1. PONTIFICATE (VERB): sermonize
Synonyms: admonish, dogmatize Antonyms: praise
Example Sentence:
Stan loves to hear himself talk and will often pontificate on even the most trivial issues.
2. BROMIDE (NOUN): platitude
Synonyms: cliché, banality Antonyms: coinage, original saying
Example Sentence:
Years of coal mining and natural gas extraction have elevated the concentration of bromides in the river.
3. DISTEMPER (NOUN): disturbance
Synonyms: affliction, ailment Antonyms: health
Example Sentence:
Martha worried that employee morale at the company would be distempered if the rumoured merger were to happen.
4. TINTINNABULATION (NOUN): loud ringing
Synonyms: chime, jingle Antonyms: silence
Example Sentence:
The tintinnabulation that could be heard throughout the village was from the church on the common announcing morning services.
5. SEPTENTRIONAL (ADVERB): toward the top pole of the earth
Synonyms: northward, arctic Antonyms: southward
Example Sentence:
When he tired of the long, septentrional winters of New England, Grandfather retired to Florida.
6. PANGLOSSIAN (ADJECTIVE): optimistic
Synonyms: assured, confident Antonyms: pessimistic
Example Sentence:
This is simply a Panglossian idea, policy as wishful thinking.
7. ANABASIS (NOUN): forward movement
Synonyms: advance, progress Antonyms: hinder, backward
Example Sentence:
Reluctantly, the general ordered a hasty anabasis in the face of overwhelming opposing forces.
8. CAITIFF (NOUN): coward
Synonyms: scoundrel, louse Antonyms: brave, bold
Example Sentence:
Oh, horrible wretch! a murderer! unmanly murderer!—a defenseless woman smothered by caitiff hands.
9. CRENEL (NOUN): depression, scrape, chip
Synonyms: indentation, incision Antonyms: increase, bulge
Example Sentence:
Leaning into a crenel between two square merlons, Simon took a deep breath of the mild spring air.
10. FLAPDOODLE (ADJECTIVE): ridiculous situation or behavior
Synonyms: craziness, foolishness Antonyms: intelligence, judgment
Example Sentence:
You're the last man I ever expected to hear that kind of flapdoodle from.
