Unit 5 - Improving Vocabulary skills EAP-0090 - Chapter 29

Noun

Adjective

Verb

Adverb

Avidity

Avid: enthusiastic, devoted; eager

Synonyms: keen, enthusiastic, passionate, eager, fanatical, greedy Antonyms: apathetic Terri is such an AVID tennis player that she volunteered to teach at a summer tennis camp just to get more time on the court. Someone who volunteers to teach tennis just to get more hours on the court must be an enthusiastic and devoted player. "Avid" means "enthusiastic and devoted," as in: When Rachel, an avid reader, went on vacation, she took along a new book for every day. The famous writer Vladimir Nabokov was an AVID butterfly collector. To honor his interest and dedication, several butterfly and moth species are named for him. Rebecca is such an AVID runner that no matter where she travels, she has running shoes in her suitcase. She has run in cities, small towns, mountain trails, parks, and country roads.

Dwindle: to gradually lessen or shrink

Synonyms: decrease, diminish, fall, drop, reduce, lessen, shrink, fade, disappear Antonyms: increase Marva was greatly excited about seeing her old college roommate at the reunion. But after they had exchanged news about their families, their supply of things to talk about DWINDLED to nothing. If Marva and her roommate started by sharing family news but ended up with nothing to talk about, their conversation must have gradually shrunk. "Dwindle" means "to gradually lessen or shrink," as in: After the two friends moved to different towns, they talked on the phone every day at first. Eventually, however, their conversations dwindled to about one a month. As his savings DWINDLED, Kevin realized he was going to have to get a job—and soon. After the hikers had been missing for five days in the intense desert heat, hopes of finding them alive began to DWINDLE.

Esteem: high regard; respect; favorable opinion

Esteem

Synonyms: regard, reverence, honor, approval, respect, admiration, appreciation Antonyms: contempt After getting to know Mrs. McGraw, I learned why so many people speak of her with such ESTEEM. She is one of the most caring and unselfish people I have ever met. People hold Mrs. McGraw in high regard because of her kind and unselfish nature. "Esteem" means "respect," as in: Mr. Cranston received many awards during his thirty years of coaching, but his favorite is the gold whistle his students gave him as a sign of their esteem. When Jill turned down Jack’s wedding proposal, she explained, “I think you are a wonderful person and will forever hold you in the highest ESTEEM. But I cannot marry you because I have fallen head-over-heels in love with someone else.” My grandfather’s ESTEEM for President Franklin Roosevelt was so great that he named his first son Franklin.

Evoke: to draw forth, as a mental image or a feeling

Synonyms: provoke, elicit, suggest, induce, arouse,  conjure, educe, call to mind, call up Antonyms: suppress The Fourth of July parade featured a brass band playing exciting marches meant to EVOKE patriotic feelings in listeners. Exciting marches will probably bring out patriotic feelings in listeners. "Evoke" means "to draw forth, as a mental image or a feeling," as in: The horror movie was meant to evoke fear, but John and his friends laughed at the unrealistic-looking monsters. A movie soundtrack is used to EVOKE the viewers’ emotions. For example, a persistent drumbeat might build suspense, and wailing violins might bring tears to viewers’ eyes. The whiff of Jean Nate cologne always EVOKES memories of my grandmother, who wore the scent constantly.

Legacy: something handed down from people who have come before

Synonyms: inheritance, heritage, gift, money, donation, birthright Antonyms: As child abuse is a LEGACY from one generation to the next, so is good parenting. A child who is treated with respect and kindness is likely to treat his or her own children in the same way. The sentence suggests that a legacy is something "handed down from one generation to the next." "Legacy" means "something handed down from people who have come before," as in: Many legends involve a terrible curse upon a family. The curse is the legacy of an ancestor who committed a shocking crime. Most people agree that a clean environment is a LEGACY we want to leave future generations, although there is disagreement how that is to be done. Many of the European settlers who first came to America established communities where they could worship as they pleased. That LEGACY of religious freedom still exits in America nearly four hundred years later.

Mediation

Mediate

Mediate: to settle a conflict by acting as go-between

Synonyms: arbitrate, intercede, facilitate, referee, intermediate, umpire, intervene, resolve, reconcile, act as a go-between Antonyms: provoke In order to MEDIATE the argument about trees on the two men’s property line, Malcolm had to listen to each man’s side of the story. After hearing their stories, he decided both were being unreasonable. Malcolm spoke with each of the two men in the dispute with the goal of settling their conflict. "Mediate" means "to settle (a conflict) by acting as a go-between," as in: Since neither of them wanted to go to court, Mr. Hillman and the gas station owner agreed to let a lawyer mediate their disagreement. At first, Laura was willing to try to MEDIATE the disagreement between her friends Shaunte and Rafael. But after a bit, she changed her mind. “You’re both being unreasonable,” she told them. “I give up.” When the school board and teachers had a disagreement, a third party was brought in to MEDIATE between the two groups.

Pacifier

Pacifistic

Pacify: to make calm or peaceful

Pacifistically

Synonyms: appease, soothe, calm, mollify, calm down Antonyms: antagonize, aggravate A screaming baby can often be PACIFIED by being wrapped snugly in a blanket. Gently confining the child's arms and legs seems to make it feel more secure. Wrapping a crying baby in a blanket will often calm it. "Pacify" means "to make calm or peaceful," as in: A soothing cup of herbal tea will often pacify me when I'm feeling nervous. When Renaldo threw a baseball through his neighbor’s window, he PACIFIED by the angry man by apologizing and quickly replacing the broken glass. To PACIFY a crying baby, it is often helpful to wrap the child tightly in a blanket, hold it close, and gently pat its back.

Mutation

Muted: softened; toned down; made less intense

Mute

Synonyms: soft, quiet, gentle, Antonyms: loud After my history teacher gave my oral report a low grade, he MUTED his criticism by admitting he hadn’t given me very good instructions on how to prepare it. The teacher softened his criticism by admitting he was partially to blame. "Muted" means "made less intense," as in: My husband's snoring is very loud, but when I wear earplugs the noise is muted enough that I can sleep. The restaurant is a pleasant place. The quiet, expert staff and the MUTED music in the background make it a relaxing place to have a meal and conversation. Thea used to wear very brightly colored clothes, but now that she works in an office she feels that more MUTED colors are appropriate.

Nurture / Nurturance

Nurturant

Nurture: to promote development by providing nourishment, support, and protection

Synonyms: cultivate, cherish, encourage, foster, develop, support, take care of Antonyms: Little girls being given dolls to "mother" is an example of how women are taught from an early age to NURTURE those around them. From an early age, little girls are encouraged to be supportive and protective of those around them. Promote the development of by providing nourishment, support, and protection; from an early age, little girls are encouraged to be supportive and protective of those around them. "Nurture" means "to promote the development of by providing nourishment, support, and protection," as in: Cindy will do well in her job at the greenhouse. There's nothing she enjoys more than nurturing plants and flowers. When the beloved elementary school teacher retired, she was given a plaque saying, “She NURTURED the minds and spirits of countless children.” Eva loves to NURTURE her little sister’s imagination. She gives the child crayons, paints, and clay, and encourages her to develop her artistic gifts.

Transience

Transient: temporary; passing soon or quickly

Synonyms: fleeting, brief, passing, temporary, momentary, Antonyms: permanent When her sister was offered a well-paying, exciting job, Olivia felt jealous. But her jealousy was TRANSIENT, quickly replaced by pleasure in her sister's success. Olivia's jealousy passed quickly and was replaced by pleasure. "Transient" means "temporary," as in: This hotel has no transient guests. It's a residential hotel, meant only for permanent renters. Some hotels have mostly TRANSIENT guests, who are there for only a few days. Other hotels specialize in long-term housing, where guests might stay for several months or more. When Dalmatian puppies are born, they are all white. That coloring is TRANSIENT, however; within a few weeks black spots appear.