HALCYON = 1. tranquil and free from disturbance or care 2. happy and carefree; (n.) 1. a mythical bird thought to have brought calm to the seas;

Examples:
- Lisa recalled the halcyon days of her youth.
- The sea went from stormy and turbulent to calm and halcyon. 
- I love the lake when it is serene and halcyon.

Synonyms: peaceful, placid, calm, tranquil, serene, balmy, golden,

Antonyms: turbulent, hectic, unhappy

FALTER =

JETTISON = 1. to discard or abandon something such as an idea or project. 2. to throw something from a ship, aircraft, or vehicle.

Examples:
- As ratings dropped, the station jettisoned educational podcasts.

- Seawater filled the Titanic so rapidly that Leonardo began to frantically jettison unnecessary items.  

- Microsoft was forced to jettison some of their ideas when it became clear that their plans were too elaborate.

Synonyms: abandon, cast off, discard, expel, unload, eliminate
Antonyms: keep, retain

INSOLENT = 1. disrespectful and rude; 2. unrestrained by convention

Examples:
- The insolent child always talked back to his mother.

- The lawyer's insolent behavior got him thrown out of the courtroom.

- That kind of insolence will not be tolerated in my classroom.

Synonyms: impolite, rude, disrespectful, brazen, insulting, arrogant.
Antonyms: respectful, considerate, polite

REVIVE = 1. to bring back to life; 2. to give new life or energy to something; 3. to restore and renew. 

Example:
- A hot shower and a cup of tea will revive you.
- Traditional skills are being revived by local craftsmen.
- The paramedics revived the unconscious man after several minutes.

Synonyms: restore, renew, rejuvenate, revitalize, refresh, resurrect,

Antonyms: extinguish, kill

PONTIFICATE =  speak pompously: to speak about something in a knowing and self-important way, especially when not qualified to do so.
To speak about something in as if you are the authoritative expert on the subject.

Example:
- Experts get on the tube and pontificate about the economy.
- I think it should be illegal for non-parents to pontificate on/about parenting.
- I have a feeling he's going to get up and pontificate about the subject as if he's the foremost authority.

Synonyms: expound, expatiate, preach

Antonyms: ask, deliberate

VIRTUOUS = with moral integrity: having or showing moral goodness or righteousness. A good moral quality in a person, or the general quality of goodness in a person

Example:
- I've been up working since six o'clock this morning so I'm feeling very virtuous.
- He described them as a virtuous and hard-working people.
- I'm convinced he only does that charity work so that he can feel virtuous.

Synonyms: moral, ethical, honest, conscientious, scrupulous, principled, upstanding,

Antonyms: virtueless, immoral, unethical, dishonest

STRIDENT = 1. harshly loud, grating, and offensive; 2. loudly, strongly, or urgently expressed.

Synonyms: harsh, grating, shrill, noisy, loud, vulgar, bold

Antonyms: respectful, quiet, reserved

Example:
- People are put off by his strident voice.
- The strident committee member openly complained during the meeting.
- Whenever Lisa drinks too much, her voice becomes strident.

DRAWL = a way of speaking in which the speaker draws out the vowel sounds and pronounces words slowly

Examples:

- Frank drawled when he spoke, so that all his words ran together as one. 
- I find his Texas drawl to be rather charming.
Synonyms: accent

Antonyms: enunciation

VOCIFEROUS = shouting noisily: shouting in a noisy and determined way

Examples:
- The vociferous coach yelled at the players throughout the entire game.

- Vociferous people express their opinions and complaints loudly and repeatedly in speech, and vociferous demands, etc. are made repeatedly and loudly.

Synonyms: loud, boisterous, clamorous, noisy, shrill, vocal

Antonyms: quiet, silent

INVETERATE = 1. fixed in a habit or practice, especially a bad one.
2. firmly established and of long standing.

Examples:
- Frank was an inveterate smoker and there was little hope of him being able to quit.
- Even after retiring from the army, he was unable to discontinue his inveterate visual scanning of a room.
- Tracy is known as an inveterate liar, so beware of believing her.

Synonyms: habitual, confirmed, chronic, abiding, protracted, customary

Antonyms: intermittent, temporary, occasional

FATUOUS = showing a lack of intelligence or thought combined with complacency.

Examples: 
- My hopes of manning a space shuttle are fatuous, I am scared of heights.
- I couldn't believe Mugabe's fatuous statement to the press.
- Phil is not very smart and is known for making fatuous comments before thinking them through.

Synonyms: asinine, imbecile, ludicrous, moronic, vacuous, delusive, stupid, foolish, unreal

Antonyms: brilliant, intelligent, smart, wise, knowing

HARANGUE = (n.) a forceful, public criticism made in a speech or sometimes in writing; (v.)  to criticize or question somebody, or try to persuade somebody to do something in a forceful angry way

Examples:
- Frank's lawyer made comments, which were marked by a vicious harangue against the defendant. 
- Joanne's parents will sometimes come up to her room and harangue her for playing her music too loud.
- Marc delivered a long harangue to his students.

Synonyms: diatribe, rant, tirade, attack, criticism, invective, lecture, peroration

Antonyms: encomium

PLUCK = courage and determination

Examples:
- Lisa's got a lot of pluck to stand up for herself like that.
- My grandfather is 85 but he has a lot of pluck.
- Phil never shown a lot of pluck and routinely lets people walk all over him.

Synonyms: courage, spirit, heart, mettle, moxie, determination, fortitude, bravery

Antonyms: cowardice, indifference

INSULAR = 1. not interested in new or foreign ideas; 2. originating on an island; 3. alone, like an island

Examples:
- Marc's insular attitude toward foreign cultures restricted his desire to travel.
- My sister was quite happy to grow up in her insular environment, but once she got older, she was ready to break free and explore the world.
- Many older people cling to insular beliefs without ever considering other people's opinions.

Synonyms: narrow-minded, provincial, confined, conservative,

Antonyms: broad-minded, open, welcoming

RESPITE = 1. a pause from doing something, often for relaxation; 2. a usually short interruption of relief in the intensity or amount of something, especially harm or discomfort; 3. a temporary suspension of a punishment.

Examples:
- We needed a few moments of respite in the shade during our strenuous marathon.
- Lisa worked in the garden all day, with only five minutes of respite for a drink of water.
- The end of the difficult project was in sight, and I looked forward to some respite.

Synonyms: pause, reprieve, rest, recess, interruption, lull, letup, cessation, deliverance, hiatus, suspension

Antonyms: continuation

TRANSITORY = not permanent or lasting, but existing only for a short time.

Examples:
- The Dutch soccer team took an early but transitory lead in the first half of Sunday's game.
- According to the government, the sudden shift in consumer spending will prove to be transitory.
- The "green flash" is a transitory green glow on the horizon at the moment the sun sets.

Synonyms: temporary, short-term, short-lived, momentary, fleeting, transient

Antonyms: lengthy, long-lived, permanent

STRATIFY = 1. to make, arrange, or divide into layers; 2. to divide (society) into social status groups; 3. to preserve seeds for germination by placing between layers of earth

Synonyms: tier, layer, divide, classify

Examples:
- Marc stratified the research document into several smaller reports.
- The professor stratified our research group by age and level of education.
- Alcoholism is an epidemic that has touched every stratum of our society.

FURTIVE = (adjective) Secretive: done in a way that is intended to escape notice. Shifty: presenting the appearance, or giving the impression, of somebody who has something to hid

Examples:
- Marc knew what Frank was about to say and shot his friend a furtive glance.
- James Bond's actions were furtive enough not to arouse suspicion.
- Lisa's furtive manner made Phil question what exactly he was up to.

Synonyms: sly, stealthy, surreptitious, shifty, sneaky, secretive, 

Antonyms: open, obvious

FOIBLE = (noun) 1. weakness or quirk: an idiosyncrasy or small weakness  ( usually used in the plural  ). 2 Blade part: the weakest part of a sword blade from the middle to the point

Examples:
- Frank overcame his foible of chronic tardiness.
- The foible portion of the fencing sword blade is weaker, but has more agility and speed.
- Interrupting people while they are speaking is probably Marc's greatest foible.

Synonyms: imperfection, frailty, failing, shortcoming, defect, quirk

Antonyms: strength, perfection