Level 5

Question 1

1. VOLUBLE (VAHL-yuh-buul)

Answer 1

Talkative, talking much and easily, characterized by a great and continuous flow of words. Synonyms: long-winded, glib (Level 3, Word 8), garrulous (Level 4, Word 8), loquacious, verbose (Level 2, Word 30), effusive. Antonyms: reticent, terse (Level 3, Word 3), laconic (Level 3, Word 18), taciturn.

Question 2

2. COMMISERATE (kuh-MIZ-uh-rayt)

Answer 2

To sympathize, feel or express sympathy, show sorrow or pity for. Synonym: condole. Usage tip: Commiserate is often followed by with: “They commiserated with her.”

Question 3

3. DILEMMA (di-LEM-uh)

Answer 3

A predicament; specifically, a predicament in which one must choose between equally undesirable alternatives. Synonyms: quandary (Level 3, Word 27), quagmire. Usage tip: Dilemma is often used today of any difficult problem or troublesome situation, but many good writers and speakers object to that as loose usage. Strictly speaking, dilemma should be used only of situations in which one faces a choice between equally undesirable alternatives. Officials often face the dilemma of either voting for what their constituents want and going against their conscience, or voting their conscience and losing the support of their constituents.

Question 4

4. TRANSITORY (TRAM-si-tor-ee or TRAN-zi-for-ee)

Answer 4

Passing, temporary, fleeting, not permanent or enduring. Synonyms: transient (Level 2, Word 31), ephemeral (Level 4, Word 12), evanescent.

Question 5

5. PHILANTHROPIC (FIL-an-THRAHP-ik)

Answer 5

Charitable, benevolent, humane; motivated by or done out of a desire to help or improve the welfare of others. Corresponding noun: philanthropy. N.B. This discussion distinguishes the words philanthropic, humanitarian, altruistic, and charitable, all of which mean “helping others.”

Question 6

6. LETHARGY (LETH-ur-jee)

Answer 6

Lack of energy, sluggishness, dullness; an abnormally dull, drowsy, inactive condition or state of mind. Synonyms: apathy, stupor, torpor, somnolence, lassitude, languor, stupefaction. Corresponding adjective: lethargic.

Question 7

7. EXONERATE (eg-ZAHN-uh-rayt)

Answer 7

To free from blame; free from a charge or the imputation of guilt; declare blameless or innocent. Synonyms: acquit, absolve, exculpate (ek-SKUHLpayt or EKS-kul-payt).

Question 8

8. PUGNACIOUS (puhg-NAY-shus)

Answer 8

Given to fighting, combative, quarrelsome, ready and willing to fight. Synonyms: contentious, belligerent, bellicose. Antonyms: peaceable, clement (Level 2, Word 43), amicable.

Question 9

9. CONTRITION (kun-TRISH-in)

Answer 9

Remorse, penitence, repentance, deep and devastating sorrow for one’s sins or for something one has done wrong.

Question 10

10. ABROGATE (AB-ruh-gayt)

Answer 10

To abolish by legal or authoritative action or decree. Synonyms: cancel, revoke, repeal, annul, nullify, rescind (Level 3, Word 31).

Question 11

11. OFFICIOUS (uh-FISH-us)

Answer 11

Meddlesome, nosy, intrusive, interfering, prying; specifically, offering unwanted advice or unnecessary services, especially in a highhanded, overbearing way. Related word: quidnunc (KWID-nungk), a busybody, nosy person.

Question 12

12. INTRACTABLE (in-TRAK-tuh-buul)

Answer 12

Hard to manage or control, stubborn, unruly. Antonyms: obedient, compliant, malleable (Level 2, Word 29), docile, tractable.

Question 13

13. ALTRUISM (AL-troo-iz’m)

Answer 13

Selflessness, unselfish concern for the welfare of others. Antonym: egoism, self-centeredness; specifically, the doctrine that self-interest is the proper goal of the individual. Usage tip: Egoism is distinguished from egotism, which denotes extreme selfinvolvement, excessive reference to oneself in speech or writing. Corresponding noun: altruist, a person who puts the needs of others and of society first.

Question 14

14. ACCOLADE (ak-uh-LAYD, but see tip below)

Answer 14

An award; sign of respect or esteem; expression of praise; mark of acknowledgment; anything done or given as a token of appreciation or approval. Originally, an accolade was an embrace, specifically the ritual embrace used in conferring knighthood.

Question 15

15. VERNACULAR (vur-NAK-yuh-lur)

Answer 15

The native language of a people; especially, the common, everyday, informal language of ordinary people. Corresponding adjective: vernacular, of or pertaining to the common, everyday language of ordinary people; also, native as opposed to foreign. Related expression: “In the vernacular” means in ordinary and unpretentious language. N.B. The vernacular comprises all language that is common and informal, any word or expression that ordinary people use-whether it is considered bad or good, acceptable or improper.

Question 16

16. JUDICIOUS (joo-DISH-us)

Answer 16

Wise and careful, having or showing sound judgment. Synonyms: sensible, levelheaded, prudent (Level 1, Word 47), discreet. Antonyms: thoughtless, foolhardy, impetuous, temerarious.

Question 17

17. CHRYSALIS (KRIS-uh-lis)

Answer 17

(1) The pupa of a butterfly; the stage during which the insect is enclosed in a case or cocoon. (2) A sheltered and undeveloped state or stage of being.

Question 18

18. GENTEEL (jen-TEEL)

Answer 18

Refined, polite, well-bred, sophisticated; elegantly stylish or fashionable; pertaining or belonging to high society. Usage tip: In current usage genteel often suggests an excessive or affected refinement.

Question 19

19. JOVIAL (JOH-vee-u1)

Answer 19

Merry, full of good humor, hearty and fun-loving, jolly. Synonyms: sociable, jolly, convivial (Level 5, Word 46).

Question 20

20. SUBTERFUGE (SUHB-tur-fyooj)

Answer 20

A deception, trick, underhanded scheme. Synonyms: stratagem, artifice, ruse (rhymes with fuse and choose). Usage tip: Subterfuge applies to any secret or illicit plan or activity designed to conceal a motive, escape blame, or avoid something unpleasant. Pronunciation tip: Don’t soften the G and say SUHB-tur-fyoozh. The fuge should rhyme with huge.

Question 21

21. EBULLIENCE (i-BUHL-yints or i-BUUL-yints)

Answer 21

Lively enthusiasm, high spirits, bubbly excitement. Synonyms: exuberance, exhilaration, effervescence.

Question 22

22. IMPERVIOUS (im-PUR-vee-us)

Answer 22

Impenetrable, incapable of being entered or passed through; hence, unable to be moved or affected by something. Synonyms: impassable, impermeable, opaque. Antonyms: penetrable, passable, accessible, permeable, translucent, diaphanous.

Question 23

23. REMONSTRATE (ruh-MAHN-strayt)

Answer 23

To object, protest, reprove, rebuke, argue or plead against. Synonym: expostulate

Question 24

24. EFFACE (i-FAYS)

Answer 24

(1) To rub out, wipe out, erase. (2) To withdraw from notice, make oneself inconspicuous. Synonyms: obliterate, expunge. Usage tip: Take care to distinguish efface and deface, to spoil the appearance of, ruin, disfigure,

Question 25

25. CHIMERA (ky-MEER-uh, also ki-MEER-uh)

Answer 25

A foolish fancy, fantastic notion or idea, figment of the imagination. Synonyms: whimsy, crotchet, maggot, caprice. In modern usage chimera may refer to that fabulous creature or to any absurd and fabulous creation of the mind. Corresponding adjective: chimerical, imaginary, fantastic, preposterous, absurd.

Question 26

26. INCORRIGIBLE (in-KOR-ij-uh-buul)

Answer 26

(1) Bad beyond correction or reform, hopeless, irreformable. Synonyms: irredeemable, irreclaimable, unrepentant, inveterate, unregenerate. (2) Unruly, unmanageable, difficult to control. Synonyms: obstinate (Level 1, word 34), willful, intractable. Antonym: corrigible, capable of being corrected, amended, or reformed.

Question 27

27. JUXTAPOSE (juks-tuh-POHZ)

Answer 27

To place side by side or close together, especially so as to compare or contrast. Corresponding noun: juxtaposition.

Question 28

28. CONVERSANT (kun-VUR-sint)

Answer 28

Familiar, acquainted, well-informed or well-versed. N.B. This discussion distinguishes the synonyms conversant and versed.

Question 29

29. ESOTERIC (ES-o-TER-ik)

Answer 29

Intended for or designed to be understood only by a select group, known only by a few people; hence, not public, secret, confidential. Synonyms: mysterious, impenetrable, inscrutable (Level 3, Word 48), cryptic, abstruse, arcane, recondite (REK-un-dyt). Antonyms: plain, apparent, accessible, manifest, discernible (Level 3, Word 32), lucid (Level 3, Word 45), perspicuous. The direct antonym is exoteric.

Question 30

30. AUSPICIOUS (aw-SPISH-us)

Answer 30

Favorable, fortunate; marked by favorable circumstances or good fortune; conducive to success; boding well. Synonym: propitious.

Question 31

Interesting words noted:

Answer 31

rhinolalia (RY-nuh-LAY-lee-uh), an abnormally strong nasal tone in a person’s speech; echolalia (EK-uh-LAY-lee-uh), the habit of repeating what other people say.

Question 32

31. ITINERANT (eye-TIN-ur-int)

Answer 32

Wandering, traveling about, moving from place to place, especially to perform work. Synonyms: migratory, wayfaring, vagrant, nomadic, ambulatory, peripatetic (Level 9, Word 47). An itinerary is a route or course taken on a journey, especially a detailed plan or list of places to visit while traveling. Corresponding noun: Itinerant, an itinerant person, a wanderer, wayfarer, someone who travels from place to place. N.B. This discussion distinguishes the words itinerant, nomadic, vagrant, and ambulatory all of which mean moving or traveling about.

Question 33

32. CULL (KUHL, rhymes with gull)

Answer 33

To pick out, select from various sources, gather, collect. N.B. This discussion distinguishes the verbs cull and glean.

Question 34

33. PROMULGATE (pruh-MUHL-gayt or PRAHM-ul-gayt)

Answer 34

To make known, publish, proclaim, make public in an official manner. Synonyms: announce, advertise, broadcast, disseminate, bruit (like brute). All these words suggest bringing something to the attention of the public, making it widely known. Corresponding nouns: promulgation, the act of making something public or widely known; promulgator, a person who makes something widely known, who proclaims or publicizes it. The word applies chiefly to making something known in a formal or official way.

Question 35

34. GRATUITOUS (gruh-T(Y)OO-i-tus)

Answer 35

(1) Free; given without charge or obligation. (2) Without legitimate cause or reason; uncalledfor, unjustified, baseless, unwarranted. Usage tip: This discussion concludes with an admonition to avoid the redundant phrases “free gift” (all gifts are free) and “toll-free 800 number” (all 800 numbers are tollfree), and to drop the unnecessary for in the illogical phrase “for free.” (You get something either free or for nothing, not for free.) Interesting word: joculism (as defined by William Safire, language columnist for The New York Times), “a word or phrase intended to be an amusing error that is taken up as accurate by the unwary.”

Question 36

35. NOMENCLATURE (NOH-men-KLAY-chur)

Answer 36

A system of names, especially a system of names used in a science, art, or branch of knowledge.

Question 37

36. DROLL (rhymes with coal and hole)

Answer 37

Amusing, humorous, comical; especially, funny or witty in an odd or outrageous way. Synonyms: ridiculous, ludicrous, farcical, waggish. Antonyms: sober, sedate, staid (rhymes with fade), austere (Level 3, Word 17). Corresponding noun: drollery.

Question 38

37. INSATIABLE (in-SAY-shuh-buul)

Answer 38

Greedy, hungry, unable to be satisfied or appeased. Synonyms: ravenous, voracious, unquenchable, unappeasable. Antonym: satiable, capable of being satisfied.

Question 39

38. BEGUILE (bi-GYL, rhymes with a smile)

Answer 39

(1) To deceive, delude, or mislead. Synonyms: dupe, gull, hoodwink, swindle, bamboozle, ensnare, cozen (pronounced like cousin). (2) To charm, amuse, or delight. Synonyms: enchant, enrapture, enthrall, ensorcel (en-SOR-sul).

Question 40

39. VINDICTIVE (vin-DIK-tiv)

Answer 40

Seeking or wanting revenge, vengeful, characterized by a desire to get even. N.B. This discussion distinguishes the synonyms vengeful and vindictive. Related word: retribution, repayment in the form of punishment in return for a wrong.

Question 41

40. REPLETE (ri-PLEET)

Answer 41

Fully or richly supplied, well-stocked, chock-full, filled to capacity. Synonyms: stuffed, crammed, gorged, abounding, brimming, teeming, laden, surfeited. N.B. This discussion distinguishes the words replete and fraught. Usage tip: Replete and complete are not synonymous or interchangeable. Complete means lacking nothing, having all necessary elements, ingredients, or parts: a complete set of encyclopedias. Replete means well-stocked, fully or richly supplied: a river replete with fish.

Question 42

41. PRECLUDE (pri-KLOOD)

Answer 42

To prevent, make impossible, exclude or shut off all possibility of something happening. Synonyms: avert, obviate, forestall. Antonyms: incite, instigate, engender.

Question 43

42. CASTIGATE (KAS-ti-gayt)

Answer 43

To punish or criticize severely. Synonyms: chasten, chastise, rebuke, reprimand, reprove, censure (Level 3, Word 28). Antonyms: approve, reward, praise, commend, laud, extol, eulogize. N.B. This discussion distinguishes the verbs to castigate, to chasten, and to chastise (the corresponding noun, chastisement, may be pronounced either CHAS-tiz-mint or chas- TYZ-mint.) Corresponding noun: castigation.

Question 44

43. COLLOQUIAL (kuh-LOH-kwee-ul)

Answer 44

Conversational; pertaining to, characteristic of, or used in spoken language; hence, informal, casual, natural. loquacious, extremely talkative, a synonym of garrulous (Level 4, Word 8); colloquy (KAHLuh-kwee), a conversation-specifically, a formal or intellectual discussion; and colloquium (kuh-LOHkwee-um), a conference or meeting for discussion. Corresponding noun: colloquialism, a colloquial expression; a bit of vernacular language; a word or phrase used in common, everyday, informal speech.

Question 45

Dictionary usage tip:

Answer 45

When you see the abbreviation coll. or colloq. in a dictionary, it means colloquial, appropriate to or characteristic of informal speech.

Question 46

Colloquial usage tip:

Answer 46

Avoid the expression “I could care less”; instead say “I could not care less.” If you can care less, that means you still have some caring left in you; if you cannot care less, then you do not care at all.

Question 47

44. OBFUSCATE (uhb-FUHS-kayt or AHB-fuh-skayt)

Answer 47

To make obscure, cloud over, darken, make unclear or indistinct. Synonyms: confuse, complicate, muddle, bewilder, shroud, eclipse, adumbrate (ad- UHMbrayt or AD-uhm-brayt). Antonyms: expose, unveil, clarify, elucidate. Corresponding noun: obfuscation.

Question 48

45. FACILE (FAS’l, rhymes with castle

Answer 48

Easy, easily done; performed or achieved in an easy, effortless way; working or acting in a smooth, free, and unrestrained manner. Synonyms: quick, ready, fluent, nimble, dexterous, expert, adroit (Level 3, Word 41). Antonyms: difficult, awkward, unwieldy, laborious, irksome, obstinate (Level 1, Word 34), onerous (Level 4, Word 13), intractable (Level 5, Word 12), refractory (ri-FRAKtuh-ree).

Question 49

46. CONVIVIAL (kun-VIV-ee-ul)

Answer 49

Sociable, merry, festive. Synonyms: jovial (Level 5, Word 19), genial, companionable, affable, gregarious. Antonyms: unsociable, reserved, solitary, aloof.

Question 50

47. ESCHEW (es-CHOO)

Answer 50

To avoid, shun, abstain from; keep away from something harmful, wrong, or distasteful. Usage tip: Eschew has nothing to do with chewing-for which the fancy synonym is mastication.

Question 51

48. PRODIGIOUS (pruh-DIJ-us)

Answer 51

Enormous, huge, tremendous, immense; extraordinary in size, extent, force, or degree. Synonyms: mammoth, monumental, colossal, gargantuan, elephantine (EL-uh-FAN-tin, EL-uh-FAN-teen, or EL-uh-FAN-tyn, in order of preference), herculean (hur-KYOOlee- in or HUR-kyoo-LEE-in), Brobdingnagian (BRAHB-ding-NAG-ee-in; antonym: Lilliputian). The last four synonyms listed are discussed in detail.

Question 52

49. IDIOSYNCRASY (ID-ee-oh-SIN-kruh-see)

Answer 52

A peculiarity; distinctive characteristic of a person or group; an identifying trait or mannerism. N.B. This lesson distinguished the synonyms idiosyncrasy, eccentricity, and quirk, which designate behavior that is peculiar or distinctive. Corresponding adjective: idiosyncratic, peculiar, distinctive, odd.

Question 53

50. APPROBATION (AP-roh-BAY-shin)

Answer 53

Approval, acceptance; especially, official approval or authorization. Synonyms: commendation, endorsement, sanction, ratification, acclamation. Antonyms: rejection, opposition, disapprobation, renunciation, repudiation, disavowal, abjuration.