Key Terms Group 2

Question 1

abate

Answer 1

to lessen in intensity or degree

Question 2

accolade

Answer 2

an expression of praise

Question 3

aesthetic

Answer 3

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

Question 4

ameliorate

Answer 4

to make better or more tolerable

Question 5

ascetic

Answer 5

one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion

Question 6

avarice

Answer 6

greed, especially for wealth

Question 7

burgeon

Answer 7

to grow rapidly or flourish

Question 8

bucolic

Answer 8

rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants

Question 9

cacophony

Answer 9

harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance

Question 10

canon

Answer 10

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

Question 11

castigation

Answer 11

severe criticism or punishment

Question 12

catalyst

Answer 12

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

Question 13

caustic

Answer 13

burning or stinging; causing corrosion

Question 14

chary

Answer 14

wary; cautious; sparing

Question 15

cogent

Answer 15

appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing

Question 16

complaisance

Answer 16

the willingness to comply with the wishes of others

Question 17

contentious

Answer 17

argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement

Question 18

contrite

Answer 18

regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness

Question 19

culpable

Answer 19

deserving blame

Question 20

dearth

Answer 20

smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack

Question 21

demur

Answer 21

to question or oppose

Question 22

didactic

Answer 22

intended to teach or instruct

Question 23

discretion

Answer 23

cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions

Question 24

disinterested

Answer 24

free of bias or self-interest; impartial

Question 25

dogmatic

Answer 25

expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles

Question 26

ebullience

Answer 26

the quality or lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings

Question 27

eclectic

Answer 27

composed of elements drawn from various sources

Question 28

elegy

Answer 28

a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead

Question 29

emollient

Answer 29

soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin

Question 30

empirical

Answer 30

based on observation or experiment

Question 31

enigmatic

Answer 31

mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand

Question 32

ephemeral

Answer 32

brief; fleeting

Question 33

esoteric

Answer 33

intended for or understood by a small, specific group

Question 34

eulogy

Answer 34

a speech honoring the dead

Question 35

exonerate

Answer 35

to remove blame

Question 36

facetious

Answer 36

playful; humorous

Question 37

fallacy

Answer 37

an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief

Question 38

furtive

Answer 38

marked by stealth; convert; surreptitious

Question 39

gregarious

Answer 39

sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people

Question 40

harangue

Answer 40

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

Question 41

heretical

Answer 41

violating accepted dogma or convention

Question 42

hyperbole

Answer 42

an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech

Question 43

impecunious

Answer 43

lacking funds; without money

Question 44

incipient

Answer 44

beginning to come into being or to become apparent

Question 45

inert

Answer 45

unmoving; lethargic; sluggish

Question 46

innocuous

Answer 46

harmless; causing no damage

Question 47

intransigent

Answer 47

refusing to compromise

Question 48

inveigle

Answer 48

to obtain by deception or flattery

Question 49

morose

Answer 49

sad; sullen; melancholy

Question 50

odious

Answer 50

evoking intense aversion or dislike

Question 51

opaque

Answer 51

impenetrable by light; not reflecting light

Question 52

oscillation

Answer 52

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

Question 53

penurious

Answer 53

penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous

Question 54

pernicious

Answer 54

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

Question 55

peruse

Answer 55

to examine with great care

Question 56

pious

Answer 56

extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion

Question 57

precursor

Answer 57

one that precedes and indicates or announces another

Question 58

preen

Answer 58

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

Question 59

prodigious

Answer 59

abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary

Question 60

prolific

Answer 60

producing large volumes or amounts; productive

Question 61

putrefy

Answer 61

to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor

Question 62

quaff

Answer 62

to drink deeply

Question 63

quiescence

Answer 63

stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest

Question 64

redoubtable

Answer 64

awe-inspiring; worthy of honor

Question 65

sanction

Answer 65

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

Question 66

satire

Answer 66

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

Question 67

squalid

Answer 67

sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect

Question 68

stoic

Answer 68

indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast

Question 69

supplant

Answer 69

to take the place of; to supersede

Question 70

torpid

Answer 70

lethargic; sluggish; dormant

Question 71

ubiquitious

Answer 71

existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread

Question 72

urbane

Answer 72

sophisticated; refined; elegant

Question 73

vilify

Answer 73

to defame; to characterize harshly

Question 74

viscous

Answer 74

thick; sticky