leaven

verbCommon GRE wordMore L words

to lighten, enliven, or temper something by mixing in another element

In a sentence

Leaven in a sentence

Here is an example sentence showing leaven in a sentence.

He leavened his otherwise stern lecture with a few well-timed jokes to keep students engaged.

Synonyms

temperlightenenlivenmodify

Antonyms

weigh downdeaden

Keep going

liable to change frequently and unpredictably; emotionally unstable

extremely complicated and full of confusing twists and turns

tearful or given to weeping; mournful

lacking enthusiasm, effort, or determination; carelessly lazy

lacking in vitality, force, or conviction; not impressive

using very few words; terse to the point of seeming blunt

one who falls behind or lags noticeably slower than others

to criticize or scold harshly

Common questions

Leaven (verb) means to lighten, enliven, or temper something by mixing in another element

Here is leaven used in an example sentence: "He leavened his otherwise stern lecture with a few well-timed jokes to keep students engaged."

Common synonyms for leaven include temper, lighten, enliven, modify.

Antonyms of leaven include weigh down, deaden.

Leaven is a GRE-level vocabulary word worth knowing for the Verbal section.

Vocabulary sticks when you meet it in real sentences. Practise these words inside text completion and sentence equivalence questions.