Key Terms 2

Question 1

abate

Answer 1

to lessen in intensity or degree

Question 2

accolade

Answer 2

an expression of praise

Question 3

adulation

Answer 3

excessive praise; intense adoration

Question 4

aesthetic

Answer 4

dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful

Question 5

ameliorate

Answer 5

to make better or more tolerable

Question 6

ascetic

Answer 6

one who practices rigid self denial esp as an act of religious devotion

Question 7

avarice

Answer 7

greed, esp for wealth

Question 8

axiom

Answer 8

a universally recognized principle

Question 9

burgeon

Answer 9

to grow rapidly or flourish

Question 10

bucolic

Answer 10

rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their ingabitants

Question 11

cacophony

Answer 11

harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance

Question 12

canon

Answer 12

an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature

Question 13

castigation

Answer 13

severe criticism or punishment

Question 14

catalyst

Answer 14

a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change

Question 15

caustic

Answer 15

burning or stinging; causing corrosion

Question 16

chary

Answer 16

wary; cautious; sparing

Question 17

cogent

Answer 17

appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing

Question 18

complaisance

Answer 18

the willingness to comply with the wishes of others

Question 19

contentious

Answer 19

argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement

Question 20

contrite

Answer 20

regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness

Question 21

culpable

Answer 21

deserving blame

Question 22

dearth

Answer 22

smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack

Question 23

demur

Answer 23

to question or oppose

Question 24

didactic

Answer 24

intended to teach or instruct

Question 25

discretion

Answer 25

cautious reserve or speech; ability to make responsible decisions

Question 26

disinterested

Answer 26

free of bias or self interest; impartial

Question 27

dogmatic

Answer 27

expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles

Question 28

ebullience

Answer 28

the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings

Question 29

eclectic

Answer 29

composed of elements drawn from various sources

Question 30

elegy

Answer 30

mournful poem, esp one lamenting the dead

Question 31

emollient

Answer 31

soothing, esp to the skin; making less harch; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin

Question 32

empirical

Answer 32

based on observation or experiment

Question 33

enigmatic

Answer 33

mysterious; obscure; difficult ot understand

Question 34

ephemeral

Answer 34

brief; fleeting

Question 35

esoteric

Answer 35

intended for or understood by a small, specific group

Question 36

eulogy

Answer 36

a speech honoring the dead

Question 37

exonerate

Answer 37

to remove blame

Question 38

facetious

Answer 38

playful; humorous

Question 39

fallacy

Answer 39

an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief

Question 40

furtive

Answer 40

marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious

Question 41

gregarious

Answer 41

sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people

Question 42

harangue

Answer 42

to deliver a forceful or angry speech; ranting speech or writing

Question 43

heretical

Answer 43

violating accepted dogma or convention

Question 44

hyperbole

Answer 44

an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech

Question 45

impecunious

Answer 45

lacking funds; without money

Question 46

incipient

Answer 46

beginning to come into being or to become apparent

Question 47

inert

Answer 47

unmoving; lethargic, sluggish

Question 48

innocuous

Answer 48

harmless; causing no damage

Question 49

intransigent

Answer 49

refusing to compromise

Question 50

inveigle

Answer 50

to obtain by deception or flattery

Question 51

morose

Answer 51

sad; sullen; melancholy

Question 52

odious

Answer 52

evoking intense aversion or dislike

Question 53

opaque

Answer 53

impenetrable by light; not reflecting light

Question 54

oscillation

Answer 54

the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm

Question 55

penurious

Answer 55

penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous

Question 56

pernicious

Answer 56

extremely harmful in a way that is not easily seen or noticed

Question 57

peruse

Answer 57

to examine with great care

Question 58

pious

Answer 58

extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion

Question 59

precursor

Answer 59

one that precedes and indicates or announces another

Question 60

preen

Answer 60

to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care

Question 61

prodigious

Answer 61

abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary

Question 62

prolific

Answer 62

producing large volumes or amounts; productive

Question 63

putrefy

Answer 63

to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor

Question 64

quaff

Answer 64

to drink deeply

Question 65

quiescence

Answer 65

stillness; motionless; quality of being at rest

Question 66

redoubtable

Answer 66

awe inspiring; worthy of honor

Question 67

sanction

Answer 67

authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority

Question 68

satire

Answer 68

a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision

Question 69

squalid

Answer 69

sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect

Question 70

stoic

Answer 70

indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast

Question 71

supplant

Answer 71

to take the place of; to supersede

Question 72

torpid

Answer 72

lethargic; sluggish; dormant

Question 73

ubiquitous

Answer 73

existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread

Question 74

urbane

Answer 74

sophisticated; refined; elegant (n): urbanity

Question 75

vilify

Answer 75

to defame; to characterize harshly

Question 76

viscous

Answer 76

thick; sticky