JV561 (Refractory and Voluminous)

REFRACTORY (adjective)

1. stubbornly resistant to authority or control; 2. heat-resistant and difficult to melt, bond, or shape; 3. difficult to treat or unresponsive to treatment

Synonyms: stubborn, obstinate, intractable, untreatable, hard, heat-resistant

Antonyms: docile, obedient, manageable, meltable, treatable

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VOLUMINOUS (adjective) 1. large and full of volume; 2. extremely lengthy

Synonyms: big, abundant, ample, bulky, copious, massive, lavish, expansive, vast, lengthy, long

Antonyms: small, short, inadequate

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JV560 (Prodigal and Verve)

PRODIGAL (adjective, noun)

1. wasteful, especially with money; Rashly or wastefully extravagant  2. lavish and excessive; 3. being generous and giving abundantly; Giving or given in abundance (n.) a person who is wasteful with money, especially that of their parents

Synonyms: (adj.) wasteful, extravagant, lavish, reckless, excessive, (n.) spender

Antonyms: (adj.) meager, moderate, frugal

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VERVE (noun)

1. energy and enthusiasm, especially used within the arts; 2. a lively spirit, vigour, spirit, and style.

Synonyms: liveliness, energy, vitality, enthusiasm, animation, excitement, pep, spirit, zest

Antonyms: apathy, lethargy, listlessness

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JV559 (Occlude and Torpid)

OCCLUDE (verb): 1 stop, close up, or obstruct.
2 Chemistry (of a solid) absorb and retain (a gas or impurity).
3 (of a tooth) come into contact with another in the opposite jaw.
to block or stop up a passage; 2. to prevent the flow of something through a passage

Examples:
- My orthodontist said I would need to wear braces for two years in order to occlude my teeth.
- My grand dad suffered a heart attack because of an occluded artery that was diminishing blood flow.
- We had a leak in our roof, and I hoped the roofer would be able to occlude it.

Synonyms: block, cover, obstruct, clog, plug

Antonyms: open, unplug

TORPID (adjective): 1. inactive, slow, and sleepy; 2. dormant

Synonyms: inactive, dormant, drowsy, lethargic, listless, numb, slow, sluggish

Antonyms: active, awake, lively, alert

Examples:
- The mountain air made her feel torpid and light-headed.
- Bears become torpid in order to hibernate all winter.
- That volcano has been torpid for many centuries, but scientists think that it may erupt again in the future.
- If you have a sudden loss of cabin pressure at 20 000 feet, passengers will become torpid and then lose consciousness.

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JV558 (Intangible and Slate)

INTANGIBLE (adjective): 1. not existing in a physical form–incapable to being touched or seen; 2. difficult to define or describe clearly, but nonetheless perceived

Examples:
- John received the football scholarship not only for his performance, but also because he possesses the intangible qualities that make a champion.
- Lisa had an intangible feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
- Common sense and creativity are some of the intangibles we’re looking for in the people we hire.
- Marc has that intangible quality which you might call charisma.

Synonyms: imperceptible, indefinite, abstract, immaterial, incorporeal, indeterminate

Antonyms: tangible, substantial, physical, material

SLATE (noun, verb): (n.) 1. blue-gray rock that can be split into layers; 2. a record of the past; 3. a list of political candidates; (adj.) blue-gray in color; (v.) 1. to schedule something; 2. to enter onto a list

Phrases:
- a clean slate:
if you are given a clean slate, you can start something again, and all of the problems caused by you or other people in the past will be forgotten
- wipe the slate clean:
to make it possible to start something again, without any of the mistakes or problems of the past

Examples:
- John and Lisa put aside their differences and decided to start a clean slate.
- Steven Spielburg’s new series is slated to start this fall.
- They will replace the roof tiles with ones made of slate.
- Presidential elections are always slated for the second Tuesday in November.

Synonyms: (n.) rock, stone, tally, schedule, (v.) list, record, slot

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