Antithesis-Baleful Flashcards
opposite
antithesis
antithesis sounds like
anTEETHesis
antithesis mnemonic device
The teeth in your mouth. For every tooth, there is an opposite tooth. For example, for every upper tooth, there is a corresponding (opposite) tooth.
lack of interest or concern
apathy
apathy sounds like
apple tree
apathy mnemonic device
George Washington’s father is questioning him about the cherry tree that has been chopped down. Young George, arms folded, replies, “I cannot tell a lie. I really don’t care who chopped down the cherry tree.”
top; highest point; summit
apex
apex sounds like
a pex
apex mnemonic device
King Kong (the ape) is climbing the Empire State building. He’s trying to get to a large letter “X” which is perched on top of the building’s antenna (highest point). As he climbs, he thinks to himself, “This will be the apex of my career.”
calm; pacify
appease
appease sounds like
peas
appease mnemonic device
A young child who’s upset because he’s hungry. He calms down when his mother gives him some peas (this requires a little extra imagination). Or, just think of “please” or “a peace,” all of which sound like appease and suggest its meaning.
selected by random choice and without solid reason
arbitrary
arbitrary sounds like
our bee, Jerry
arbitrary mnemonic device
A giant glass tank called the Lost Bee Shelter. A young man is looking into the tank at thousands of flying bees. He says to the attendant, “I think that’s him. That’s our bee, Jerry.”
secret; mysterious
arcane
arcane sounds like
our cane
arcane mnemonic device
A child sits at his grandparents’ dinner table. In the corner of the room is a wooden cane with mysterious words and markings all over it. When the boy asks what it all means, his grandmother just smiles slightly and says mysteriously, “Oh that’s just our cane. Don’t worry about it. You wouldn’t understand anyway.”
old; antiquated
archaic
archaic sounds like
our cake
archaic mnemonic device
A very old cake, covered with cobwebs. One person asks. “Where did we get our cake?” The other person answers, “From Auntie Katie, where else?”
acting superior, obnoxious, smug or rude
arrogant
arrogant sounds like
arrow can’t
arrogant mnemonic device
It’s the mid-1800s, somewhere in Oklahoma. A traveling rifle salesman is making a presentation to some Navaho Indians. “You’re still using those bows and arrows for hunting?” he asks. “This rifle fires bullets. Do you people know what bullets are?” The Navaho look at each other, annoyed but patient. The salesman continues: “A bullet can take down a buffalo from five hundred yards. An arrow can’t! A bullet can fly faster than a hawk. An arrow can’t! And a bullet can be kept in your pocket or pouch. An arrow can’t! You have to buy my rifles and bullets, because they are better than anything you’re using.”
able to speak clearly and effectively
articulate
articulate sounds like
Artie Kool-Aid
articulate mnemonic device
A man named Artie holding a pitcher, giving a speech: “… and let me assure you, dear fellows, that it would be a veritable impossibility for me to be so eloquent without this extraordinary thirst-quenching concoction, Kool-Aid.”
domination; controlling power
ascendance
ascendance sounds like
a sun dance
ascendance mnemonic device
This Indian tribe has been doing rain dances for many centuries. But now it’s been raining for seven weeks and they need the sun to dry up the water. So they create and perform a sun dance. After the dancers have been performing for several minutes, the clouds disappear and the sun comes out. The tribe, at least on this occasion, seems to have gained ascendance over the sun.
person who rejects physical comfort and luxury for self-discipline
ascetic
ascetic sounds like
acidic
ascetic mnemonic device
A man of great religious faith has decided to leave his comfortable life behind in order to reach a higher level of spiritual growth. He gives away all of his possessions, including his house, donates his savings to charity, and begins to walk across the desert. Many days later, his shoes worn through and his clothes in tatters, he reaches the end of the desert and finds himself at a gas station. A mechanic, recognizing the religious man’s obvious need for a drink, offers him a cold can from the vending machine. However, the man sees the soft drink as a luxury, an aspect of the physical world no longer part of his life, and rejects it, choosing instead to drink from a nearby bucket of battery acid. Surprised, the mechanic says, “Why, that’s downright acidic!” “I think you mean ‘ascetic,’” says the religious man, between sips.
roughness; harshness; irritability
asperity
asperity sounds like
a spirit tea
asperity mnemonic device
A group of ghosts/spirits meeting for their afternoon tea. One of the spirits gets extremely agitated and angry after drinking his tea, and begins yelling at his companions. (One of the other ghosts comments: “He really needs to start drinking decaffeinated. This regular stuff just haunts him.”)
attack with words or force
assail
assail sounds like
a sail/sale
assail mnemonic device
The husband comes home with a new sail for his boat. His wife attacks: “What? You spent more money on that stupid boat? You haven’t bought yourself a new shirt in six years, but the sailboat is always right in style! What excuse do you have this time?” Husband: “It was on sale.”
persistent; hard-working; diligent; attentive to detail
assiduous
assiduous sounds like
a Sid, U.S.
assiduous mnemonic device
A devoted worker at the post office has noticed a letter sent from overseas. The envelope is addressed simply, “Sid, U.S,” The worker, determined to see that the letter is delivered to the right person, has gathered every telephone directory in the country and is carefully going through each one page-by-page, making a list of every Sid in the U.S. “A Sid, U.S.,” he says. “If I’m persistent and pay close attention to detail, I’ll find him. Or her.”
relieve; ease; pacify
assuage
assuage sounds like
as wage
assuage mnemonic device
A fairy godmother appears to a miserable man who is seated at a table piled high with bills. The man is obviously distressed because he has no money. The fairy offers to pay the man a salary (“as wage”) for the work he’s doing in paying the bills! The man is thrilled, for she has assuaged his anxiety.
wise; insightfully clever; shrewd
astute
astute sounds like
a stew
astute mnemonic device
As his students prepare their dishes, the cooking teacher strolls around the kitchen, peeking into each pot and casserole. He’s puzzled by the contents of one stove-top pot, but after quickly scanning the ingredients, he looks the young chef straight in the eye and says, “A stew.” And of course, he is right.
waste away; wither
atrophy
atrophy sounds like
a trophy
atrophy mnemonic device
A trophy with a figure on top. The figure’s arms or legs are melting (its muscles have atrophied).
brazen; brash; nervy
audacious
audacious sounds like
all day shhh’s
audacious mnemonic device
A librarian, referring to a boy talking at a nearby table: “‘Shhhh,’ I say, ‘please Shhhh,’ all day ‘Shhh’s’ and he just keeps talking. What brashness! What nerve! What audacity!” The boy turns to the librarian and says, “Shhh! I’m trying to read!”
make larger; increase
augment
augment sounds like
Aug. mint
augment mnemonic device
The gardener has been trying to grow mint for months, with just a few plants to show for her hard work. Then, on August 1st, she discovers her entire backyard covered in mint. “Wow!” she says. “This Aug. mint is quite an increase from the July mint!”
taking place under promising conditions; likely to succeed
Auspicious
auspicious sounds like
Our space shoes
auspicious mnemonic device
Two astronauts have just landed on the planet Neptune. Looking out the window of their spaceship they see that they are surrounded by a frozen lake. In order to accomplish their mission, they must cross the ice and return to the spaceship quickly. One astronaut thinks it’s going to be very difficult. The other pulls out two pairs of special boots fitted with large ice skate blades. “This will be easy,” he says. Then, gesturing to the boots, “Our space shoes!”
stern; plain; without luxuries
Austere
austere sounds like
Our steer
austere mnemonic device
A rancher giving a tour of his ranch: “And this is our steer. He lives in this simple barn, eats plain, dry grass, and frowns a lot. We’re not sure why.”
greed
Avarice
avarice sounds like
Ava rice
avarice mnemonic device
A woman named Ava is seated at a table, her arms around a mound of rice. She won’t share the rice with anyone. She is greedy.
feeling repelled; wanting to avoid
Averse
averse sounds like
A verse
averse mnemonic device
A young boy running from the classroom, screaming, “Poetry! I can’t listen to poetry. Not even averse!”
harmful: menacing
baleful
baleful sounds like
bale fall
baleful mnemonic device
Gigantic, heavy bales of hay falling from the sky. One of the bales is about to fall onto someone.
