1. ZANY (ADJECTIVE): crazy, funny
Synonyms: campy, comical
Antonyms: serious, sincere
Example Sentence:
It's all very madcap and zany, anarchic in a way familiar to any contemporary viewer of late-night TV made decades later.
2. NECROMANCY (NOUN): sorcery
Synonyms: charm, conjuring Antonyms: ugliness, repulsion
Example Sentence:
Saudi Arabia has recently beheaded women for “necromancy” but has avoided apostasy trials involving its few Christian converts.
3. ESCULENT (ADJECTIVE): fit to be eaten
Synonyms: comestible, consumable Antonyms: inedible, unpalatable
Example Sentence:
Sure, we may come for the recipes, but we stay to be entertained by the cook's own peculiar passion for the world of the esculent.
4. USURIOUS (ADJECTIVE): greedy
Synonyms: desirous, avaricious Antonyms: generous, unselfish
Example Sentence:
She made, so it was said in business offices, usurious loans by means of her brother, who appeared as a money-lender.
5. COUNTERMAND (VERB): annul, cancel a command
Synonyms: repeal, rescind Antonyms: permit, sanction
Example Sentence:
I told thee my reasons for not going in search of a letter of countermand.
6. INCONGRUITY (NOUN): incompatibility
Synonyms: discrepancy, disparity Antonyms: suitability, appropriateness
Example Sentence:
How do you feel when you see a picture like that, almost showing the incongruity of
war and a religious belief?
7. BAPTIZE (VERB): initiate in church rite
Synonyms: immerse, cleanse Antonyms: dirty, ignore
Example Sentence:
A well-known politician, who died only recently, was born in the village, and the old rector was called on to baptize him.
8. GROGGY (ADJECTIVE): dizzy, stunned
Synonyms: confused, dazed Antonyms: steady, stable
Example Sentence:
As I start to make calls, groggy American colleagues walk into the newsroom.
9. CONVIVIALITY (NOUN): a noisy drinking party
Synonyms: festivity, merriment Antonyms: recluse, boredom
Example Sentence:
He was often melancholy, and wild conviviality and celebrity made no difference to that.
10. BAROQUE (ADJECTIVE): decorative, especially architecture
Synonyms: florid, ornate Antonyms: plain, undecorated
Example Sentence:
Focused on evening wear, the baroque richness and detailed workmanship reflected the gilt-embossed walls of the venue.
