Vocabulary: Lessons 16 & 17

• List of words from lessons 16 and 17

Lesson 16

• Fetid (adjective) means smelling very unpleasant, with synonyms including rancid and putrid, and antonyms like aromatic and perfumed
• An example of fetid in a sentence: "The smell of Tom’s fetid P.E. uniform was overwhelming."
• Perfunctory (adjective) describes an action carried out with minimal effort to satisfy the situation, having synonyms such as cursory and careless, while antonyms include thoughtful and concerned
• An example of perfunctory in a sentence: "He gave a perfunctory nod to all of the dinner party guests at the table."
• Fracas (noun) refers to a noisy disturbance, synonymous with ruckus and opposite to peace
• An example of fracas in a sentence: "It took two referees and all of the coaches to end the fracas on the field."
• Foible (noun) signifies a small flaw, with synonyms like defect or kink, and strength as an antonym
• An example of foible in a sentence: "In marriage, spouses learn to tolerate each other’s little foibles."
• Vacuous (adjective) describes showing a lack of thought or intelligence, sharing synonyms like dumb and empty-headed, and opposing terms such as intelligent
• An example of vacuous in a sentence: "From his vacuous expression, I could tell that he didn’t know anything about the homework reading."

Lesson 17

• Reticent (adjective) means not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings easily, synonymous with hesitant or shy, and antonymous to open or unrestrained
• An example of reticent in a sentence: "The reticent boy rarely spoke about his family."
• Farcical (adjective) describes something in a ridiculous manner, with absurd as a synonym and realistic or sensible as antonyms
• An example of farcical in a sentence: "The commuters were trapped due to farcical travel delays."
• Egalitarian (adjective) relates to the idea of all people deserving equal rights, synonymous with fair, and with biased as an antonym
• An example of egalitarian in a sentence: "Our laws should promote a fair, more egalitarian society."
• Palpable (adjective) means able to be touched or felt, having synonyms like real or discernible, and antonyms such as hidden or obscure
• An example of palpable in a sentence: "The tension between the warring couple was palpable."
• Charlatan (noun) refers to a person falsely claiming to have special talents or skills, synonymous with fraud or swindler, and antonymous to talent or expert
• An example of charlatan in a sentence: "The American Idol contestant was a charlatan, posing as a talented singer."