Compel. The teacher compelled her students to do their homework by threatening to fail every student who did not turn it in.

Shirk. It's unbelievable that the lifeguard tried to shirk his responsibilities. Someone could have drowned and there would have been no one there to save them.

Negligent. After leaving the baby at home alone for more than five hours, the mother was found to be negligent. This caused her to lose custody of her child.

Enthrall. When the football player spoke at the assembly, the students were so enthralled you could hear a pin drip. The student's couldn't take their eyes off of him.

Bamboozle. The con artist tried to bamboozle the banker out of millions of dollars. He tricked the banker into giving him access to several bank accounts.

Connotation. The word "pig" has a negative connotation when you are talking about a person. That is one animal people don't like being called.

Astute. Carl, an astute student, was constantly called to tutor the students who were failing. The teachers couldn't believe how quickly Carl learned the new material.

Abrasive. The abrasive sandpaper was used to make the wood smooth.

Acrid. The paper mill put off an acrid smell. The people in town stated that it made their eyes water and noses burn.

Famished. When they were finally rescued, the men were famished. They spent four days lost at sea with no food.

Agitate. The bullies were trying to agitate the little girl by talking about her behind her back. Now she is worried about what they will do to her.

Nimble. The nimble runner quickly ran around the track and jumped over the hurdles. He beat the other runners by at least 10 seconds.