Name:_________________________
Per.:__________
Due:__________
Ninth Grade Honors: Vocabulary Week 23
obdurate (adj.) unyielding to persuasion or moral influences
oblivious (adj.) lacking consciousness or awareness of something
obsolete (adj.) no longer used, out of date
obtuse (adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect
ominous (adj.) foreboding or foreshadowing evil
oration (n.) a speech delivered in a formal or ceremonious manner
oscillate (v.) to sway from one side to the other
ostracism (n.) exclusion from a group
palette (n.) a range of colors or qualities
panacea (n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties
EXERCISE 1: Fill in the blanks with vocabulary words.
1. Beth risked ____________________ if her roommates discovered her flatulence.
2. With the inventions of tape decks and CDs, eight-track players are now entirely
____________________.
3. The prime minister was visibly shaken when the unruly parliament interrupted his
____________________ about failed domestic policies.
4. The ____________________ old man refused to take pity on the kittens.
5. The fortuneteller’s ____________________ words flashed through my mind as the hooded
figure approached me in the alley.
6. The ____________________ of colors utilized in the painting was equaled only by the range
of intense emotions the piece evoked.
7. Doctors wish there was a single ____________________ for every disease, but sadly there is
not.
8. Political opponents warned that the prime minister’s ____________________ approach to
foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war.
9. My uncle ____________________(-ed) between buying a station wagon to transport his
family and buying a sports car to satisfy his boyhood dreams.
10. ____________________ to the burning smell emanating from the kitchen, my father did not
notice that the rolls in the oven were burned until much too late.
EXERCISE 2: Below are ten word pairs. The first word in each pair is a vocabulary word. For each
pair, write S in the blank if the second word in the pair is a synonym of the vocabulary word or A if the
word is an antonym.
_____ 1. obdurate: submitting
_____ 6. oration : lecture
_____ 2. oblivious: unaware
_____ 7. oscillate : swing
_____ 3. obsolete: modern
_____ 8. ostracism : acceptance
_____ 4. obtuse : dull
_____ 9. palette : range
_____ 5. ominous: promising
_____ 10. panacea : poison
EXERCISE 3: Use the following graphic organizers for four vocabulary words.
Antonym
Synonyms or Examples
Word
Synonyms or Examples
Word
Use the word in an original sentence.
Antonym
Antonym
Synonyms or Examples
Use the word in an original sentence.
Antonym
Synonyms or Examples
Word
Word
Use the word in an original sentence.
Use the word in an original sentence.