fell adhere, conform
• Can you come up with
some antonyms of your
own?
Do you have Christmas
memories of hewing a
tree from the woods?
Impoverished (adj.): poor, in a state of
poverty; depleted
• Synonyms: povertystricken, destitute,
indigent
• Antonyms: rich,
wealthy, affluent,
prosperous
This image should
remind you of the word
“impoverished.”
Incessant: (adj.) never stopping, going
on all the time
• Synonyms: ceaseless,
constant, uninterrupted
• Antonyms: occasional,
sporadic, intermittent
“Your loud and
incessant noise is
disturbing me.”
Intricate: (adj.) complicated; difficult
to understand
• Synonyms: complex,
convoluted
• Antonyms: simple,
uninvolved,
uncomplicated
Crocheting and
weaving are
both intricate
tasks.
Lucid: (adj). Easy to understand, clear;
rational, sane
• Synonyms: limpid,
intelligible
• Antonyms: murky,
muddy, obscure,
unintelligible
The letters of the
alphabet are lucid to
us because we have
been studying them
for years.
Posthumous: (adj.) occurring or
published after death
• Synonyms: postmortem
• Antonyms: prenatal
Many classic writers do
not receive recognition
until after their death.
Prim: (adj.) overly neat, precise,
proper, or formal; prudish
• Synonyms: fussy,
fastidious, squeamish
“I may be
prim and
proper, but I
like it!”
• Antonyms: dowdy,
frumpy, sloppy, untidy,
loose, lax
Sardonic: (adj.) grimly or scornfully
mocking, bitterly sarcastic
• Synonyms: caustic,
mordant, acerbic, wry
• Antonyms: bland, mild,
saccharine, goodnatured
It’s extremely important to
know when to be sardonic
and when to be
serious/professional.
Superfluous: (adj.) exceeding what is
sufficient or required, excess
• Synonyms: surplus,
supererogatory
• Antonyms: necessary,
essential, vital,
indispensable
Mama duck has a
superfluous amount of
ducklings to care for.
“Wait for
us!”
Supplant: (v.) to take the place of,
supersede
• Synonyms: replace,
displace, oust
Not just anyone can supplant a
true friendship.
Taunt: (v.) To jeer at, mock; (n.) an
insulting or mocking remark
• Synonyms: ridicule,
deride
• Antonyms: cheer,
applaud, acclaim
Taunting others can
lead to this…
Tenacious: (adj.) holding fast; holding
together firmly; persistent
• Synonyms: obstinate,
stubborn, dogged
• Antonyms: yielding,
weak, gentle, lax, slack
Odysseus is tenacious
about saving his ship
and crew.