1. Evangelist – a person who seeks to convert others to the Christian faith, especially by public preaching.
Synonyms: gospeller, crusader, propagandist, campaigner, televangelist
Usage: Speaking to the crowd about Christ was the only mission of the roving evangelist.
2. Herculean – requiring great strength or effort.
Synonyms: arduous, gruelling, laborious, back-breaking, onerous, strenuous
Antonyms: easy
Usage: Although the task will require Herculean strength, I am sure he can get the large couch inside of the home.
3. Flimsy – insubstantial and easily damaged.
Synonyms: decrepit, feeble, insubstantial, rickety, shaky
Antonyms: healthy, sound, convincing
Usage: I never place flowers in that flimsy vase, it tips over so easily.
4. Tendentious – expressing or intending to promote a particular cause or point of view, especially a controversial one.
Synonyms: prejudicial, bigoted, chauvinistic, disposed
Antonyms: neutrality, objectivity, open-mindedness, unbiasedness
Usage: As I read the tendentious book review, it was obvious the reviewer had a personal issue with the author.
5. Spook – frighten; unnerve
Synonyms: discimfort, startle, panic, horrify
Antonyms: please, delight, soothe
Usage: The room seems awfully dark and spooky.
6. Proscribe – to condemn or forbid
Synonyms: outlaw, banish, boycott, censure, expatriate
Antonyms: permit, compliment, approve
Usage: Most states have laws that proscribe texting while driving.
7. Approbation – approval or praise.
Synonyms: admiration, approval, bells, consent, endorsement, esteem
Antonyms: denial, disagreement, disapproval, disfavor
Usage: You cannot take prescription medication without doctor’s approbation.
8. Turnaround plan – a plan or strategy; financial recovery of a company that has been performing poorly for an extended time
Usage: He ordered 10 state-owned lenders to submit time-bound turnaround plans.
9. Missive – message, communication, notification/announcement.
Synonyms: greeting, epistle, memorandum,
Antonyms: speech, silence
Usage: The queen’s courier has arrived with an urgent missive for the king.
10. Stoical – enduring pain and hardship without showing one’s feelings or complaining.
Synonyms: impassive, phlegmatic, fatalistic, imperturbable, stolid
Antonyms: anxious, depressed, stressed, upset
Usage: My stoic uncle showed no emotion at his wife’s funeral.