1. Subaltern – lower in rank
Synonyms: assistant, inferior, subordinate
Antonyms: superior
Usage: Only one was executed, a poor, uneducated subaltern military officer.
2. Caprice – a sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behaviour.
Synonyms: contrariety, crotchet, fickleness, quirk, freak, crotchet
Antonyms: normality, constancy, constant
Usage: Her caprices made his life impossible
3. Bellwether – a person or thing that shows the existence or direction of a trend
Synonyms: doyen, forerunner, guide, lead
Usage: Ted is known as the bellwether because he always knows which stocks will become profitable.
4. Facetious – not meant to be taken seriously or literally
Synonyms: amusing, blithe, capering, comical, farcical, indecorous
Antonyms: formal, grave, serious
Usage: Sarah is a facetious person who never takes anything seriously.
5. Sublimate – divert or modify
Synonyms: suppress, transfer, transmute, redirect
Usage: The artist is known for his ability to sublimate his anger into his paintings.
6. Impetus – the force or energy with which a body moves.
Synonyms: catalyst, impulse, incentive, momentum, motivation, stimulant
Antonyms: block, discouragement, hindrance
Usage: The lack of donations is the impetus causing many non-profit agencies to reduce services offered to the public.
7. Semblance – outward appearance
Synonyms: facade, pretence, guise, veneer, similitude, affinity
Antonyms: reality, concrete, unlikeness
Usage: An hour into the suspense movie, a semblance of a complex plot finally emerged.
8. Lopsided – with one side lower or smaller than the other.
Synonyms: unbalanced, askew, cockeyed, disproportional, disproportionate
Antonyms: balanced, unleaning, level
Usage: The lopsided lamp had a bit of charm, although it didn’t sit up straight, it still lit the room.
9. Visceral – characterized by or proceeding from instinct rather than intellect
Synonyms: ingrained, innate, intuitive, accustomed, automatic, congenital
Antonyms: logical, rational, sensible
Usage: Because some of the scenes in the movie were so visceral, I’m afraid certain images will be imprinted on my mind forever.
10. Importune – to beg for (something) urgently or persistently.
Synonyms: appeal, crave, entreat, beseech, beseige, persuade
Antonyms: command, assist, refuse
Usage: Most politicians importune voters for money as well as support.