Noun /prəˈɡrɛʃ(ə)n/
the process of developing or moving gradually towards a more advanced state

Synonyms: succession, series, sequence, string, stream, parade

good opportunities for career progression

Noun /rɪˈɡrɛʃ(ə)n/
a return to a former or less developed state

it is easy to blame unrest on economic regression

Adjective /ˈlaŋɡwɪd/
(of a person, manner, or gesture) having or showing a disinclination for physical exertion or effort

Synonyms: relaxed, unhurried, languorous, unenergetic, lacking in energy, slow

Antonyms: energetic, active, action-packed,  vigorous

his languid demeanour irritated her

Noun /ɒˈstɛrɪti/
harsh economic policies, as increased taxes or decreased funding for social services, usually adopted in response to government debt or deficits (often used attributively)

Synonyms: rigor, hardness

Antonyms: mildness, extravagance

Economic growth slowed under austerity

Noun /ɪkˈstravəɡ(ə)ns/
lack of restraint in spending money or using resources

Synonyms: profligacy, lack of thrift, unthriftiness, thriftlessness, improvidence, wastefulness

Antonyms: thrift, necessity, plainness

his reckless extravagance with other people's money

Noun /ˈkapʃ(ə)n/
a title or brief explanation accompanying an illustration, cartoon, or poster

Synonyms: title, heading, wording, head, legend, inscription

he designed a series of posters with the caption: ‘No One is Innocent’

Adjective /səˈsɛptɪb(ə)l/
likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing

Synonyms: impressionable, credulous, gullible, innocent, ingenuous, easily taken in

Antonyms: sceptical, streetwise, immune, resistant, incapable of, not open to

patients with liver disease may be susceptible to infection

Adjective /ɪˈmjuːn/
resistant to a particular infection or toxin owing to the presence of specific antibodies or sensitized white blood cells

Synonyms: resistant, not subject, not liable, unsusceptible, not vulnerable, not open

Antonyms: susceptible

they were naturally immune to hepatitis B

Adjective /ˈlʌɪəb(ə)l/
responsible by law; legally answerable

Synonyms: responsible, legally responsible, accountable, answerable, chargeable, blameworthy

Antonyms: exempt, unaccountable, unlikely, immune, above

the credit-card company is liable for any breach of contract

Verb /səˈspɛkt/
have an idea or impression of the existence, presence, or truth of (something) without certain proof

Synonyms: have a suspicion, have a feeling, feel, be inclined to think, fancy, reckon

Antonyms: know

if you suspect a gas leak, do not turn on an electric light

Verb /səˈkʌm/
fail to resist pressure, temptation, or some other negative force

Synonyms: yield, give in, give way, submit, surrender, capitulate

Antonyms: resist, conquer, withstand

we cannot merely give up and succumb to despair

Verb /kənˈsjuːm/
eat, drink, or ingest (food or drink)

Synonyms: eat, eat up, devour, ingest, swallow, gobble

people consume a good deal of sugar in drinks

Adjective /ˈɒbstɪnət/
stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so

Synonyms: stubborn, headstrong, wilful, unyielding, inflexible, unbending

Antonyms: compliant, amenable, tractable

her obstinate determination to pursue a career in radio

Noun /ˈtɔːmɛnt/
severe physical or mental suffering

Synonyms: agony, suffering, torture, pain, anguish, misery

Antonyms: pleasure, joy

their deaths have left both families in torment

Adjective /kəmˈplʌɪənt/
disposed to agree with others or obey rules, especially to an excessive degree; acquiescent

Synonyms: acquiescent, amenable, biddable, tractable, complaisant, accommodating

Antonyms: recalcitrant, bloody-minded

a compliant labour force

Noun /dəːθ/
a scarcity or lack of something

Synonyms: lack, scarcity, scarceness, shortage, shortfall, want

Antonyms: abundance, surfeit

there is a dearth of evidence

Noun /ˈfjuːʒ(ə)n/
the process or result of joining two or more things together to form a single entity

Synonyms: blend, blending, combination, amalgamation, joining, bonding

Antonyms: separation

the election results produced pressure for fusion of the parties

Verb /mɛld/
blend; combine

Australia's winemakers have melded modern science with traditional art

Verb /kəːˈteɪl/
reduce in extent or quantity; impose a restriction on

Synonyms: reduce, cut, cut down, cut back, decrease, lessen

Antonyms: increase, lengthen

civil liberties were further curtailed

Verb /ˈiːlɒŋɡeɪt/
make (something) longer, especially unusually so in relation to its width

Synonyms: lengthen, stretch out, make longer, extend, broaden, widen

Antonyms: shorten, shorten

an artist known for elongating the human figures in his paintings