TIRADE = a long, angry speech, usually denouncing something

Examples:
- Marc's tirades can sometimes make me sick to my stomach.
- Marc's tirade seemed excessive, given that the situation was not all that serious.
- Marc launched into a tirade about the importance of studying with SAT Flashcards.

Synonyms: rant, harangue, diatribe, fulmination

WHET = 1. to simulate an interest in something or intensify a feeling; 2. to sharpen something, like a knife

Examples:

- Lisa decided to whet my appetite by having starters before dinner.
- Marc will have to whet the knife before using it.
- The small bite of that brownie, whet my appetite for dessert.

Synonyms: arouse, excite, entice, stimulate, spur, awaken, sharpen, hone, grind

Antonyms: bore, dull, blunt

Author:  The useful vocabulary show

Duration: 

Published: 2008-05-11

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