Notes

rancor n. A deep, long-held feeling of hatred or bitterness.
His rancor for the group turned him into its implacable foe.
Synonyms
animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, bad blood, bitterness, gall, grudge, hostility, jaundice, enmity
Antonyms
amiability, amicability, civility, cordiality, friendliness, hospitality, neighborliness; comity, empathy, friendship, goodwill, sympathy, understanding

mesmerize v. To fascinate or hypnotize
The agile, death-defying moves of the trapeze artist kept the audience mesmerized
during her performance.
Synonyms
arrest, bedazzle, catch up, enchant, fascinate, grip, hypnotize, enthrall, spellbind


exacerbate v. To make more severe, bitter, or violent
Running in the race on Saturday exacerbated Marina’s knee injury.
Synonyms
aggravate, complicate, worsen
Antonyms
allay, alleviate, assuage, ease, help, mitigate, relieve

rampant adj. Threateningly wild, without restraint or control; widespread.
The rampant vines covered the slope and began to climb the surrounding trees.
Synonyms
abandoned, intemperate, raw, runaway, unbounded, unbridled, unchecked, uncontrolled, unhampered, unhindered, unrestrained
Antonyms
bridled, checked, constrained, controlled, curbed, governed, hampered, hindered, restrained, temperate


repertoire n. The list of pieces an actor, musician, etc., is ready to perform; the skills or
accomplishments of a person or group.
The band knew most of the requests, but several songs were not part of its repertoire
Synonyms
budget, force, fund, inventory, pool, supply, reservoir, stock

penchant n. A strong attraction or leaning.
Susan and Carl shared a penchant for crossword puzzles and made a ritual
of doing them together every Sunday morning.
Synonyms
affection, affinity, aptitude, bent, bias, bone, devices, disposition, genius, habitude, impulse, leaning, partiality, inclination, predilection, predisposition, proclivity, propensity, tendency, turn
Near Antonyms
allergy, averseness, aversion, disfavor, disinclination, dislike, disliking, disrelish, distaste; detachment, impartiality, neutrality, objectivity; apathy, disinterestedness, indifference, insouciance, nonchalance, unconcern

curtail v. To cut short or reduce
The performance was curtailed when a fire broke out in the theater.
Synonyms
abbreviate, abridge, shorten, cut back, dock, elide, syncopate, truncate
Antonyms
elongate, extend, lengthen, prolong, protract

rambunctious adj. Behaving in a wild and unruly manner.
When the puppies get too rambunctious in their play, the trainer separates them.
Synonyms
hell-raising, knockabout, boisterous, raucous, robustious, roisterous, rollicking, rowdy, rumbustious [chiefly British]
Antonyms
orderly

illicit adj. Not allowed, improper, or unlawful
During the days of Prohibition, bootlegging was one of Al Capone’s many illicit activities
Synonyms
criminal, felonious, illegitimate, illegal, lawless, unlawful, wrongful
Antonyms
lawful, legal, legitimate

precedent n. The act of statement that may serve as an example or justification for a later one
The successful revolt of the American colonies provided a precedent for the French
Revolution.
Synonyms
antecedent, anterior, foregoing, former, previous, preceding, prior
Antonyms
after, ensuing, following, later, posterior, subsequent, succeeding

accolade n. An expression of approval or respect for special merit; a award.
In England, knighthood is a high accolade given for service to the state.
Synonyms
encomium, citation, commendation, dithyramb, eulogium, eulogy, homage, hymn, paean, panegyric, salutation, tribute
Near Antonyms
censure, condemnation, denunciation, indictment, rebuke, reprimand, reproof; admonition, correction, harangue, lecture, sermon