Commonly Confused Sets

Frugal has a positive connotation, i.e. you spend money wisely, and miserly has a negative connotation, i.e. you pinch every penny.

To prevaricate is to speak in an evasive way. Variance means the quality of varying.

To be histrionic is to be overly theatrical

To demur is a verb meaning to object or show reluctance.

To be demure is to be modest and shy. This word refers to a woman, so don’t call a man demure

A beatific person is one who radiates bliss. This person is so happy, they almost seem blessed and holy(think of a saint, of the Buddha).

Perfunctory - merely going through the motion of doing something; carries a connotation of carelessness. you are probably not doing your best 

Preemptively - to act before someone else does 

Peremptory - bossy and domineering.

Indigent word means poor, having very little means.

Indigenous means relating to a certain area. Plants and animals are often indigenous, as are people.

Indignant means to feel anger over a perceived injustice.

Errant (adverb): To be errant is to be wandering, not sticking to a circumscribed path.

Arrant (adj): complete and utter.

Errand (noun) - a small chore.

Err (verb) - to make an error.

To be artful means to be cunning and wily.

To have artifice is to be artful.

If somebody is artless, on the other hand, that person is innocent, guileless.

They both mean to remove, but in different ways.

To expurgate means to remove objectionable material.

To expunge simply means to wipe out or remove any trace off.

Censor:  removing objectionable words and/or material 

Censure: to express strong disapproval of that person.

Ponderous is derived from ‘pondus’, which means weight (think of a pound). So, to be ponderous meansto be weighed-down, and to move slowly and in a labored fashion.

Imponderable is not the opposite of ponderous. It actually relates to thinking. An imponderable is something that is impossible to estimate, fathom or figure out.