Vocabulary

Question 1

Bombastic

Answer 1

Pompous in speech and manner

The ranting of the talk-show host was mostly bombastic; his boasting had no basis in fact.

Question 2

Specious

Answer 2

Deceptively attractive

The student’s specious excuse for being late sounded legitimate but was proven otherwise when the teacher called her home.

Question 3

Exigent

Answer 3

Urgent; requiring immediate attention

The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was exigent to stop the source of the bleeding.

Question 4

Amalgamate

Answer 4

To combine; to mix together

Company 1 amalgamated with Company 2 to form a giant corporation.

Question 5

Occlude

Answer 5

To stop up; to prevent the passage of

During a solar eclipse, the light from the sun is occluded by the moon.

Question 6

Foment

Answer 6

To arouse or incite

The protestors tried to foment feelings against the war through their speeches and demonstrations.

Question 7

Stolid

Answer 7

Unemotional; lacking sensitivity

The prisoner appeared stolid and unaffected by the judge’s harsh sentence.

Question 8

Opprobrium

Answer 8

Public disgrace

After the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter opprobrium.

Question 9

Soporific

Answer 9

Causing sleep or lethargy

The movie proved to be so soporific that soon loud snores were heard throughout the theater.

Question 10

Aggrandize

Answer 10

To increase in power, influence and reputation

The supervisor sought to aggrandize herself by taking credit for her staff members’ work.

Question 11

Malinger

Answer 11

To evade responsibility by pretending to be ill

A common way to avoid the draft was by malingering.

Question 12

Esoteric

Answer 12

Known or understood by only a few

Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the esoteric world of particle physics.

Question 13

Cogent

Answer 13

Convincing and well-reasoned

Swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant.

Question 14

Taciturn

Answer 14

Silent; not talkative

The clerk’s taciturn nature earned him the nickname “Silent Bob”.

Question 15

Propitiate

Answer 15

To conciliate; to appease

The management propitiated the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members.

Question 16

Inchoate

Answer 16

Not fully formed; disorganized

The ideas expressed in Nietzsche’s mature work also appear in an inchoate form in his earliest writing.

Question 17

Diffident

Answer 17

Lacking self-confidence

Steve’s diffident manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field.

Question 18

Inimical

Answer 18

Hostile; unfriendly

Even though the children had grown up together, they were inimical to each other at school.

Question 19

Condone

Answer 19

To overlook, pardon, or disregard

Some believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as condoning an air of lawlessness.

Question 20

Compendium

Answer 20

A collection of concise but detailed info about a specific subject

Question 21

Apace

Answer 21

Swiftly; quickly

The vaccine rollout continues apace.

Question 22

Ancillary

Answer 22

Providing support to the primary activities or operation of an organization; or a person who does this

The bookkeeper serves in an ancillary role, providing support to the treasurer.

Question 23

Countenance

Answer 23

Facial expression; or support; or (v) to admit as acceptable or possible

She was giving her specific countenance to the occasion.

He was reluctant to countenance the use of force.

Question 24

Espouse

Answer 24

To adopt or support

In middle age, he turned his back on the values he had espoused when he was young.

Question 25

Munificent

Answer 25

Larger or more generous than is usual or necessary A former student has donated a munificent amount of money to the college.

Question 26

Stalwart

Answer 26

Loyal, reliable, and hardworking He remained a stalwart supporter of the cause.

Question 27

Bilious

Answer 27

Spiteful; bad-tempered; or nauseous He was prone to outbursts of bilious misogyny.

Question 28

Words that generally indicate "Bad Mood"

Answer 28

Bilious Dudgeon Irascible Pettish Petulant Pique Querulous Umbrage Waspish

Question 29

Proselyte

Answer 29

A person who has converted from one opinion, religion, or party to another As a Democratic proselyte, the former Republican changed his political views along with the candidates he voted for.

Question 30

Tyro

Answer 30

A beginner or novice I look forward to seeing this young tyro's next ballet.

Question 31

Callow

Answer 31

Inexperienced; immature The undergraduates were callow but eager to learn.

Question 32

Incipient

Answer 32

In an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop He could feel incipient anger building up.

Question 33

Nascent

Answer 33

Just coming into existence or beginning to show potential The nascent space industry of the 19__'s had high goals and support from the government.

Question 34

Acidulous

Answer 34

Bitter; cutting The acidulous resentment in his tone indicated that he had cared about the results more than we realized.

Question 35

Asperity

Answer 35

Harshness of tone or manner She pointed out his shortcomings with some asperity.

Question 36

Mordacious

Answer 36

Using biting sarcasm His mordacious look showed plainly that he hated us all.

Question 37

Mordant

Answer 37

Having a sharp or critical quality He had a mordant sense of humor; no one wanted to be the target of his jokes.

Question 38

Trenchant

Answer 38

Vigorous or incisive She heard angry voices, not loud, but certainly trenchant.

Question 39

Hackneyed

Answer 39

Unoriginal and trite The plot of the movie was just a hackneyed boy-meets-girl scenario.

Question 40

Prosaic

Answer 40

Commonplace; having the style of prose rather than poetry Prosaic language couldn't describe the experience.

Question 41

Quotidian

Answer 41

Ordinary; everyday Her quotidian routine was beginning to bore her, so she began looking for a new job.

Question 42

Iniquity

Answer 42

Immoral or grossly unfair behavior The jury convicted the defendant after concluding that he not only knew about the strange expenses in his company's budget, but understood the iniquity of them.

Question 43

Turpitude

Answer 43

Depravity or wickedness Immigration officers denied his entry, citing issues of moral turpitude.

Question 44

Adulturate

Answer 44

To make impure The chef made his ketchup last longer by adulturating it with water.

Question 45

Ameliorate

Answer 45

Painkillers helped to ameliorate the patient's suffering.

Question 46

Assuage

Answer 46

To make something unpleasant less severe She used aspirin to assuage her pounding headache.

Question 47

Attenuate

Answer 47

To reduce in force or degree; to weaken The Bill of Rights attenuated the traditional powers of governments to change laws at will.

Question 48

Credulous

Answer 48

Too trusting; gullible While many young children believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most credulous 9-year-olds still do so.

Question 49

Desultory

Answer 49

Disconnected; jumping from one thing to another Diane had a desultory academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in 3 years.

Question 50

Dilatory

Answer 50

Intended to delay The congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill.

Question 51

Elegy

Answer 51

A sorrowful poem or speech Although Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" is about death and loss, it urges readers to trust in spirituality.

Question 52

Equivocal Equivocate

Answer 52

Open to more than one interpretation; or using expressions that are so Asked a pointed question, the politician still gave an equivocal answer. When faced with criticism of her policies, the politician equivocated and left all parties thinking she agreed with them.

Question 53

Exculpate

Answer 53

To clear from blame; prove innocent Our legal system is meant to convict the guilty and exculpate the innocent.