TOEFL Vocabulary Page 16

376. NETTLE: To irritate or provoke - nettled by his critics.

Synonyms: vex, pique, goad

377. NOCTURNAL: Pertaining to, or occurring in, the night - awakened by the sounds of a nocturnal prowler.

Antonym: diurnal

378. NOISOME: Foul-smelling; harmful-the swamp gave off a noisome odor.

Synonyms: malodorous, fetid, disgusting; noxious, deleterious

Antonym: salubrious

379. NONCHALANT: Unmoved or indifferent; casual - reacted to the news in a nonchalant manner.

Synonym: apathetic

Antonyms: enthusiastic, zealous

380. NOSTALGIA: Homesickness - felt nostalgia for the old homestead.

381. NOTORIOUS: Widely known (in a bad sense) - a notorious gambler.

382. NOVICE: A beginner - conducted himself in politics like a novice.

Synonyms:tyro, neophyte

Antonym:virtuoso

383. OBDURATE: Hard-hearted; stubborn - an obdurate, unrepentant criminal.

Synonyms:adamant, unyielding, inflexible

Antonyms:submissive, docile, compliant

384. OBLIVIOUS (noun: OBLIVION): Forgetful; absent-minded - walking oblivious of his surroundings.

Synonyms:unmindful, heedless, abstracted

385. OBSESSION: A persistent feeling, idea, activity, etc., which dominates a person; the state of being exclusively preoccupied by a fixed idea - Now that he has learned bowling, it has become his obsession.

Synonyms:mania, infatuation (a foolish passion), monomania

386. OBSOLETE: No longer in use - an obsolete word, not even included by most dictionaries.

Synonyms:archaic, antiquated

387. OBTRUSIVE (verb: OBTRUDE): Thrusting oneself or itself into undue prominence - made himself obnoxiously obtrusive.

Synonyms:intrusive, aggressive

388. OBVIATE: To prevent, dispose of, or make unnecessary by appropriate actions - an act which obviated all objections.

Synonyms:preclude, forestall

389. OMNIPOTENT: All-powerful - an omnipotent despot.

390. ONUS: Burden; duty; obligation - bore the onus of his difficult office creditably.

391. OSTENSIBLE: Apparent; pretended - his ostensible, though not actual, purpose.

Synonyms:professed, plausible (that is, appearing true, reasonable, or fair), specious

392. OSTRACIZE: To banish; to exclude from public favor or privileges - a former premier ostracized by popular vote.

Synonym: outlaw

393. PANACEA: A remedy for all ills - seeking a panacea to cure our social troubles.

Synonym: nostrum

394. PANEGYRIC: A speech or writing of extravagant praise - delivered a panegyric at his friend's testimonial dinner.

Synonyms:eulogy, adulation, tribute, laudation (adj. laudatory), encomium

Antonyms:censure, disparagement, derogation, castigation, depreciation

395. PARADOX: A self -contradictory statement; something 'that appears to be absurd and yet may be true -"Life is too important a matter to he taken seriously." - a paradox by Oscar Wilde.

Synonym: anomaly

396. PARAPHRASE: To restate the meaning of a passage in other words - paraphrased the poem in a few lines of prose.

397. PARODY (noun): A humorous imitation of an author's style and mannerisms - wrote a parody on Kipling's "Gunga Din."

Synonym: burlesque

(verb): To write a parody - parodied the popular authors of the (lay to his audience's amusement.

Synonym: Mimic

398. PECCADILLO: A petty fault-possesses one peccadillo among his many virtues.

Synonyms: frailty, foible, flaw, blemish

399. PECUNIARY: Pertaining to money - involved in pecuniary difficulties.

Synonyms; financial, fiscal, monetary

400. PEDANT (adj.: PEDANTIC): One who proudly shows off his learning or who overrates his knowledge - like a pedant glorying in his scholarly trifles.