Word Power: Building Vocabulary Skills
Lesson 4
Lesson Quiz
Lesson Words
Etymology: [probably from parakonan (Greek), "to rub against a whetstone"; from para, "against" + akone (Greek), "whetstone." In other words, philologically speaking, a paragon is one who will stand up when tried by a touchstone or a standard of comparison.]
a model of excellence or perfection
Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of the book The Catcher in the Rye, views his younger sister Phoebe as a paragon of innocence.
Synonyms: model, exemplar, pattern
What a piece of work is man! how noble in reason!,
how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how
express and admirable! in action how like an angel!
in apprehension how like a God! the beauty of the world!
the paragon of animals.
Etymology: [dis (Latin), "away" + pellere (Latin), "to push"]
to drive away by scattering
The president addressed the nation in an attempt to dispel the rumors that he was leaving office.
Synonyms: diffuse, disperse, dissipate
Antonyms: amass, gather, concentrate
Etymology: [origin unknown]
odd
When I arrived at the coffee shop, my girlfriend had a quizzical look on her face. When I asked her why, she told me that she had just seen the reclusive author J. D. Salinger.
puzzled
The man was looking at his map with a quizzical expression on his face.
Synonyms: odd, teasing
Antonyms: serious
Etymology: [phobos (Greek), "fear"]
an irrational fear of an object; a morbid dread
John has a phobia of dogs.
Synonyms: aversion, fear, terror, dread
NOTE: Many abstract nouns describing morbid fears are formed by combining phobia or phobe with another word or word root. Some of these are:
hydrophobia — a morbid dread of water
claustrophobia — a morbid dread of being confined in closed rooms or narrow spaces
Russophobe — one who dreads things Russian
neophobe — one irrationally opposed to anything new
Etymology: [pertinax (Latin), "clinging persistently"; from per, "completely" + tenax, "tenacious"]
the state or quality of clinging doggedly to a purpose or an opinion
The congressman's pertinacity succeeded in defeating the new bill.
Synonyms: mettle, resolution, perseverance, fortitude, doggedness, persistency
Antonyms: tractableness, pliability, flexibility, complaisance
Etymology: [a (Greek), "not" + gnostic (English); from gignoskein (Greek), "to know"]
a person who believes that the existence and the nature of God are not known or knowable
The scientist stated that he is an agnostic, not an atheist.
Synonyms: skeptic, unbeliever, "doubting Thomas," disbeliever
NOTE: Observe the difference in meaning between agnostic and each of the following words:
freethinker — one whose opinions are formed independently of traditional authority
infidel — one who does not accept the tenets of the religion of the dominant group — thus, in Christian countries, a non-Christian; in Muslim countries, a non-Muslim
atheist — one who denies the existence of a Supreme Being
Etymology: [nocere (Latin), "to harm"; from noxa, "harm"]
destructive; harmful to health of body or mind
All gas heaters must be carefully designed to carry noxious gases out of the house.
Synonyms: lethal, fatal; deadly, pernicious, injurious, detrimental
Antonyms: salutary, salubrious, beneficial
Etymology: [imperium (Latin), "command, empire"]
pertaining to an emperor or an empire; befitting an emperor
Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, was beheaded by imperial command.
In 1453, when the eastern half of the Roman Empire fell, the imperial army of Constantinople had about 7,000 men, 2,000 of whom were foreign mercenaries.
Synonyms: sovereign, majestic, regal, royal
Antonyms: common, plebeian
Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay.
Etymology: [lugubris (Latin) from lugere, "to mourn"]
mournful
I could tell by Mary's lugubrious expression that something serious had happened.
Synonyms: doleful, melancholic, sorrowful, depressed
Antonyms: lively, gay, sprightly, gladsome, jocund, joyous, blithe
Etymology: [origin unknown]
to check or destroy growth; to depress (as of spirits or hope)
Negative publicity blighted the Congressman's hopes of reelection.
Synonyms: destroy, ruin, spoil, frustrate, dash, curb
Antonyms: invigorate, engender, enliven, encourage, nourish
NOTE: Blight is also used as a noun, meaning "anything that checks growth or causes destruction."
