Usefulness/Productiveness

·         Efficacy (Noun)

·         Effectiveness (Noun)

EFFICACY (Noun)

Meaning: The power to produce a desired result or effect

Use:  The vaccine that the doctor recommended had the efficacy of being safe and effective in healing Mike's illness.

EFFECTIVENESS (Noun)

Meaning: The power to produce a desired result or effect

To hinder/To restrict the movement, progress or action of (someone or something)

·         Hamper (Verb)

·         Trammel (Noun, Verb)

·         Clog (Noun, Verb)

·         Fetter (Noun, Verb)

·         Shackle (Noun, Verb)

·         Manacle (Noun, Verb)

·         Constrain (Verb)

Explanation: Hamper (Verb), Trammel (Verb), Clog (Verb), Fetter (Verb), Shackle (Verb), Manacle (Verb) and Constrain (Verb) means to hinder or restrict the movement, progress or action of (someone or something). Trammel and clog implies slowing by something extraneous. Fetter implies a restraining so severe that freedom to move or progress is almost lost. Shackle and manacle are stronger than fetter and suggest total loss of freedom.

HAMPER (Verb)

Meaning: To slow the movement, progress or action of (someone or something)

Use: Their work is hampered by lack of funds.

TRAMMEL (Noun)

Meaning: A net for catching birds or fish

Use: Students and parents who want to throw off the trammels of outdated school policies.

TRAMMEL (Verb)

Meaning: To prevent or restrict (someone or something)

Use: Some canons that trammel the artist’ s creativity.

CLOG (Noun)

Meaning: Something that blocks something

Use: There is a clog in the kitchen sink.

CLOG (Verb)

Meaning: To slowly form a block in (something, such as a pipe or street)

Use: The drain clogs easily because the opening is so small.

FETTER (Noun)

Meaning: A pair of rings connected by a chain used to fasten a prisoner’ s wrists or ankles

Use: The police were moving the prisoners, all of whom were in fetters, to a new location.

FETTER (Verb)

Meaning: To prevent (someone or something) from moving or acting freely

Use: James found himself fettered by the responsibilities of completing the project.

SHACKLE (Noun)

Meaning: A pair of rings connected by a chain used to fasten a prisoner’ s wrists or ankles

Use: He placed shackles on the legs of the prisoners.

SHACKLE (Verb)

Meaning: To put a shackle on (someone or something)

Use: The criminal’ s ankles were shackled to prevent his escape.

MANACLE (Noun)

Meaning: A pair of rings connected by a chain used to fasten a prisoner’ s wrists or ankles

Use: The thief was finally caught at the scene of the crime and was taken away in manacles, with his arms behind his back, which prevented him from fighting with the police.

MANACLE (Verb)

Meaning: To confine (the hands) with manacles

Use: The police officer manacled the prisoner with handcuffs.

CONSTRAIN (Verb)

Meaning: To limit or restrict (something or someone)

Use: "We felt constrained to object to the way he was treating the dog."

Person who hates or refuses to accept the members of a particular group

·         Bigot (Noun)

·         Xenophobic (Adj.)

·         Prejudiced (Adj.)

BIGOT (Noun)

Meaning: 1) A person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people, ideas etc.

                  2) A person who hates or refuses to accept the member of a particular group.

Use: Mark's son was considered to be a bigot when he made some offensive remarks about the religious beliefs of another student who was from Israel.

XENOPHOBIC (Adj.)

Meaning: Fearful of what is foreign and especially of people of foreign origin

Use: When Ray's wife suggested that they should go on a trip to France and England to visit friends, he rejected the idea because as a xenophobic person, he had a terrible fear of being around so many strangers.

PREJUDICED (Adj.)

Meaning: A person who dislikes a person or group because of race, sex, religion etc.

Use: Much of the violence that was observed in the county was the result of prejudiced behavior of the residents.

Strongly supporting his feelings, opinion etc.

·         Bigot (Noun)

·         Rabid (Adj.)

·         Dogmatic (Noun)

·         Fanatic (Adj.)

BIGOT (Noun)

Meaning: 1) A person who strongly and unfairly dislikes other people, ideas etc.

                  2) A person who hates or refuses to accept the member of a particular group.

Use: Mark's son was considered to be a bigot when he made some offensive remarks about the religious beliefs of another student who was from Israel.

RABID (Adj.)

Meaning: Having or expressing a very strong opinion about or interest in something

Use: Fern was a politician with rabid supporters.

DOGMATIC (Noun)

Meaning: Expressing personal opinions or beliefs as if they are certainly true

Use: Pete made a dogmatic statement as to why he would not be going to work today. 

FANATIC (Adj.)

Meaning:

Use: Because of her fanatical views, her friends know better than to discuss religion with her.

Enjoying the company of others/Social

·         Gregarious (Adj.)

·         Extroverted (Adj.)

·         Sociable (Adj.)

·         Convivial (Adj.)

GREGARIOUS (Adj.)

Meaning: Enjoying the company of other people

Use: As a gregarious individual, Samuel loves to be with large gatherings of people.

EXTROVERT (Adj.)

Meaning: Enjoying the company of other people

Use: Mr. Jonas thought that James was the most extroverted, amicable, and open member of his psychology class.

SOCIABLE (Adj.)

Meaning: Enjoying the company of other people or liking to talk to people

Use: They are sociable people who enjoy having parties.

CONVIVIAL (Adj.)

Meaning: Fond of feasting, drinking and a good company

Use: It was a lively, convivial atmosphere- gone but not forgotten.

To feel afraid

·         Quail (Noun & Verb)

·         Cower (Verb)

QUAIL (Noun)

Meaning: A kind of small bird that is often hunted

Use: We had quail for dinner.

QUAIL (Verb)

Meaning: To feel afraid

Use: The unexpected sounds from the attic made Sally quail in fear of a ghost.

COWER (Verb)

Meaning: Crouch or shrink back in fear

Use: The frightened child cowered in the corner of the room.

Very bad

·         Notorious (Adj.)

·         Flagrant (Adj.)

·         Egregious (Adj.)

NOTORIOUS (Adj.)

Meaning: Well known or famous especially for something bad.

Use: Tim's supervisor has notorious outbursts when members of his staff don't complete the right results that they have been assigned to produce.

FLAGRANT (Adj.)

Meaning: Very bad

Use: Henry made a flagrant error in his presentation to the voters.

EGREGIOUS (Adj.)

Meaning: Very bad or easily noticed

Use: Ron made an egregious error in his financial report and so he was recognized as an egregious liar.

Without preparation

·         Extemporaneous (Adj.)

·         Impromptu (Adj.)

·         Improvised (Adj.)

·         Adlib (Verb & Adj.)

EXTEMPORANEOUS (Adj.)

Meaning: Made or done without special preparation

Use: After receiving so much applause after completing the recital, the pianist gave an extemporaneous encore. 

IMPROMPTU (Adj.)

Meaning: Made or done without preparation

Use: When two of Sandra's former classmates dropped by unexpectedly, her sister had an little impromptu party.

IMPROVISED (Adj.)

Meaning: Spoken or performed without preparation

Use: The conductor of the jazz band had improvised some special musical renditions which the audience found very melodious and pleasant to hear.

AD-LIB (Verb)

Meaning: Speaking or performing without preparation

AD-LIB (Adj.)

Meaning: Spoken or performed without preparation

Honesty/Fairness

·         Probity (Noun)

·         Equity (Noun)

·         Integrity (Noun)

PROBITY (Noun)

Meaning: Quality of being completely honest

Use: Everyone took his probity for granted; his defalcations, therefore, shocked us all.

EQUITY (Noun)

Meaning: Fairness or justice in the way people are treated

Use: Our courts guarantee equity to all.

INTEGRITY (Noun)

Meaning: Quality of being honest and fair

Use: Those who doubted, and they were few, spoke of a man of integrity with a strong commitment to republicanism.

 “Solemnity”, which describes a serious and proper state of being, and “solicitousness,” which means hovering attentiveness, are not correct because they do not fit the desired meaning and do not have a match.

Strong criticism

·         Vituperation (Noun)

·         Obloquy (Noun)

·         Opprobrium (Noun)

·         Fulmination (Noun)

VITUPERATION (Noun)

Meaning: Harsh and angry criticism

Use: The supervisor used vituperations to let Marsha know that she had really made some serious blunders in her assignment.

OBLOQUY (Noun)

Meaning: Harsh or critical statement about someone

Use: The head of the secret police resigned in obloquy because his department's secrets had been leaked to the press.

OPPROBRIUM (Noun)

Meaning: Strong disapproval or criticism

Use: The city council is going ahead with its plan to raise taxes despite the people's opprobrium that condemns such action.

FULMINATION (Noun)

Meaning: Criticism

Use: They are going ahead with the plan despite public opprobrium.

Difficult situation

·         Predicament (Noun)

·         Dilemma (Noun)

·         Quandary (Noun)

·         Quagmire (Noun)

PREDICAMENT (Noun)

Meaning: A difficult or unpleasant situation

Use: Sparky, the lively kitten, was always getting herself into predicaments; such as, climbing a tree and not being able to get down.

DILEMMA (Noun)

Meaning: A situation in which you have to make a difficult choice

Use: Because of the bad weather, Lester and his family were in a dilemma as to when they should plan to go on their vacation.

QUANDARY (Noun)

Meaning: A situation in which you are confused about what to do

Use: Mark was in a quandary as to which Presidential candidate he should vote for.

QUAGMIRE (Noun)

Meaning: 1) An area of soft, wet ground.

                  2) A situation that is full of problems.

Use: The had trouble driving his tractor because it was stuck in the quagmire after the heavy rains.

A person enjoying good food and drink or knowledgeable about food and drink

·         Epicure (Noun)

·         Connoisseur (Noun)

·         Gourmet (Noun)

·         Gastronomist (Noun)

·         Bon vivant (Noun)

·         Gustatory (Adj.)

Explanation: Gustatory (Adj.) deviates slightly. It means relating to taste or sense of taste.

EPICURE (Noun)

Meaning: A person who appreciates fine food and drink

Use: Being an epicure is not only being a connoisseur of good edible products, but also a person who has the money to pay for such exquisite meals!

CONNOISSEUR (Noun)

Meaning: A person who knows a lot about something (such as art, wine, food etc.)

Use: Mark and Madeline were connoisseurs of fine wines.

GOURMET (Noun)

Meaning: A person who enjoys and knows a lot about good food and wine.

Use: After years of study, Cleo became a gourmet and frequently entertained her friends.

GASTRONOMIST (Noun)

Meaning: A lover of good food especially one with interest in gastronomy (art of cooking)

Use: A gastronomist and food historian who is very knowledgeable about Spanish cuisine.

BON VIVANT (Noun)

Meaning: A person who likes going to parties and who enjoys good food, wine etc.

Use: Mr. and Mrs. Smithson, known as bon vivants by their neighbors, went on a cruise every year, had a first class veranda, or balcony, with deck chairs, and fantastic meals served in a gorgeous dining room.

GUSTATORY (Adj.)

Meaning: Relating to taste or the sense of taste

Use: Madison and his family were enjoying their gustatory meal as they celebrated his birthday.

Nick name/Title

·         Appellations (Noun)

·         Sobriquets (Noun)

APPELLATIONS (Noun)

Meaning: Name or title

Use: The city fully justifies its appellation “the Pearl of the orient.”

SOBRIQUETS (Noun)

Meaning: Nickname

Use: Tagged her with the sobriquet “peanut” because of her diminutive size.

Enthusiastic and passionate

·         Zealot (Adj.)

·         Ardent (Adj.)

·         Impassioned (Adj.)

·         Fanatic (Adj.)

ZEALOT (Adj.)

Meaning: Energetic or enthusiastic for a cause or pain

Use: Zealots on both sides of the issue resorted to name-calling and scare tactics.

ARDENT (Adj.)

Meaning: Having or showing very strong feelings.

Use: I am an ardent science-fiction fan who has read virtually all of his favorite author’ s many works.

IMPASSIONED (Adj.)

Meaning: Showing great warmth or intensity of feeling

Use: Her lawyer made an impassioned argument in her defense.

FANATIC (Adj.)

Meaning: 1) A person who holds extreme political or religious opinions.

                  2) Enthusiastic

Use: Because of her fanatical views, her friends know better than to discuss religion with her.

Nervous while doing something

·         Timid (Adj.)

·         Timorous (Adj.)

·         Tremulous (Adj.)

·         Skittish (Adj.)

Explanation: Skittish (Adj.) means nervous while doing something. It has second meaning also. Skittish (Noun) means capricious or changing often and quickly.

TIMID (Adj.)

Meaning: Feeling or showing a lack of courage or confidence

Use: She is very timid and shy when meeting strangers.

TIMOROUS (Adj.)

Meaning: Feeling or showing a lack of courage or confidence

Use: Her timorous personality was not evident in the fascinating mystery books which she wrote under a pseudonym.

TREMULOUS (Adj.)

Meaning: 1) Shaking slightly especially because of weakness or nervousness

                  2) Feeling or showing a lack of confidence or courage

Use: Just remember as you hear the tremulous reporter, voice quaking in empathy, why the farmer is crying.

SKITTISH (Adj.)

Meaning: 1) Nervous or fearful about doing something

                  2) Tending to change often

Use: Some skittish children are afraid to meet strangers.

To spend money, resource carefully

·         Husband (Verb)

·         Conserve (Verb)

·         Steward (Noun, Verb)

HUSBAND (Verb)

Meaning: To carefully use or manage (something, such as a resource)

Use: They have also argued that they are husbanding their energies and resources for the next general election.

CONSERVE (Verb)

Meaning: To carefully use something

Use: With so little rain, everyone had to conserve water so there would be enough for the essentials of life."

STEWARD (Noun)

Meaning: 1) An attendant on a ship or aircraft.

                  2) A person employed to manage an estate

Use: We should teach our children to be good stewards of the land.

STEWARD (Verb)

Meaning: To manage or to act as a steward

Use: He will steward the city’ s library programs.

Skillful and clever while dealing with situation

·         Adept (Noun)

·         Adroit (Adj.)

·         Deft (Adj.)

·         Dexterous (Adj.)

·         Agile (Adj.)

·         Nimble (Adj.)

·         Ingenious (Adj.)

ADEPT

Meaning: A highly skilled or well-trained person

Use: Milly is adept at organizational work while her husband is adept in needlecraft.

ADROIT (Adj.)

Meaning: Very clever or skillful

Use: Steve is an adroit mechanic when it comes to taking care of problems with motor vehicles.

DEFT (Adj.)

Meaning: Skillful and clever

Use: Monroe was a deft writer as expressed by his witty descriptions and comments in the newspaper articles.

DEXTEROUS (Adj.)

Meaning: Having or showing great skill or cleverness

Use: Mildred's dexterous fingers moved effortlessly over the piano keys as she was performing.

AGILE (Adj.)

Meaning: 1) Able to move, quickly and easily

                  2) Smart and clever

Use: "Even though Ingrid was a centenarian, she still had an agile mind."

NIMBLE (Adj.)

Meaning: 1) Able to move quickly and easily

                  2) Able to learn and understand things quickly and easily

Use: The magician does special exercises to keep his fingers nimble and body agile.

INGENIOUS (Adj.)

Meaning: Very smart or clever

Use: Henry showed how nimble he was during the football game when he was able to avoid all of the tacklers and make a touchdown.

Skill and cleverness while dealing with situation

·         Adeptness (Noun)

·         Adroitness (Noun)

·         Deftness (Noun)

·         Dexterity (Noun)

·         Agility (Noun)

·         Nimbleness (Noun)

·         Ingenuity (Noun)

·         Legerdemain (Noun)

·         Prestidigitation (Noun)

  Explanation: Legerdemain (or Prestidigitation) (Noun) deviates slightly. Legerdemain (or Prestidigitation) (Noun) means skill in using hand to perform magic.

ADEPTNESS (Noun)

Meaning: Skill or cleverness

ADROITNESS (Noun)

Meaning: skill or cleverness

Use: "As a sculptor, Wayne's adroitness was manifested by the beauty and creativity of the shapes of his figures."

DEFTNESS (Noun)

Meaning: skill or cleverness

Use: The deftness of the surgeon saved Brenda's life.

DEXTERITY (Noun)

Meaning: 1) Ability to use your hands skillfully

                  2) Ability to think and act quickly and cleverly

Use: A surgeon must have dexterity in order to handle medical instruments properly.

AGILITY (Noun)

Meaning: 1) Ability to move quickly and easily

                  2) Smartness and cleverness

Use: The agility of the famed hurdler was also an inspiration for younger runners.

NIMBLENESS (Noun)

Meaning: 1) Ability to move quickly and easily

                  2) Ability to learn and understand things quickly and easily

Use: Karin was talented with imagination and a nimbleness of wit.

INGENUITY (Noun)

Meaning: Skill or cleverness

Use: She showed amazing ingenuity in finding ways to cut costs.

LEGERDEMAIN (Noun)

Meaning: Skill in using hands to perform magic or using tricks

Use: Sharon performed a dazzling show of political legerdemain to be elected as a senator of her state.

PRESTIDIGITATION (Noun)

Meaning: Skill in using hands to perform magic or using tricks

Use: Houdini’ s powers of prestidigitation remain legendary to this very day.