1. Straddle – to be on both sides of something; to sit or stand with one leg on each side
Synonyms: bestride, mount, span, range, stride, ramble, sprawl
Antonyms: side, aspect, incline, brink
Usage: In order to climb the fence, she needed to carefully straddle the structure.
2. Peevish – Easily irritated, testy or annoyed
Synonyms: Cranky, fractious, grumpy, snappy, waspish
Antonyms: pleasant, agreeable, amiable, affable
Usage: The baby is peevish because his gums are hurting.
3. Archetype – A model on which all others in the same category are based
Synonyms: Epitome, prototype, standard, exemplar, paradigm, paragon
Antonyms: atypical, duplicate, reproduction
Usage: When vampire books became popular, many authors tried to imitate the archetype of the most successful novel.
4. Hermit – One who has withdrawn to a solitary life or religious seclusion
Synonyms: Ascetic, saint, austere, puritanical, abstinent
Usage: Living alone as a hermit allowed the man to focus on God.
5. Cajole – To persuade by buttering up or making promises
Synonyms: Flatter, tempt, beguile, sweet-talk, compliment
Antonyms: force, repel, accuse, belittle
Usage: The candidate managed to cajole many voters into choosing his name on the ballot.
6. Espionage – The act of spying (by the government or otherwise)
Synonyms: Intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, spying, tailing
Usage: Espionage is a secret way of finding out what your enemy doesn’t want you to know.
7. Magnanimous – Large-hearted or forgiving
Synonyms: Altruistic, generous, bounteous, philanthropic, liberal
Antonyms: narcissistic, greedy, niggardly, ignoble
Usage: Because she was kind and generous, the magnanimous queen was loved by all.
8. Diabolic – Having the qualities of the devil
Synonyms: Demonic, devilish, fiendish, infernal, satanic, evil
Antonyms: angelic, gentle
Usage: The evil mastermind created a diabolical plan to take over the world.
9. Trepidation – Tremulous fear or agitation
Synonyms: Alarm, apprehension, foreboding, consternation, discomposure
Antonyms: bravery, contentment, determination, calmness
Usage: Shaking with trepidation, the young man faced his fear of heights by skydiving.
10. Vivacious – Full of vigour and energy
Synonyms: Bubbly, chirpy, effervescent, energetic, animated
Antonyms: indolent, spiritless, lethargic
Usage: The young man drew attention as he entered the party due to his vivacious personality while he bounced around the room.