Opposition: English Vocabulary List

done before something else happens to prevent a problem or danger

"The army took preemptive action."

"The army launched a preemptive strike to prevent the enemy from attacking first."

causing harm or damage

"Smoking is detrimental to health."

"Smoking is detrimental to your health and can cause lung cancer over time."

the act of completely destroying or eliminating something, especially a population or group

"Insect extermination service."

"The company offers professional insect extermination services for homes and offices every month."

the thing that slows down or inhibits a process or action

"Fire retardant material."

"Fire retardant material helps slow down the spread of flames during a dangerous building fire."

something or someone that causes trouble and annoyance

"Noisy nuisance disturbed us."

"The noisy nuisance from the construction site disturbed everyone living in the neighborhood for many weeks."

to state that something is incorrect or false based on evidence

"The scientist refuted the false theory."

"The scientist presented strong evidence to refute the false claims that had been published in the popular magazine without any fact checking."

to prove something false or incorrect with evidence or argumentation

"He rebutted the accusation strongly."

"The defense lawyer tried to rebut the prosecutor's arguments by presenting contradictory evidence and calling new witnesses to testify."

to show that something is false or incorrect

"Scientists disprove the old theory with evidence."

"The scientist conducted a series of experiments to disprove the popular but incorrect theory about the cause of the disease."

to cause someone to lose physical or mental energy or strength

"The heat enervated the tired workers."

"The long and tedious meeting enervated the employees who struggled to stay awake and pay attention to the boring presentations."

to intentionally prevent someone or something from accomplishing a purpose or plan

"The security system thwarted the robbery attempt."

"The security system was designed to thwart any unauthorized entry into the building."

to not let someone do something

"Vaccines prevent many serious diseases."

"Regular hand washing can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases in schools and other public places."

to create difficulty or obstacles that make it hard for something to happen or progress

"The snow impeded our travel plans."

"The fallen tree across the road impeded the progress of the emergency vehicles trying to reach the accident scene."

to cause someone to lose their sense of direction, leading to confusion or a feeling of being lost

"The dark hallway disoriented him completely."

"The dark winding tunnel disoriented the explorers and they had difficulty finding their way back to the entrance."

to hinder the process or make something harder to do or achieve

"Do not encumber yourself with heavy bags."

"Do not encumber yourself with heavy luggage because you will have to carry it around for the entire trip."

to fully remove or get rid of something

"Eliminate unnecessary words from your essay."

"The new software update should eliminate many of the bugs that users have been complaining about recently."

to get rid of something that is no longer needed

"Do not discard recyclable items in the trash."

"You can discard the old packaging after you have removed the product carefully from the box."

to deliberately avoid, ignore, or keep away from someone or something

"She shuns social media completely."

"After the scandal was exposed the other celebrities decided to shun the disgraced actor at every public event and award ceremony."

to intentionally avoid an issue or responsibility

"He will dodge the question."

"The boxer managed to dodge his opponent's punches by moving his head quickly from side to side."

to exclude someone from a community or group as a form of punishment or social rejection

"The group ostracized the new student."

"The other students decided to ostracize the new girl and refused to sit with her at lunch because she seemed different."

to avoid a thing or doing something on purpose

"He eschews unhealthy foods entirely."

"Many health conscious people eschew processed foods and refined sugar in favor of whole grains fresh vegetables and lean proteins in their daily diets."

to force someone to leave a place, organization, etc.

"The school expelled the rebellious student."

"The school board voted to expel the student permanently for bringing dangerous items onto the school property without permission."

to do something to avoid or decrease the harmful or unpleasant effects of something

"Counter the bad effects now."

"The company introduced a new product to counter the aggressive marketing of its main competitor in the industry."

to completely destroy something, particularly a problem or threat

"We must eradicate poverty worldwide."

"The World Health Organization is working hard to eradicate polio from every country on the planet through massive vaccination campaigns."

to end or destroy something entirely

"He extinguished the campfire before sleeping."

"The brave firefighters worked for several hours to extinguish the large forest fire that had spread over thousands of acres."

to cause widespread destruction or devastation, often resulting in complete ruin

"The disease scourged the entire continent."

"The terrible disease has continued to scourge the continent for decades causing immense suffering and death among the population."

to completely destroy or remove something

"They extirpated the invasive species."

"The new pesticide was designed to completely extirpate the invasive species of insects that were destroying the farmer's valuable crops."

to lessen the value or quality of something

"Noise can detract from peace."

"The constant interruptions from his phone calls began to detract from the focus of the important meeting."

to get rid of something that is old or no longer of use

"They will scrap the plan."

"The company decided to scrap the outdated software and invest in a more modern and efficient system."

to free from something undesirable or unwanted

"Rid your closet of old clothes."

"You need to rid your closet of old clothes that you never wear to make space for new items and keep things organized."

to make a problem, situation, or condition worse or more serious

"His rude comments aggravated the situation."

"His constant complaining only served to aggravate the tense situation between the two coworkers."

to make a counterattack or respond in a similar manner

"The army retaliated against the attack."

"The small country threatened to retaliate if the neighboring nation continued its military aggression."

to compensate for the effects of something through appropriate actions or measures

"The gains offset the losses perfectly."

"The company hopes that increased sales in Europe will offset the declining revenue from its struggling domestic market."

to destroy someone or something completely

"The bomb annihilated the entire building."

"The superior force managed to annihilate the enemy army in a single decisive battle."

in a way that forbids or effectively prevents something

"Too prohibitively expensive."

"The cost of living in that city has become prohibitively expensive for most young families."

the act of attacking, taking goods forcefully, damaging and destructing

"War causes depredation."

"The historical accounts detailed the devastating depredation inflicted upon the conquered territories by the invading army."

to prevent or limit an action or process

"Fear can inhibit personal growth."

"Fear of failure can inhibit people from pursuing their dreams and taking necessary risks in life."

to stop or prevent something from happening

"The contract will preclude future disputes."

"The new contract will preclude any future disputes by clearly defining the responsibilities of both parties."

to stop supporting an idea, policy, concept, etc.

"They abandon the plan."

"The government was forced to abandon its proposed tax reforms due to widespread public opposition."

to cleverly avoid or escape from someone or something

"The answer continues to elude me."

"The clever thief managed to elude the police by disappearing into the crowded marketplace."

to push away or cause something or someone to retreat or withdraw

"The army repelled the enemy attack."

"The small army managed to repel the much larger invading force by using the mountainous terrain to their advantage during the battle."

to throw away something, often in a responsible manner

"Dispose of the waste."

"It is important to dispose of electronic waste responsibly to prevent environmental contamination."

to loosen, especially by reducing tension or pressure

"She doused the flames with water."

"The firefighter used a powerful hose to douse the flames and prevent the fire from spreading to nearby buildings."

to lessen the intensity of something or keep it under control, often through restraint or inhibition

"We need to curb our spending habits."

"The government needs to curb excessive spending by reducing the budget for non essential programs and projects."

to take away from something's effect, value, size, power, or amount

"Cold attenuates the signal."

"The medication is designed to attenuate the severity of the patient's symptoms without causing significant side effects."

to stop something from happening

"High prices deter many potential buyers."

"High ticket prices often deter many people from attending live theater performances even when they want to go."

to drive back or push away

"The army repulsed the attack."

"The guards were ordered to repulse any intruders attempting to enter the secure facility without authorization."