annex: (v). to add to, attach; to incorporate;
(n). an attachment or addition
• Synonyms: join, acquire,
appropriate, procure
The annex that Anne Frank lived in
for 3 years was behind this
bookcase.
cleave: to cut or split open; to cling to
• Synonyms: sever, halve,
sunder, adhere, clasp
It is possible to cleave
your foot, if you do not
use tools correctly.
“Use with
caution,
use with
caution…”
cordial: (adj). in a friendly manner,
hearty; cheery; (n). a liqueur
• Synonyms: hospitable,
affable, warm, convivial
• Antonyms: gruff,
unfriendly, unsociable
Some babies are
cordial, others
may need a bit of
TLC.
“Want to
babysit?”
cornerstone: the starting point of a building; a
fundamental principle or element
• Synonyms: foundation,
base, underpinning,
support
Ms. Piggy is enjoying a
leisure climb, near the
cornerstone of the
building.
This is a
cornerstone
debacle: an overwhelming defeat,
rout; a complete collapse or failure
• Synonyms: disaster,
fiasco, calamity
• Antonyms: success,
triumph, victory, coup
What is the debacle
seen here?
devitalize: to make weak or lifeless
• Synonyms: enfeeble,
sap, enervate
• Antonyms: enliven,
stimulate, energize,
excite
Often seen in
advertisements,
devitalized vs. revitalized
Before
After
embroil: to involve in a conflict or
difficulty; to throw into confusion
• Synonyms: entangle,
ensnarl
• Antonyms: disentangle,
separate, disconnect
The last thing I want is to
embroil myself in a
dispute with my parents.
When they get angry, I
do not want to be around
when they, “blow off
steam.”
exonerate: to clear from a charge or
accusation
• Synonyms: absolve,
acquit, vindicate,
exculpate
• Antonyms: implicate,
incriminate, inculpate
“At first my parents thought I
stole my meal, but later I was
exonerated when I showed
them my receipt…allowance
well spent!
glib: ready and fluent in speech;
thoughtless, insincere
• Synonyms: superficial,
pat, oily, unctuous,
facile
• Antonyms: halting,
tongue-tied, speechless,
awkward
If you have nothing
important to say,
do not use glib
responses.
haphazard: by chance, not planned;
lacking order
• Synonyms: random,
accidental, slapdash
• Antonyms: deliberate,
purposeful, orderly,
meticulous
The haphazard explanation of
facts in his excuse left
his parents completely confused.
“What
hammer?
What vase?”