Magoosh Common Words 3 and 4

Question 1

derive

Answer 1

come from
e.g. “Some maintain that he derived the idea of civil disobedience from Thoreau”

Synonyms: stem, descend, spring, draw

Question 2

elucidate

Answer 2

make (something) clear; explain
e.g. “Having grabbed the attention he then used the interview to elucidate the argument.”

Synonyms: decode, enlighten, exemplify, explicate, illuminate.

Question 3

abstain

Answer 3

restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something.
e.g. “The terms stipulate that he must abstain from the consumption of alcohol and controlled substances”

Synonyms: cease, forgo, pass up, quit, refrain, withhold

Question 4

treacherous

Answer 4

tending to betray; unpredictable
e.g. “A holidaymaker was swept away by treacherous currents”

Synonyms: traitorous, disloyal, perfidious

Synonyms: hazardous, perilous, unsafe, precarious, deceptive

Question 5

juxtapose

Answer 5

place or deal with close together for contrasting effects
e.g. “The black-and-white photos of slums were starkly juxtaposed with color images.”

Synonyms: compare, collocate, colligate

Question 6

forlorn

Answer 6

1. pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely
2. to show hopelessness

e.g. “When I called, the tiny forlorn figure sat up and reached out towards us.”

Synonyms: miserable, sorrowful, dejected, despondent, wretched, morose

Question 7

derivative

Answer 7

To draw strongly on something already in existence
e.g. “Petroleum is a derivative of coal tar.”

Synonyms: cognate, secondary, subordinate, variation

Question 8

contrive

Answer 8

to pull off a plan or scheme
e.g. “The prisoners contrived a way to escape.”

Synonyms: plan, plot, project, rig, concoct, devise

Question 9

ameliorate

Answer 9

make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better
e.g. “The reform did much to ameliorate living standards”

Synonyms: alleviate, lighten, mitigate, amend

Question 10

vilify

Answer 10

slander; speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner
e.g. “He has been vilified in the press for his comments on Israel”

Synonyms: disparage, denigrate, defame, slander

Question 11

travesty

Answer 11

1. a mockery
2. a false, absurd, or distorted representation of something.

e.g. “the absurdly lenient sentence is a travesty of justice”

Synonyms for 1: parody, caricature, burlesque, mock

Synonyms for 2: misrepresentation, distortion, perversion, corruption

Question 12

rudimentary

Answer 12

to be in the early stages of development
e.g. “When baseball was in its rudimentary stages, different teams played by different rules.”

Synonyms: primitive, crude, embryonic, vestigial

Question 13

negligible

Answer 13

so small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant
e.g. “He said that the risks were negligible”

Synonyms: trivial, trifling, nugatory, minute

Question 14

subsume

Answer 14

include or absorb (something) in something else.
e.g. “most of these phenomena can be subsumed under two broad categories”

Synonyms: integrate, contain, incorporate, assimilate

Question 15

mollify

Answer 15

to make someone angry less angry
e.g. “nature reserves were set up around the power stations to mollify local conservationists”

Synonyms: appease, placate, pacify, conciliate

Question 16

refractory

Answer 16

hard or impossible to manage; stubbornly disobedient
e.g. “To make his life easier, the store owner decided to fire the refractory workers who were difficult to manage.”

Synonyms: unmanageable, difficult, stubborn, contentious, intractable

Question 17

magnanimous

Answer 17

generous or forgiving, especially towards a rival or less powerful person
e.g. “In a magnanimous gesture, she gave her co-writer the award”

Synonyms: altruistic, charitable, considerate, selfless

Question 18

tenacious

Answer 18

stubbornly unyielding
e.g. “He is very tenacious when he thinks he’s on to a good story”

Synonyms: determined, steadfast, staunch, resolute, unswerving

Question 19

eminent

Answer 19

to be higher than others in terms of quality(s) or position
e.g. “one of the world’s most eminent statisticians”

Synonyms: illustrious, distinguished, renowned, venerable, lionized

Question 20

languid

Answer 20

slow and relaxed; not inclined towards physical exertion
e.g. “She was pale, languid, and weak as if she had delivered a child”

Synonyms: weary, fatigued, enervated, feeble, sluggish

Question 21

denote

Answer 21

be a sign of; indicate.
e.g. “This mark denotes purity and quality”

Synonyms: designate, indicate, betoken, signify, signal

Question 22

frustrate

Answer 22

to hinder or prevent
e.g. “the rescue attempt was frustrated by bad weather”

Synonyms: thwart, obstruct, derail, hamper, hinder, check

Question 23

tantamount

Answer 23

equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as
e.g. “The resignations were tantamount to an admission of guilt”

Synonyms: commensurate, identical

Question 24

staunch

Answer 24

very loyal and committed in attitude
e.g. “a staunch supporter of the anti-nuclear lobby”

Synonyms: ardent, come-through, loyal, reliable, stalwart, steadfast

Question 25

fallacious

Answer 25

based on a mistaken belief e.g. "The idea that nuclear power can solve the coming energy crisis is therefore totally fallacious." Synonyms: erroneous, false, untrue

Question 26

insidious

Answer 26

to work in a subtle but destructive way e.g. "It was an insidious disease and the effects were noticed too late" Synonyms: stealthy, subtle, surreptitious, sneaking

Question 27

jubilant

Answer 27

feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph e.g. "a large number of jubilant fans ran onto the pitch" Synonyms: overjoyed, exultant, triumphant, euphoric, ecstatic

Question 28

incongruous

Answer 28

lacking compatibility; not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something. e.g. "The duffel coat looked incongruous with the black dress she wore underneath" Synonyms: bizarre, contradictory, inappropriate, incoherent, incompatible

Question 29

immutable

Answer 29

unchanging over time or unable to be changed e.g. "The Koran is seen as the direct and immutable word of God." Synonyms: fixed, set, rigid, inflexible, unyielding

Question 30

ascetic

Answer 30

characterized by severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence e.g. "An ascetic life of prayer, fasting, and manual labour" Synonyms: austere, self-denying, abstinent, spartan

Question 31

disaffected

Answer 31

dissatisfied, especially with people in authority or a system of control. e.g. "a military plot by disaffected elements in the army" Synonyms: dissatisfied, disgruntled, renegade, insurgent, rebellious

Question 32

avaricious

Answer 32

to be excessively greedy e.g. "avaricious corporate bosses looking to maximize profits" Synonyms: rapacious, mercenary, covetous

Question 33

vehement

Answer 33

1. showing strong feeling 2. forceful, passionate, or intense e.g. "On the subject of chastity until marriage, she is just as vehement." Synonyms: ardent, furious, enthusiastic, fervent, fierce

Question 34

jingoism

Answer 34

fanatical patriotism e.g. Stop this jingoism that is leading this and other nations to war Synonyms: zealous, fanaticism, chauvinism, nationalism

Question 35

circumvent

Answer 35

to cleverly find a way out of one's duties/obligations e.g. "if you come to an obstruction in a road you can seek to circumvent it" Synonyms: sidestep, dodge

Question 36

haughty

Answer 36

to show arrogant superiority and disdain towards others e.g. "She gave him a haughty look and turned away" Synonyms: arrogant, conceited, snobbish, patronizing, smug, scornful

Question 37

quotidian

Answer 37

of or occurring every day; daily. e.g. "The car sped noisily off through the quotidian traffic" Synonyms: commonplace, ordinary

Question 38

ecletic

Answer 38

deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources e.g. "universities offering an eclectic mix of courses" Synonyms: wide, broad, mixed

Question 39

itinerant

Answer 39

traveling from place to place e.g. "Soon the word spread, and itinerant travelers began to squat there." Synonyms: peripatetic, wandering, peregrinate

Question 40

panache

Answer 40

flamboyant confidence of style or manner. e.g. "he entertained London society with great panache" Synonyms: brio, charisma, flair, flamboyance

Question 41

belligerent

Answer 41

hostile and aggressive e.g. "The rail companies are taking a belligerent attitude towards the disputes." Synonyms: bellicose, combative, contentious, pugnacious, irascible

Question 42

delineate

Answer 42

describe in detail e.g. "the law should delineate and prohibit behavior which is socially abhorrent" Synonyms: define, depict, lay out

Question 43

precocious

Answer 43

one who matures or develops exceptionally early e.g. "The point is made early on that Daniel is an intellectually precocious child." Synonyms: talented, clever, intelligent

Question 44

ephemeral

Answer 44

lasting a short time e.g. "fashions are ephemeral: new ones regularly drive out the old" Synonyms: transitory, transient, temporary

Question 45

guileless

Answer 45

innocent and without deception e.g. "There was an innocence about those days - something wanton yet guileless." Synonyms: artless, ingenuous, naivety

Question 46

unequivocal

Answer 46

to have only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion e.g. "They must be so unequivocal that there will be no doubt about the construction." Synonyms: absolute, indisputable, obvious, straightforward

Question 47

supplant

Answer 47

take the place or move into the position of e.g. "Domestic production has been supplanted by imports and jobs have been lost" Synonyms: overthrow, succeed, supersede

Question 48

spurious

Answer 48

plausible but false e.g. "I could find all sorts of spurious reasons why I needed to continue smoking." Synonyms: bogus, false, specious

Question 49

heretic

Answer 49

A heretic is someone whose beliefs or actions are considered unorthodox (wrong by most people, because they disagree with beliefs that are generally accepted) e.g. "He was considered a heretic and was ridiculed and ostracized for his ideas." Synonyms: freethinker, iconoclast, schismatic, renegade, agnostic

Question 50

contingent

Answer 50

1. dependent on Synonyms: accidental, chance, dependent 2. a gathering of persons representative of some larger group e.g. "his fees were contingent on the success of his search" Synonyms: batch, cohort

Question 51

blatant

Answer 51

(of bad behavior) done openly and unashamedly e.g. "He told a blatant lie to all students last time round." Synonyms: unabashed, audacious, insolent, impudent

Question 52

discrete

Answer 52

constituting a separate entity or part e.g. "speech sounds are produced as a continuous sound signal rather than discrete units" Synonyms: distinct, various, detached

Question 53

idiosyncrasy

Answer 53

a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual. e.g. "one of his little idiosyncrasies was always preferring to be in the car first" Synonyms: peculiar, quirk, whimsical, eccentricity

Question 54

unscrupulous

Answer 54

having no morals or principles e.g. "As a result, many people lost money, some no doubt cheated by unscrupulous speculators." Synonyms: venal, corrupt, crafty, crooked, deceitful

Question 55

exalt

Answer 55

praise or glorify e.g. "the party will continue to exalt their hero" Synonyms: lionize, lauded, venerate, acclaim

Question 56

exonerate

Answer 56

to free someone from guilt e.g. "The police report exonerated Lewis from all charges of corruption." Synonyms: absolve, clear, acquit, vindicate, exculpate

Question 57

confound

Answer 57

to mistake one thing for another; cause confusion e.g. "the inflation figure confounded economic analysts" Synonyms: baffle, bewilder, discombobulate, dumbfound, perplex

Question 58

tortuous

Answer 58

full of twists and turns e.g. "the route is remote and tortuous" Synonyms: circuitous, convoluted, indirect, labyrinthine, meandering, twisting

Question 59

implausible

Answer 59

(of an argument or statement) not seeming reasonable e.g. "This is a blatantly implausible claim" Synonyms: dubious, farfetched, flimsy, improbable, inconceivable

Question 60

ignoble

Answer 60

not honourable in character or purpose. e.g. "ignoble feelings of intense jealousy" Synonyms: sordid, degraded, corrupt, unscrupulous, unprincipled

Question 61

opaque

Answer 61

difficult to understand e.g. "He is far more insecure than the opaque hard man many imagine." Synonyms: arcane, equivocal, incomprehensible, abstruse

Question 62

adamant

Answer 62

refusing to be persuaded or to change one's mind e.g. "Andrew was adamant that his son would not suffer the horrors he had." Synonyms: determined, insistent, intransigent, resolute, rigid

Question 63

aberrant

Answer 63

1. deviating from the norm 2. departing from an accepted standard. e.g. "This somewhat aberrant behavior requires an explanation" Synonyms: atypical, anomalous, digressive, irregular, nonconformist, rogue

Question 64

exacting

Answer 64

requiring and demanding accuracy e.g. "She was an exacting woman to work for." Synonyms: imperious, onerous, demanding

Question 65

pundit

Answer 65

an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called upon to give their opinions to the public. e.g. "political pundits were tipping him for promotion" Synonyms: buff, cognoscenti, expert

Question 66

soporific

Answer 66

tending to induce drowsiness or sleep. e.g. "the motion of the train had a somewhat soporific effect" Synonyms: sedative, tranquilizing

Question 67

indifference

Answer 67

to not seem to care e.g. "It is a matter of indifference as far as the Legal Aid is concerned." Synonyms: disinterest, disregard, inattention, inertia, insensitivity, lack, negligence

Question 68

largess

Answer 68

generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others e.g. "presumably public money is not dispensed with such largesse to anyone else" Synonyms: munificent, benefaction, magnanimity

Question 69

underscore

Answer 69

to emphasize; give extra weight to e.g. "These failures underscore the difficulty of what we're attempting to do." Synonyms: emphasize, reinforce, underline, accentuate

Question 70

eradicate

Answer 70

to completely destroy e.g. "It is extremely difficult to eradicate prejudices so deeply rooted and natural." Synonyms: abolish, annihilate, eliminate, erase, expunge, extirpate

Question 71

provincial

Answer 71

having opinions and ideas that are limited, old-fashioned and simple e.g. "He makes me wait as he summons a provincial police officer to accompany us." Synonyms: pedestrian, parochial, myopic

Question 72

pragmatic

Answer 72

to be based on practical experience rather than theory e.g. "he favoured a pragmatic approach to the problem" Synonyms: practical, realistic

Question 73

espouse

Answer 73

to support/adopt an idea or cause e.g. "He used his books to lend weight to the causes he espoused." Synonyms: adopt, embrace, endorse, advocate

Question 74

copious

Answer 74

in abundance; ample supply e.g. "There was a copious amount of work to get through" Synonyms: profuse, ample, lavish

Question 75

bumbling

Answer 75

1. to lack physical movement 2. acting in a confused or ineffectual way; incompetent e.g. "The drunk man was bumbling around the bar, knocking over tables." Synonyms: lurch, stumble, wobble, falter

Question 76

intransigent

Answer 76

not willing to change the course of action or belief e.g. "He was stubbornly intransigent when asked to share some of his inheritance" Synonyms: adamant, inflexible, obstinate, resolute

Question 77

hackneyed

Answer 77

(of a phrase or idea) having been overused; unoriginal and trite e.g. "Folktales are hackneyed old sayings" Synonyms: platitude, trite, banal, vapid

Question 78

reconcile

Answer 78

make (one account) consistent with another e.g. "It is not necessary to reconcile the cost accounts to the financial accounts" Synonyms: accommodate, appease, assuage, conform, harmonize.

Question 79

construe

Answer 79

interpret (a word or action) in a particular way. e.g. "his words could hardly be construed as an apology" Synonyms: define, infer, interpret, parse

Question 80

burgeon

Answer 80

begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish. e.g. "the city's suburbs have burgeoned, sprawling out from the center" Synonyms: prosper, snowball, sprout

Question 81

expound

Answer 81

1. clarify the meaning 2. explain in depth e.g. "he was expounding a powerful argument" Synonyms: delineate, exemplify, explain, explicate, clarify

Question 82

laudable

Answer 82

(of an action, idea, or aim) deserving praise e.g. "laudable though the aim might be, the results have been criticized" Synonyms: noteworthy, exemplary, reputable, honourable, sterling

Question 83

petulant

Answer 83

(of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered e.g. "he acted like a petulant child who had been refused what he wanted" Synonyms: cranky, fractious, impatient, sullen, peevish, whiny

Question 84

ostentatious

Answer 84

characterized by pretentious or showy display; designed to impress e.g. "She wears an ostentatious diamond ring and a pearl the size of a marble." Synonyms: extravagant, gaudy

Question 85

abstruse

Answer 85

difficult to understand; obscure. e.g. "an abstruse philosophical inquiry" Synonyms: arcane, equivocal, incomprehensible

Question 86

refute

Answer 86

prove (a statement or theory) to be wrong or false; disprove. e.g. "these claims have not been convincingly refuted" Synonyms: disprove, quash, contend, repudiate

Question 87

pedantic

Answer 87

excessively concerned with minor details or rules; overscrupulous. e.g. "his analyses are careful and even painstaking, but never pedantic" Synonyms: overscrupulous, fastidious

Question 87

incorrigible

Answer 87

(of a person or their behavior) not able to be changed or reformed. e.g. "He's an incorrigible liar and will continue to lie and deceive." Synonyms: inveterate, habitual, irredeemable, hardened, incurable

Question 88

forthcoming

Answer 88

1. verb - easy-going while talking to others 2. adjective - available when required or as promised e.g. "she had never been forthcoming about her time in the States" Synonyms: anticipated, approaching, impending

Question 88

acerbic

Answer 88

(especially of a comment or style of speaking) sharp and forthright e.g. "His prose is peppered with acerbic wit and keen insight." Synonyms: caustic, harsh, sharp, scathing

Question 89

myopic

Answer 89

lacking foresight or intellectual insight. e.g. "the government still has a myopic attitude to public spending" Synonyms: pedestrian, parochial, provincial

Question 90

denigrate

Answer 90

criticize unfairly; disparage. e.g. "doom and gloom merchants who denigrate their own country" Synonyms: besmirch, defame, disparage, impugn, slander, blister

Question 91

temperance

Answer 91

the quality of moderation or self-restraint. e.g. "the whole multitude of men lack temperance in their lives, either from ignorance or from want of self-control" Synonyms: abstinence, self-denial, austerity, asceticism

Question 92

implacable

Answer 92

incapable of being less hostile; e.g. "Grattan from the first denounced the scheme with implacable hostility." Synonyms: inexorable, intractable, relentless, ruthless

Question 93

ingratiate

Answer 93

gain the favor of someone by flattering or trying to please them e.g. "a sycophantic attempt to ingratiate herself with the local aristocracy" Synonyms: fawn, obsequious, toady

Question 94

apocryphal

Answer 94

(of a story or statement) of doubtful authenticity e.g. "there is an apocryphal story about a disgraced rock star who ended up in bankruptcy court" Synonyms: fictitious, made-up, untrue, fabricated, false, spurious

Question 95

admonitory

Answer 95

a firm warning or reprimand. "he received numerous admonitions for his behavior" Synonyms: reprimand, rebuke, reproof, remonstrance, reproach, lambast

Question 96

decorum

Answer 96

behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety. e.g. "he had acted with the utmost decorum" Synonyms: etiquette, decency, propriety