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10 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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The HACKNEYED phrase "Have a nice day!" is heard so often that it has become almost meaningless.
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Def: Hackneyed: worn-out, repeated often
Opp: said very seldomly "Good luck" is the most HACKNEYED phrase i have ever heard. |
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The OPULENCE of the magnificent, luxurious resort was in stark contrast to the poverty of the little fishing village at its gates.
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Def: Opulence: riches, wealth
Opp: poor The writer Thoreau had no liking for OPULENCE. He wrote in his journal, "That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest." |
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The Bible tells the story of King Solomon, who was so SAGACIOUS that he knew what to do whentwo women came to him, both claiming to be the motherof the same child.
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Def: Sagacious: intelligent, wise
Opp: stupid, not smart Often when you are faced with a difficult situation, the SAGACIOUS thing is to do nothing right away, but wait to see what happens. |
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The surgeon's voice was DISPASSIONATE when he told the patient's family that the operation had failed, but despite his calm tone, his eyes looked very sad.
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Def: Dispassionate: unemotional, unaffected by emotions
Opp: overwhelmed and controlled by emotions "Historians are suppose to be DISPASSIONATE," the lecturer apoogized, "but when my topic is the horrors of slavery, I find it hard to keep my feelings hidden." |
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Moliere's play The MISANTHROPE is about a man, Alceste, who is enraged and disgusted by his fellow humans. To put it briefly, Alceste hates everyone.
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Def: Misanthrope: antisocial person, dislikes people
Opp: very affectionate person, outgoing One of our neighbors is a true MISANTHROPE. She hasn't a friend in the world; in fact, she looks on everyone as an enemy. |
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The boss, a PARSIMONIOUS man, insists that we save old memos and letters and use the back of pages as note paper.
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Def: Parsimonious: stingy, frugal
Opp: big spender Tim is a PARSIMONIOUS cook. He creates cheap meals from old cheese rinds, stale bread, and wilted vegetables. They taste awful. |
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Mary and Kim both make decent salaries. They could live comfortably on what they make if they weren't such PRODIGAL spenders.
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Def: Prodigal: extravagant, very generous
Opp: cheap, tight wads I don't think it's PRODIGAL to spend extra money to get well-made shoes. Cheap ones fall apart so fast that you soon end up buying another pair. |
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Students naturally want to know what will be covered on a test. Instead of trying to find out by SERREPTITIOUS means, it is better simpy to ask the instructor, who is often willing to provide at least a rough idea.
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Def: Surreptitious: secret, private
Opp: known by everyone As the wedding reception ended, several guests made SURREPTITIOUS trips to the parking lot, where they tied tin cans and crepe paper to the newlyweds' car. |
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A good teacher knows when to show CLEMENCY. For instance, if a student has been working very hard but does poorly on one quiz, the teacher might offer not to count that score.
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Def: Clemency: mercy, compassion
Opp: uncompassionate The convicted murderer was executed, even though religious leaders aaround the world asked the court to show clemency and reduce his sentence to life i prison. |
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If you seek damages under a "lemon law," be prepared to SUBSTANTIATE your claim that your car is a lemon. You'll need to show all your repair bills and correspondence.
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Def: Substantiate: to prove, validate
Opp: fail to prove something A man in our town claims to be 125 years old, but he's unable to SUBSTANTIATE this. He has no birth certificate, baptismal certificate, court records, or witnesses. |
