Vocabulary – Session 2

Personality types and traits

1. Magnanimous: exceedingly nice and compassionate to an opponent or someone you've vanquished

Synonyms: big, chivalrous, elevated, gallant, great, greathearted, high, high-minded, lofty, lordly, natural, noble, sublime
Antonyms: sordid, squalid, vile, wretched, debased, degenerate, degraded, ignoble, low
Usage: He is an ailing and elderly guy who must be forgiven; nonetheless, he is good and magnanimous, and he will adore the woman who brings happiness to his
son.

2. Pollyanna: a person who is too happy or optimistic.

Synonyms: auspicious, bright, encouraging, fair, golden, heartening, likely, promising, propitious, cheering, comforting, reassuring, favorable, good, positive, idealist,
romantic, utopian, visionary, cheerful, cheery, chipper, sunny
Antonyms: bearish, defeatist, despairing, downbeat, hopeless, pessimistic, cynical, fatalistic, nihilist, nihilistic, desperate, discouraging, disheartening, inauspicious, unlikely,
unpromising
Usage: On the one hand, being a wet blanket to big visions is a problem, and on the other side, having a Pollyanna naivete is a struggle.

3. Erudite: having or displaying a high level of knowledge based on extensive research

Synonyms: educated, knowledgeable, learned, lettered, literate, scholarly, well-read
Antonyms: benighted, dark, ignorant, illiterate, uneducated, unlearned, unlettered
Usage: While I learned what I know from watching television, my sister attributes her erudition to countless hours spent in the classroom earning her doctorate.

4. Boorish: (applied to persons and their actions) very obnoxious and rude
Synonyms: rude, churlish, classless, cloddish, clownish, loutish
Antonyms: couth, cultivated, polished, refined, sophisticated, well-bred, classy, courtly, genteel, gentlemanly, ladylike, civil, courteous, polite
Usage: Laptop bags don't have to be boorish black canvas bags with uninteresting materials and a low price.

5. Cynical: exhibiting disdain for recognized norms of honesty or morality by one's acts, particularly behaviors that prey on others' scruples
Synonyms: misanthropic, pessimistic
Antonyms: genial, lenient, complaisant, urbane
Usage: The US's cynical use of its veto power in the UN Security Council is drawing rising international censure.
6. Suave: Suave is a term used to describe someone who is smooth, confident, and appealing, and it generally refers to a male.
Synonyms: debonair, smooth, sophisticated, svelte, urbane
Antonyms: boorish, churlish, classless, clownish, loutish, uncouth
Usage:Our suave heroes had been converted into Laurel and Hardy, and suburban life had become a frenzied, heart-racing rush hour.

7. Cantankerous: Ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable.

Synonyms:acid, bearish, bilious, bloody-minded, disagreeable, dyspeptic, ill-humored, ill-natured, ill-tempered, ornery, splenetic, surly
Antonyms:amiable, good-humored, good-natured, good-tempered
Usage:He was forcibly ejected from his accommodations after a cantankerous stint in Aberdeen.

8. Curmudgeon: an elderly person who is frequently irritable

Synonyms: bear, bellyacher, complainer, crab, crank, croaker, crosspatch, fusser, griper, grouch, grouser, growler, grumbler, grump, murmurer, mutterer, sourpuss, whiner
Antonyms:affable, companionable, cordial, extroverted, friendly, genial, gregarious, outgoing, sociable, agreeable, amiable, good-natured, good-tempered, sweet, well-
disposed
Usage:If you read a few of his previous interviews, you'll get the impression that he's a cantankerous, old curmudgeon.

9. Philanderer: a man who has a lot of sexual relationships but doesn't want to be emotionally attached to any of them
Synonyms: Casanova, Don Juan, lecher, lothario, lounge lizard, masher, satyr, womanizer, debaucher, romancer, seducer, whoremaster, whoremonger
Antonyms: Faithful, ascetic, moral zealot, moralist, pietist
Usage: He insisted on having open relationships in which he could philander with as many women as he wanted without the risk of being tied down.

10. Ingenious: (of a person) bursting with fresh ideas and gifted at solving problems or developing new things
Synonyms:artless, genuine, guileless, honest, innocent, naive, natural, real, simple, sincere, true, unaffected, unpretending, unpretentious
Antonyms:affected, artful, artificial, assuming, dishonest, dissembling, dissimulating, fake, false, guileful, insincere, pretentious
Usage:This is a highly ingenious idea for explaining the text's inconsistencies, but it is still just that: a hypothesis.

11. Sagacious:possessing or displaying sound judgment and comprehension

Synonyms: discerning, insightful, perceptive, prudent, sage, sapient, wise
Antonyms: knuckleheaded, moronic, silly, simple, slow, slow-witted, stupid, thoughtless, unintelligent, witless
 Usage:When storm clouds begin to develop, sagacious leaders deal with them before they become too big to handle.

12. Perspicacious: Quick in detecting, comprehending, or properly assessing things

Synonyms:perceptive, aware, sharp, keen, discerning, observant
Antonyms:blind, dull, idiotic, imbecile, shallow, short-sighted, stolid, stupid, undiscerning, unintelligent
Usage:His perspicacious grandpa had purchased the land as an investment, anticipating the discovery of gold under the surface.

13. Peripatetic: Traveling from place to place, especially working or residing in several locations for short periods of time.
Synonyms:ambulant, ambulatory, errant, fugitive,itinerant, nomad, nomadic, perambulatory, peregrine, ranging, roaming, roving, vagabond, vagrant, wandering,
wayfaring
Antonyms:immobile, nonmoving, settled, standing, static, stationary
motionless, still
Usage:Special school locations and peripatetic support that might be brought into ordinary schools would share resources.

14. Woebegone:appearances of sadness or misery

Synonyms:heartsore, heavyhearted, inconsolable, joyless, low, low-spirited, melancholic, melancholy, miserable, mournful, sad, saddened, sorrowful, sorry, unhappy,
woeful, wretched
Antonyms:blissful, buoyant, buoyed, cheerful, cheery, chipper, delighted, glad, gladdened, gladsome, gleeful, happy, joyful, joyous, jubilant, sunny, upbeat
Usage:To commemorate the occasion, all woebegone sailors will gain double experience points until next Thursday, and a variety of special activities will be held.

15. Hedonist:a person who considers pleasure to be the most essential aspect of existence
Synonyms: voracious, luxurious, extravagant, incontinent, intemperate, reckless, splurging, uncontrolled, wanton
Antonyms:abstemious, abstinent, continent, sober, temperate, austere, spartan, disciplined, self-controlled, self-disciplined, self-governed
Usage:The real hedonist strives for a life of permanent logical enjoyment; pleasure is the goal of life, but true pleasure can only be achieved with the help of reason.

16. Renegade: a person who chooses to live outside of a group or community due to differing viewpoints
Synonyms: insurgent, insurrectionary, insurrectionist, mutineer, rebel, revolutionary, revolutionist, revolutionizer
Antonyms:adherent, disciple, follower, supporter, fanatic, militant, zealot
Usage:An underground gang of renegade democratic activists is striving to hold a free election to decide their country's fate.
17. Garrulous:A lot of chatting, generally on irrelevant topics
Synonyms:blabby, chatty, conversational, gabby, loquacious, motormouthed, mouthy, talkative, talky
Antonyms: closemouthed, laconic, reserved, reticent, taciturn, tight-lipped, uncommunicative
Usage:Mom, who is typically boisterous and garrulous, was as quiet as a mouse this morning.

18. Maverick:a person who does not act or think like everyone else, but has their own unique viewpoints.
Synonyms:dissentient, dissenting, dissident, heterodox, iconoclastic, nonconformist, nonorthodox, out-there, unconventional, unorthodox
Antonyms:conforming, conformist, conventional, orthodox
Usage:Some have called him a maverick, a colorful personality who preaches against the evils of over-centralization and unchecked authority.

19. Luddite: a person who opposes the implementation of new working techniques, particularly new machinery
Synonyms:opponent, opposer, resister, adversary
Antonyms:Amicable, protagonist, synergist
Usage:Staff with a Luddite bent despise the function of IT coordinator, which is frequently thrust onto an unwilling employee.

20. Status Quoist: the current state of affairs, or the state of affairs prior to a recent change
Synonyms:groove, routine, rut, currency, prevalence, conventionality, harmony, orderliness, peace
Antonyms:irregularity, uncommonness, unusualness, disorderliness, disruptiveness, disruption, disturbance, anomalousness, deviance, exceptionalness, extraordinariness,
noteworthiness, remarkableness, unconventionality
Usage:The Democratic leadership gathered for the national committee meeting, predictably, endorsed the status quo.

21. Ambivalent: having or showing a mixture of feelings or opinions about something or somebody
Synonyms:doubtful, faltering, irresolute, questioning, uncertain, undecided, unsure, vacillating,afraid, disinclined, dubious, hesitant, indisposed, reluctant
Antonyms:certain, decided, resolute, sure, unquestioning
Usage:The American public's attitude to the invasion of Iraq demonstrates a striking ambivalence toward war in modern times.

22. Bilious: referring to a bile overabundance-related disease that can result in vomiting
Synonyms:acid, bearish, bloody-minded, cantankerous, disagreeable, dyspeptic, ill-humored, ill-natured, ill-tempered, ornery, splenetic, surly
Antonyms:agreeable, amicable, congenial, friendly, pleasant, benign, gentle, kind, nice, sweet, bubbly, cheerful, cheery, effervescent, exuberant, high-spirited, joyful,
lighthearted, lively, vivacious, content, glad, happy, calm, placid, serene, long-suffering, patient, tolerant
 Usage:Bilious vomiting, in which the vomitus appears greenish, is a classic symptom of upper intestine blockage caused by fluid buildup and poor absorption.

23. Guttersnipe:an unkempt and misbehaving youngster that spends the most of their time on the street
Synonyms:gamine, ragamuffin, urchin, waif, beggar, indigent, bohemian, bum, clochard, drifter, hobo, tramp, vagabond, vagrant, miserable, pauper
Antonyms:independent
Usage: This is a deft little cosmopolitan guttersnipe who can accomplish a wide range of tasks, including shooting, drawing, painting, and maybe playing the violin.

24. Pagan:possessing religious views that are not affiliated with any of the world's major faiths
Synonyms: atheists, giaours, infidels, misbelievers, miscreants, nonbelievers, unbelievers
non-Christians, non-Jews, non-Muslims, neo-pagans, polytheists
Antonyms: Christians, Jews, Muslims
Usage:He remained a high priest until his death as a result of his moderation, and he was revered equally by Christians and pagans.

25. Neophyte:a person who is unfamiliar or inexperienced with a topic or activity.

Synonyms: Greenhorn, nascent, Tyro, newcomer, novice, novitiate, punk, rookie, tenderfoot, beginner, colt, cub, fledgling
Antonyms:expert, master, pro, professional, old hand, old-timer, vet, veteran
Usage:Her considerable influence, however, was not immediately exerted, and he was sent to Turin, where there was a special facility dedicated to the reception of
neophytes.

26. Insouciant: calm and joyful, demonstrating a casual lack of care, with no thoughts of stress or guilt.
Synonyms: blithe, carefree, debonair, devil-may-care, gay, happy-go-lucky, lighthearted, lightsome, slaphappy, unconcerned
Antonyms:earnest, grave, serious, serious-minded, careful, cautious, heedful, wary
anxious, concerned, upset, worried, long-suffering, overburdened, sorrowful
Usage:When the lion trainer entered the lion's cage with aninsouciant demeanor, he assured the animal that he was not in any danger.

27. Glutton:one who has a propensity of being greedy and ravenous in their eating and drinking
Synonyms: cormorant, gorger, gormandizer, gourmand, hog, overeater, pig, stuffer
Antonyms:dieting, abstemiousness, dieter, nibbler, picker
Usage:Norbrook's portrayal of himself as a glutton for poetry, stuffing in as much as possible, has a beautiful Renaissance feel to it.
28. Fastidious:It's impossible to please someone who expects everything to be flawless.
Synonyms:choosy (or choosey), dainty, demanding, exacting, finical, finicking, finicky, fussbudgety, fussy, nice, old-maidish, particular, persnickety, picky
Antonyms:affable, breezy, carefree, devil-may-care, happy-go-lucky, lackadaisical, laid-back, low-pressure, relaxed, flexible, lax, loose, lenient, permissive, uncritical,
indiscriminating, undiscriminating
Usage:We've heard he's so fastidious about the branch's finances that he contributes to them whenever he sees pennies on the floor.

29. Feral: (of animals) surviving in the wild, particularly after escaping from a life as a pet or on a farm.
Synonyms: ferocious, brutal, savage, wild, fierce, animal, untamed
Antonyms:controlled, docile, familiar, subdued, submissive,Trained, civilized, semicivilized, socialized
Usage:Those who deal with feral children are most concerned that the government's anti-social behaviorprogram would further marginalize them.

30. Atavistic:pertaining to or characterized by a return to a more old or ancestral state.

Synonyms:bygone, erstwhile, former, historic, historical, late, old-world, past
antiquated, archaic, dated, fossilized, moribund, mossy, obsolete, outdated, outmoded, outworn, rusty, Stone Age, superannuated
Antonyms:contemporary, current, mod, modern, new, newfangled, new-fashioned, present-day, recent, ultramodern, up-to-date, up-to-the-minute, Fresh, modernized,
refurbished, remodeled, renewed, functional, operable, operational, workable, active, alive, busy, employed, functioning, operating, operative
Usage:When your adversary is attempting to arouse every atavistic feeling in order to beat you, it becomes nearly impossible.

31. Pusillanimous:displaying a lack of confidence or resolve;

Synonyms:chicken-livered, chickenhearted, cowardly, craven, dastardly, gutless, lily-livered, poltroon, recreant, spineless, unheroic
Antonyms:audacious, bold, brazen, cheeky, nervy, plucky, spirited, spunky, determined, resolute
Usage:With pusillanimous individuals like you parading around, the comfort and security you want will only be fleeting.

32. Gallant:(of a male) kind and considerate to women, especially in public

Synonyms:bold, brave, courageous, dauntless, doughty, fearless, greathearted, gutsy, gutty, intrepid, lionhearted, manful, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, undauntable,
undaunted, valiant, valorous
Antonyms:afraid, agitated, disconcerted, disquieted, disturbed, frightened, horrified, panicked, panic-stricken, perturbed, scared, shocked, spooked, startled, terrified,
terrorized, unnerved, upset, appalled, concerned, dismayed, worried
Usage:Gallant discusses how simple it is to adapt methodologies for dynamic systems to include online learning and noisy input.
33. Phlegmatic:not readily irritated or enraged; calm
 Synonyms:apathetic, calm, careless, cold, cool, dispassionate, frigid, heedless, indifferent, negligent, purposeless, regardless, stolid, stony, stupid, unconcerned, uninterested, 
unmindful, unmoved
Antonyms:animated, anxious, ardent, burning, desirous, eager, earnest, enthusiastic, fervent, glowing, hot, impatient, impetuous, importunate, intense, intent, keen, longing
, vehement, yearning, zealous
Usage:His letters reveal a keen interest in natural and scientific events, as well as a phlegmatic demeanor and a dry sense of humor.

34. Truculent: Showing or exhibiting vehement disagreement or hatred; defiantly combative.

Synonyms:aggressive, agonistic, argumentative, assaultive, bellicose, belligerent, brawly, chippy, combative, confrontational, contentious, discordant, disputatious, feisty,
gladiatorial, militant, pugnacious, quarrelsome, scrappy, warlike
Antonyms:affable, amiable, amicable, benevolent, complaisant, conciliatory, cordial, easygoing, friendly, genial, good-natured, good-tempered, gracious, ingratiating,
kindhearted, obliging, pleasant, sociable
Usage:To keep up appearances, he continued to be unpleasant and truculent in school, but the old hatred had dissipated.

35. Irreverent:not treating official, significant, or sacred objects with the respect that they deserve
Synonyms:blasphemous, impious, profane, sacrilegious, nonreligious, secular
ungodly, unholy, unconsecrated, unhallowed, heathen, pagan
Antonyms:devout, God-fearing, godly, holy, prayerful, religious, sainted, saintly, worshipful,
consecrated, hallowed, sacred, sacrosanct, sanctified
Usage:This was met with an irreverent chuckle, and the young man flushed profusely, attempting to appear as though he had intended to infer a "double entendre."

36. Venerable: Because of their antiquity, prominent status, or religious or historical significance, they are deserving of respect:
Synonyms:honorable, reputable, respectable, considered, esteemed, honored, respected, reverenced, admirable, distinguished, estimable, redoubtable, worthy, good, moral,
noble, righteous
Antonyms:bad, discreditable, disgraceful, dishonorable, disreputable, ignominious, infamous, loose, notorious, shameful, immoral, seamy, shadowy, shady, sordid,
unsavory, vile, wicked, contemptible, despicable, detestable, dirty, low, mean, wretched
Usage:He dutifully came in front of three or four venerable gentlemen, who gave him a lesson on how to conduct himself in the Far East.

37. Condescending: suggesting or demonstrating a condescending slide from dignity or superiority

Synonyms:disdainful, patronizing, authoritarian, bossy, dominant, dominating, domineering, magisterial, pontifical, pontificating, impertinent, impudent, saucy, arrogant,
assumptive, bumptious, cavalier
 Antonyms:humble, lowly, modest, unarrogant, unpretentious, bashful, cowering, cringing, demure, diffident, introverted, overmodest, self-critical, self-doubting, sheepish,
shrinking, shy, subdued, acquiescent, compliant, deferential, meek, passive, submissive, unaggressive, unassertive, unassuming, unobtrusive, yielding, reserved, retiring
Usage:A foreigner may entertain him as much as a monkey, but he will never condescend to examine him with patience.

38. Intransigent:reluctant or unable to alter one's mind or agree on a point of view.

Synonyms:adamant, adamantine, bullheaded, dogged, hard, hard-nosed, hardened, hardheaded, headstrong, immovable, implacable, inconvincible, inflexible, mulish,
obdurate, obstinate, opinionated, ossified, pat, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded, self-opinionated, self-willed, stiff-necked, stubborn
Antonyms:docile, obedient, submissive, tractable, accepting, persuadable, receptive, responsive, willing, governable, manageable, reasonable, temperate, slavish,
subservient
Usage:Many intransigent southerners never gave up the belief that the war would be meaningless if the slave system was not preserved.

39. Nihilist: a person who rejects all religious and moral ideals and feels that life has no significance.
Synonyms:cynical, fatalistic, nihilist, bearish, defeatist, despairing, downbeat, hopeless, pessimistic, desperate, discouraging, disheartening, inauspicious, unlikely,
unpromising, bleak, cheerless, comfortless, depressing, desolate, dismal, dreary
Antonyms:auspicious, bright, encouraging, fair, golden, heartening, likely, promising, propitious, cheering, comforting, reassuring, favorable, good, positive, idealist,
romantic, utopian, visionary, cheerful, cheery, chipper, sunny
Usage:For a nihilist, focusing all of their attention on opposing morals, religion, and life in general must be tiresome.

40. Resilient:strong enough to cope with sickness, shock, change, and other adversities
Synonyms:bouncy, elastic, flexible, rubberlike, rubbery, springy, stretch, stretchable, stretchy, supple, whippy
Antonyms:compact, firm, hard, solid, unyielding, brittle, crisp, crumbly, friable, short
Usage:Constanza was unusually resilient after her initial prostration, and she began to display her intrinsic aptitude for organizing.