Northern Highlands Regional High School
English Department
Vocabulary List 7
1. affliction
Definition: Great suffering in body and mind.
An undutiful son is an affliction to a parent.
Related Forms: afflict
Synonyms: sorrow, calamity, tribulation, woe, trial, suffering, distress, misery, adversity
Antonyms: pleasure
2. aroma
Definition: A pleasant smell or fragrance.
After the heavy rainfall, the aroma of the pines pervaded the woods.
Related Forms: aromatic
Synonyms: scent, odor, perfume, redolence, fragrance
3. benefactor:
Definition: One who performs a friendly act or confers a benefit upon another.
Albert Schweitzer has endeared himself to the people of Africa and the world as a benefactor of suffering humanity.
Related Forms: benefaction, beneficent, benefit
Synonyms: patron
Antonyms: malefactor
4. cower
Definition: To crouch because of fear, shame, or timidity, especially in the face of danger.
“England has never cowered before the threats of an invader,” the statesman replied proudly.
Related Form: cowering
Synonyms: quail, cringe, wince
Antonyms: defy, resist
5. haven
Definition: A place of shelter or safety; port.
The Pilgrims journeyed to the bleak New England shores to find a haven from religious oppression.
6. imperial
Definition: Pertaining to an emperor or an empire; befitting an emperor.
Sir Thomas Overbury was committed to the Tower of London by imperial command.
Related Forms: imperialistic, imperious
Synonyms: sovereign, lordly, domineering, commanding, magnificent, majestic, regal, royal
Antonyms: common, plebeian
7. mammoth
Definition: 1. (noun) a type of extinct elephant; figuratively, something massive or gigantic.
Remains of the mammoths, which lived at the time of prehistoric man, have been discovered in Alaska and Siberia.
2. (adjective) Extremely large.
Some of the mammoth fortunes in the United States were amassed by men who had been brought up in poverty and squalor.
Synonyms: (nouns) mastodon, leviathan; (adjectives) stupendous,
immense, enormous, prodigious, vast, monstrous, huge, gargantuan,
gigantic, colossal, Herculean
Antonyms: (adjectives) minute, miniature, diminutive, pygmy, dwarfish, elfin, Lilliputian, microscopic, microcosmic
8. ordeal
Definition: A severe test of courage or perseverance.
While waiting to hear the outcome of his trial, the accused underwent an ordeal marked by keen anxiety.
Synonyms: trial, suffering, tribulation
9. potent:
Definition: Powerful; producing powerful physical effects (as a drug).
He has been a potent force for progress in this community.
Related Forms: potency, omnipotent
Synonyms: cogent, mighty, influential
Antonyms: effete, weak
10. unkempt
Definition: Not combed; untidy, crude, not refined.
He might have gotten the job if he had not looked so unkempt.
Synonyms: untidy, messy, disarranged, slovenly
Antonyms: orderly, neat, tidy, arranged