lair - interborosd.org

1. lair- noun A wild animal’s resting place, esp. one that is well hidden

1. They had supposed that the old lion had gone to sleep, and suddenly he had come out of his lair, roaring.
2. Synonyms: den, burrow
3.

2. meddle- verb Interfere in something that is not one’s concern
Other forms: meddled, meddling
Please don’t meddle in my affairs.
Synonyms: interfere, intervene
Antonyms: ignore, leave alone

3. affectionate- adjective Readily feeling or showing fondness or tenderness

Other form: affectionately

When her pups are born, mother wolf becomes an affectionate and attentive parent.

Synonyms: loving, tender

Antonyms: cold, disliking

4. sprig- noun A small stem bearing leaves or flowers, taken from a bush or plant

We decorated each Christmas present with a sprig of holly.

Synonyms: twig, shoot

5. alter- verb Change, or cause to change, typically in a small, but significant way.

Other forms: altered, altering, alteration, alterable

The new fuel mixture should alter the engine’s performance.

Synonyms: change, transform

Antonyms: keep, maintain

6. vigorous- adjective Characterized by or involving physical strength, effort, or energy

Other forms: vigorously, vigorousness
Athletes endure vigorous training when preparing for the Olympics.
Synonyms: strong, energetic
Antonyms: inactive, lethargic

7. racket- noun A type of bat with a round or oval frame strung with catgut, nylon, used in tennis, badminton, and

squash.

Once I started playing on the court, I realized I needed a new tennis racket.

Confused, clattering noise
The city traffic made a terrible racket in the street below.
Synonyms: clamor
Antonyms: harmony, peace

8. discard- verb Get rid of (someone or something) as no longer useful or desirable.
Other forms: discarded, discarding, discardable
Remove and discard the stems.
Synonyms: reject, abandon, throw away
Antonyms: embrace, keep

9. lethargic- adjective Affected by lethargy; sluggish

Other forms: lethargical, lethargically

I felt tired and a little lethargic from walking all day.

Synonyms: sleepy, drowsy

Antonyms: busy, lively, energetic

10. stench- noun A strong and very unpleasant smell
Other forms: stenchful, stenchy
We noticed the stench of rotting fish as we walked through the market.
Synonyms: smell, odor
Antonyms: perfume, sweetness

11. embrace- verb To hold closely in one’s arms, as a sign of affection

Other forms: embraceable, embracement, embracingly

Aunt Sophie embraced her niece before leaving.

Synonyms: hug, cuddle

Antonyms: let go, release

12. ruddy- adjective (of a person’s face) Having a healthy red color

Other forms: ruddily, ruddiness

Her face turned ruddy in color, as the teacher called her name.

Synonyms: rosy, reddish

Antonyms: pale, pallid

13. tuft- noun A bunch or collection of something, typically threads, grass, or hair, held together at the base

She inspected a tuft of her sister’s hair color to compare it to her own.

Synonyms: bunch, cluster

14. lurch- verb An abrupt or uncontrolled movement
It caught us off-guard when the car made a sudden lurch forward.
Synonyms: pitch, jerk
Antonyms: retreat

15. stagnant- adjective Showing no activity; dull and sluggish
Other forms: stagnancy, stagnantly
Our country is feeling the effects of a stagnant economy.

(of a body of water) having no current or flow, and an unpleasant smell as a result
Passing the pond, we could smell that the water had remained stagnant for some time.
Synonyms: motionless, still
Antonyms: moving, active

16. throng- noun A large, densely packed crowd of people or animals.

He pushed his way through the throng to make it up to the stage.

Synonyms: crowd, swarm

Antonyms: scattering

17. contort- verb Twist or bend out of its normal shape

Other forms: contortion, contortive

His facial muscles twitch and contort, as if pummeled by a hail of invisible darts.

Synonyms: distort, bend

Antonyms: beautify, smooth

18. spry- adjective Active; lively

Other forms: spryly, spryness

We watched in amazement as the spry old lady leaped around the dance floor.

Synonyms: nimble; agile

Antonyms: inactive; unenergetic

19. cluster- noun A group of similar objects growing closely together
Other form: clustery
There is a cluster of smaller buildings in the center of town.
Synonyms: bundle, collection
Antonyms: individual, one

Form a cluster; congregate

The children were directed to cluster around the leader.
Synonyms: crowd, flock
Antonyms: spread

20. wrench- noun A tool used for exerting a twisting force, as in turning nuts or bolts

Use the wrench to turn the left bolt clockwise ¼ of a turn.

Verb Pull or twist suddenly and violently

Next time I go skiing, I will try not to wrench my ankle.

Synonyms: twist, dislocate

21. forsaken- adjective Completely deserted or helpless; abandoned
Other forms: forsakenly, forsakenness
The broken bicycle lay in the ditch, forsaken by its rider.
Synonyms: abandoned, stranded
Antonyms: helped, wanted

22. ravine- noun A deep, narrow gorge with steep sides

Amongst the beautiful scenery we drove through was a ravine surrounded by a forest.

Synonyms: gully, gulch

Antonyms: plain

23. glide- verb Move with a smooth, quiet continuous motion
He glides easily on his ice skates, while she stumbles because she is just learning.
Synonyms: flow, drift
Antonyms: flounder, struggle

24. nosy- adjective (of a person or their behavior) Showing too much curiosity about other people’s affairs

Other forms: nosily, nosiness

Sarah is such a nosy girl, because she is always involving herself in other people’s business.

Synonyms: inquisitive, prying

Antonyms: indifferent, uninterested

25. hamlet- noun A small settlement, generally one smaller than a village
As we traveled, we passed a lovely hamlet along the mountainside.
Synonym: community, suburb
Antonym: city, metropolis