Unit 3 - Improving Vocabulary skills EAP-0090 - Chapter 15

Noun

Adjective

Verb

Adverb

Abstain:  to hold oneself back from something; refrain, to choose not to do or have something — usually + from

Synonyms: refrain, desist, give up, withdraw, relinquish Antonyms: consume, indulge The BBC reports that the U.S. may abstain from a U.N. resolution against Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem. Whenever I go on a diet, I find it easy to abstain from delicious, fattening foods--for at least the first three hours. (The speaker can do without fattening foods--but for only a brief time.) "Abstain from" means "to voluntarily do without," as in: While Lou has given up cigarettes, he doesn't abstain from tobacco entirely. Now he chews it.

Affiliate, Affiliation

Affiliated

Affiliate:  to associate; join

Synonyms: associate, partner, colleague, member, join, connect Antonyms: unaffiliated Last year, Carmine affiliated with the Elm Street Softball Team, but this year he decided to coach the South End Summer League instead. (Carmine no longer associates himself with the Elm Street team.) "Affiliate with" means "to join," as in: The officers at Jack's company all belong to the same political party, and Jack's boss is pressuring him to affiliate with that party as well.

Agnostic: a person who believes we cannot know whether or not there is God.

Agnostic

Synonyms: cynic, pessimist, disbeliever, skeptic Antonyms: believer Charles Darwin believed that man cannot know if there is a God because he can never solve the mystery of the beginning of all things. He said, “I, for one, must be content to remain an agnostic.” (The sentence suggests that “agnostic” means the same thing as not knowing “if there is a God.”) "Agnostic" means "a person who believes we cannot know whether or not there is a God," as in: Many people are certain there is a God, and others are just as certain there is not. I, being uncertain, am an agnostic.

Aspiration

Aspirant

Aspire: to strongly desire; to be ambitious (to do something or to get something)

Synonyms: seek, aim, hope, desire, want, wish Antonyms: As a child, Eleanor aspired to become a doctor, but her family’s financial problems forced her to drop out of school and take a job. When she was 47, however, she finished college and entered medical school. "Aspire" means "to strongly desire (a condition or goal)," as in: Dan has aspired to be an architect ever since he built his first skyscraper out of Tinkertoys.

Benevolence

Benevolent:

Synonyms: kind, caring, compassionate, generous, giving, altruistic Antonyms: malevolent The nursing home residents were grateful for the benevolent activities of the volunteers, such as reading aloud to them and helping them write letters. (The examples show that the volunteers' activities were kind.) "Benevolent" means "kind," as in: Whether it's a lost puppy or a crying child, my benevolent grandmother always takes it in and finds a way to help it.

Deficit:

Deficient

Synonyms: shortage, debit, discrepancy, inadequacy, lack Antonyms: surplus I used to think that Josie had pretty good judgment, but her romance with a three-times-divorced ex-convict suggests a deficit of common sense. (The speaker feels that Josie's relationship with a questionable character makes her seem lacking in good sense.) "Deficit" means "a shortage," as in: The deficit of rain this summer has left crops dying in the fields.

Dissent: disagreement

Dissent

Synonyms: protection, objection, disagreement, contradict, oppose, Antonyms: assent Although Marty didn't agree with his fraternity brothers' plan to make new members walk a mile in the snow wearing only bathing suits, he was too nervous to voice his dissent. (Marty was too nervous to say he disagreed with the plan.) "Dissent" means "disagreement," as in: The committee could not agree on anything. There was so much dissent that members could not even agree on when to schedule the next meeting.

Diversion: an amusement or pastime; anything that relaxes or amuses

Synonyms: entertainment, pastime, amusement, pleasure, enjoyable Antonyms: boredom The city’s lunchtime concert series was a delightful diversion for those of us who weren’t lucky enough to get away from the city during the summer. (The concert series was a pleasant pastime for city residents.) "Diversion" means "an amusement or pastime," as in: Since one of my sister's favorite diversions is doing crossword puzzles, she cannot understand why I find that a boring activity.

Lucrativeness

Lucrative: profitable; well-paying

Synonyms: profitable, worthwhile, well-paid, beneficial, rewarding, productive, Antonyms: unprofitable During last year’s housing boom, Mr. Philips had a very lucrative year working in real estate. This year, however, with housing sales down, he is earning less money. (For a person who works in real estate, a housing boom would be profitable.) "Lucrative" means "profitable," as in: A few people find betting on horse races lucrative, but many more lose all their money.

Mandatory

Mandatory

Mandate

Synonyms: required, necessary, compulsory, needed, fixed Antonyms: optional Some states allow drunk drivers to get off with a fine, but others have laws that insist on a mandatory jail term for people caught driving while drunk. (In some states drunk drivers are required to serve time in jail.) "Mandatory" means "required," as in: To stay on our college's basketball team, it's mandatory that a player attend 80 percent of the practices and maintain a B grade average.