Word List 23

Question 1

lucid

Answer 1

suffused with light; luminous; translucent
having full use of one’s faculties; sane
clear to the understanding; intelligible

e.g. He is able to recognize his wife in his lucid moments.
those lucid bands that spread across the arctic sky and are known as the northern lights

Question 2

murky

Answer 2

characterized by a heavy dimness or obscurity caused by or like that caused by overhanging fog or smoke
characterized by thickness and heaviness of air; foggy, misty
darkly vague or obscure

e.g. She peered into one of the church’s murky chapels.
a politician with a murky past
murky official rhetoric

Question 3

lucrative

Answer 3

producing wealth; profitable

Question 4

ludicrous

Answer 4

amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity
meriting derisive laughter or scorn as absurdly inept, false, or foolish

e.g. a ludicrous and easily detected attempt to forge his father’s signature on a note to school

Question 5

lug

Answer 5

drag, pull
to carry laboriously
to introduce in a forced manner

e.g. lugged the bags to the car
lugs my name into the argument

Question 6

lukewarm

Answer 6

moderately warm; tepid
lacking conviction; halfhearted

e.g. lukewarm support/reception

Question 7

lull

Answer 7

to cause to sleep or rest; soothe
to cause to relax vigilance
a temporary pause or decline in activity

e.g. lulled into a false sense of security
We took the opportunity of a lull in conversation to announce that we were engaged.
the early-morning lull in urban noise

Question 8

lumber

Answer 8

to move ponderously
rumble
surplus or disused articles that are stored away
timber or logs especially when dressed for use

Question 9

lumen

Answer 9

the cavity of a tubular organ or part
a unit of luminous flux equal to the light emitted in a unit solid angle by a uniform point source of one candle intensity

Question 10

luminary

Answer 10

a person of prominence or brilliant achievement
a body that gives light; especially, one of the celestial bodies

e.g. luminaries of the art world

Question 11

lunule

Answer 11

a crescent-shaped body part or marking (as the whitish mark at the base of a fingernail)

Question 12

lurch

Answer 12

a sudden roll of a ship to one side
an abrupt jerking, swaying, or tipping movement; also, stagger
to roll or tip abruptly; pitch
to move with a lurch; also, stagger

e.g. suddenly lurched forward
has lurched from crisis to crisis

Question 13

lurid

Answer 13

causing horror or revulsion; gruesome
melodramatic, sensational; also, shocking
wan and ghastly pale in appearance
shining with the red glow of fire seen through smoke or cloud

e.g. a lurid tale of violence and betrayal
the lurid lighting of a nightclub
The light from the fire cast a lurid glow on everything.

Question 14

lurk

Answer 14

to lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an evil purpose
to move furtively or inconspicuously
to constitute a latent threat

e.g. She could tell there was someone out there lurking in the shadows.

Question 15

lush

Answer 15

growing vigorously especially with luxuriant foliage 
characterized by abundance; plentiful
prosperous, profitable 
savory, delicious; appealing to senses 
opulent, sumptuous

e.g. The frequent rainfall encourages the lush growth of trees, ferns, and shrubs.
the lush sound of the orchestra
lush accommodations

Question 16

sere

Answer 16

being dried and withered

e.g. a sere region that can’t support agriculture

Question 17

wanderlust

Answer 17

strong longing for or impulse toward wandering

Question 18

lustrous

Answer 18

reflecting light evenly and efficiently without glitter or sparkle
radiant in character or reputation; illustrious

e.g. The lustrous finish on the satin bedspread adds to the feeling of luxury.

Question 19

lyric

Answer 19

of, relating to, or being drama set to music; especially, operatic
expressing direct usually intense personal emotion especially in a manner suggestive of song
exuberant, rhapsodic

e.g. The film’s lyric photography really enhanced its romantic mood.

Question 20

macabre

Answer 20

having death as a subject; comprising or including a personalized representation of death
dwelling on the gruesome
tending to produce horror in a beholder

e.g. a macabre story of murder and madness

Question 21

macerate

Answer 21

to cause to waste away by or as if by excessive fasting
to cause to become soft or separated into constituent elements by or as if by steeping in fluid; broadly, steep, soak

e.g. garnished with cherries that had been macerated in liqueur
Those who macerate the body, and long to put on longevity, are only in a kind of dream.

Question 22

machination

Answer 22

the act to plan or plot especially to do harm
a scheming or crafty action or artful design intended to accomplish some usually evil end

e.g. incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed
backstage machinations that have dominated the film industry

Question 23

maculated

Answer 23

marked with spots; blotched

impure, besmirched

Question 24

madrigal

Answer 24

a short poem, often about love, suitable for being set to music
a type of song for several singers without instruments that was popular in the 16th or 17th centuries

Question 25

maelstrom

Answer 25

a powerful often violent whirlpool sucking in objects within a given radius something resembling a maelstrom in turbulence e.g. a maelstrom of emotions

Question 26

magenta

Answer 26

a bright, deep purplish-red color | also

Question 27

magisterial

Answer 27

of, relating to, or having the characteristic of a master or teacher; authoritative marked by an overbearingly dignified or assured manner or aspect of or relating to a magistrate or a magistrate's office or duties e.g. He spoke with a magisterial tone.

Question 28

magnanimous

Answer 28

showing or suggesting a loft and courageous spirit showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind e.g. too sincere for dissimulation, too magnanimous for resentment the irreproachable lives and magnanimous sufferings of their followers a magnanimous donation

Question 29

magnate

Answer 29

a person of rank, power, influence, or distinction often in a specified area e.g. a studio magnate who had the biggest stars in Hollywood at his beck and call

Question 30

magpie

Answer 30

a noisy black-and-white bird a person who chatters noisily one who collects indiscriminately e.g. Media magpies will no doubt seize upon the president's latest gaffe and blow if all out of proportion.

Question 31

maize

Answer 31

Indian corn

Question 32

maladroit

Answer 32

lacking adroitness; inept e.g. The government has been criticized for his maladroit handling of the budget crisis. Some maladroit steering on her part caused the bicycle to go crashing into the bushes.

Question 33

malaise

Answer 33

an indefinite feeling of debility or lack of health often indicative of or accompanying the onset of an illness a vague sense of mental or moral ill-being e.g. An infected person will fell a general malaise. The country's current economic problems are symptoms of a deeper malaise a malaise of cynicism and despair

Question 34

malapropism

Answer 34

the usually unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase; especially, the use of a word sounding somewhat like the one intended but ludicrously wrong in the context

Question 35

malcontent

Answer 35

a discontented person dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs; discontented e.g. He complained so much that he got a reputation for being a malcontent. She seems like a very malcontent person, always acting as if the entire world were out to get her.

Question 36

malevolent

Answer 36

having, showing, or arising from intense often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred productive of harm or evil e.g. The novel grossly oversimplified the conflict as a struggle between relentlessly malevolent villains on one side and faultless saints on the other.

Question 37

malfeasance

Answer 37

wrongdoing or misconduct especially by a public official e.g. The investigation has uncovered evidence of corporate malfeasance.

Question 38

malice

Answer 38

desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another intent to commit an unlawful act or cause harm without legal justification or excuse e.g. an attack motivated by pure malice She claimed that her criticisms were without malice.

Question 39

malign

Answer 39

evil in nature, influence, or effect; injurious malignant, virulent having or showing intense often vicious ill will; malevolent to utter injuriously misleading or false reports about; speak evil of e.g. Both parties to the divorce showed a malign desire to make each other's future life utterly miserable. Her supporters say she is being unfairly maligned in the press.

Question 40

malinger

Answer 40

to pretend or exaggerate incapacity or illness (as to avoid duty or work) e.g. His boss suspected him of malingering because of his frequent absences from work.

Question 41

malleable

Answer 41

capable of being extended or shaped; also, capable of being altered or controlled by outside forces or influences having a capacity for adaptive change e.g. The cult leader took advantage of the malleable, compliant personalities of his followers.

Question 42

mallet

Answer 42

a hammer with a typically barrel-shaped head

Question 43

mammoth

Answer 43

of very great size e.g. Renovating the house is a mammoth undertaking. a mammoth book

Question 44

mandate

Answer 44

an authoritative command an authorization to act given to a representative to administer or assign under a mandate to officially require; make (something) mandatory to direct or require (someone) to do something e.g. They carried out the governor's mandate to build more roads. He won the election so convincingly that he believed he had been given a mandate for change. a law mandating recycling a commission mandated to investigate corruption

Question 45

mangle

Answer 45

to injure with deep disfiguring wounds by cutting, tearing, or crushing to spoil, injure, or make incoherent especially through ineptitude e.g. people mangled by sharks a story mangled beyond recognition

Question 46

wangle

Answer 46

to resort to trickery or devious methods to adjust or manipulate for personal or fraudulent ends to make or get by devious means; finagle e.g. He wangled a free ticket to the show. He managed to wangle his way into the party.

Question 47

manifest

Answer 47

readily perceived by the senses and especially by the sense of sight easily understood or recognized by the mind; obvious to make evident or certain by showing or displaying manifestation, indication manifesto a list of passengers or an invoice of cargo for a vehicle e.g. Their sadness was manifest in their faces. There was manifest confusion in the streets. Both sides have manifested a stubborn unwillingness to compromise.

Question 48

manifesto

Answer 48

a written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer e.g. The group's manifesto focused on helping the poor and stopping violence.

Question 49

manifold

Answer 49

marked by diversity or variety; many comprehending or uniting various features; multifarious rightfully so-called for many reasons consisting of or operating many of one kind combined e.g. The benefits of this approach are manifold. The manifold attractions of that state make it an ideal destination for a family vacation. a manifold liar

Question 50

mannered

Answer 50

having manners of a specified kind having an artificial or stilted character e.g. well-mannered passages no mannered as to be unintelligible

Question 51

mantle

Answer 51

cloak; also, a figurative cloak symbolizing preeminence or authority something that covers, enfolds, or envelops to cover with or as if with a mantle; cloak e.g. She accepted the mantle of leadership. a long black velvet mantle Early-morning fog mantled the fields along the river. her rich face mantling with emotion

Question 52

manumit

Answer 52

to release from slavery e.g. manumit slaves

Question 53

manure

Answer 53

``` to enrich (land) by the application of manure material that fertilizes land; especially, refuse of stables and barnyards consisting of livestock excreta with or without litter ``` e.g. fertilizers made from animal manures

Question 54

mar

Answer 54

to detract from the perfection or wholeness of; spoil something that mars; blemish e.g. The noise marred the peace of the night. The Johnsons complained to the movers about broken dishes and mars on the furniture.

Question 55

mare

Answer 55

a female horse or other equine animal especially when fully mature or of breeding age

Question 56

margarine

Answer 56

a food product made usually from vegetable oils churned with ripened skim milk to a smooth emulsion and used like butter

Question 57

marionette

Answer 57

a puppet that is moved by pulling strings or wires that are attached to its body

Question 58

marital

Answer 58

of or relating to marriage or the married stage e.g. marital vows

Question 59

maritime

Answer 59

of, relating to, or bordering on the sea of or relating to navigation or commerce on the sea having the characteristic of a mariner e.g. a maritime province The country's maritime industry is an important part of its economy. maritime law

Question 60

marked

Answer 60

having an identifying mark having a distinctive or emphasized character enjoying fame or notoriety being an object of attack, suspicion, or vengeance e.g. He speaks with a marked accent. a marked change/improvement

Question 61

marsh

Answer 61

a tract of soft wet land usually characterized by monocotyledons (as grasses or cattails) e.g. The marshes along the coast support a remarkable profusion of plants and animals.

Question 62

marshal

Answer 62

the head of a division or a department an officer of the highest rank in some military forces to bring together and order in an appropriate or effective way to lead ceremoniously or solicitously; usher e.g. She carefully marshaled her thoughts before answering the question. marshling her little group of children down the street

Question 63

marsupial

Answer 63

a type of animal (such as a kangaroo or an opossum) that carries its babies in a pocket of skin on the mother's stomach also

Question 64

martial

Answer 64

of, relating to, or suited for war or a warrior relating to an army or to military life experienced in or inclined to war; warlike e.g. one of the basic tenets of martial law

Question 65

martyr

Answer 65

a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle victim; especially, a great or constant sufferer e.g. a martyr to asthma all his life

Question 66

mason

Answer 66

a skilled worker who builds by laying units of substantial material (as stone or brick)

Question 67

masquerade

Answer 67

a social gathering of persons wearing masks and often fantastic costume; a costume for wear at such an action or appearance that is mere disguise or show to disguise oneself; also, to go about disguised e.g. Although she was deeply bored, she maintained a masquerade of polite interest as her guest droned on. masquerading under a false name

Question 68

mast

Answer 68

a long pole or spar rising from the keel or deck f a ship supporting the yards, booms, and rigging a slender vertical or nearly vertical structure

Question 69

masticate

Answer 69

to grind or crush (food) with or as if with the teeth; chew to soften or reduce to pulp by crushing or kneading e.g. mindlessly masticating peanuts while watching the baseball game on TV

Question 70

materialize

Answer 70

to make material; objectify to cause to appear in bodily form to cause to be materialistic e.g. A waiter suddenly materialized beside our table. an idea materialized into words

Question 71

nascent

Answer 71

coming or having recently come into existence e.g. The actress is now focusing on her nascent singing career.

Question 72

maul

Answer 72

beat, bruise mangle to handle roughly e.g. A bear killed one hiker and badly mauled the other. demonstrators who claimed that they had been mauled by the police

Question 73

mauve

Answer 73

a light or medium purple color | also

Question 74

maven

Answer 74

one who is experienced or knowledgeable; expert an ardent enthusiast; freak e.g. An investment maven, he was doing well even when the market was doing poorly. a science-fiction maven who could talk for hours about fictional technology

Question 75

maverick

Answer 75

an unorthodox or independent-minded person an unbranded calf or yearling unorthodox e.g. a maverick among Connecticut Republicans a maverick detective

Question 76

mawkish

Answer 76

having an insipid often unpleasant taste sickly or puerilely sentimental e.g. a mawkish for donations to charity

Question 77

meager

Answer 77

having little flesh; thin lacking desirable qualities (as richness or strength) deficient in quality or quantity e.g. a meager breakfast of toast of coffee She came to this country with a fairly meager English vocabulary, but she is learning more words every day.

Question 78

meander

Answer 78

to follow a winding or intricate course to wander aimlessly or casually without urgent destination; ramble e.g. The path meanders through the garden. The conversation meandered on for hours.

Question 79

measly

Answer 79

infected with measles contemptibly small e.g. She complained about being given such a measly raise. All I want is a few measly minutes of your time.

Question 80

measured

Answer 80

marked by due proportion deliberate, calculated e.g. a measured response

Question 81

meddle

Answer 81

to interest oneself in what is not one's concern; interfere without right or propriety e.g. meddle in other people's marriages

Question 82

medley

Answer 82

a diverse assortment or mixture; especially, hodgepodge e.g. a medley of different ideas

Question 83

meek

Answer 83

enduring injury with patience and without resentment; mild deficient in spirit and courage; submissive not violent or strong; moderate e.g. a meek child dominated by his brother

Question 84

vaunt

Answer 84

to make a vain display of one's own worth or attainments; brag e.g. people who vaunt their ingenuity

Question 85

meet

Answer 85

precisely adapted to a particular situation, need, or circumstances; very proper e.g. In this case, splitting the winnings of the contested lottery ticket seems like a meet solution.

Question 86

meld

Answer 86

merge, blend e.g. Clouds and grey sea melded and a steady rain began.

Question 87

mellifluous

Answer 87

having a smooth rich flow filled with something (as honey) that sweetens e.g. a rich, mellifluous voice that gets her a lot of work in radio and TV commercials

Question 88

melodrama

Answer 88

``` a work (as a movie or play) characterized by extravagant theatricality and by the predominance of plot and physical action over characterization something resembling a melodrama especially in having sensational or theatrical quality ``` e.g. Critics dismissed his work as melodrama.

Question 89

melodramatic

Answer 89

emotional in a way that is very extreme or exaggerated; extremely dramatic or emotional e.g. Our office drama queen yet again made the melodramatic declaration that he was contemplating suicide.

Question 90

menace

Answer 90

a show of intention to inflict harm; threat one that represents a threat; danger to make a show of intention to harm to represent or pose a threat to; endanger e.g. There was an atmosphere of menace in the city. She could hear the menace in his voice. stockpiles of nuclear weapons that continue to menace the inhabitants of this planet

Question 91

mend

Answer 91

to free from faults or defects to make amends or atonement for e.g. spends the weekend mending political fences Her arm mended slowly after surgery. Least said, soonest mended.

Question 92

mendacious

Answer 92

given to characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth e.g. The tabloid routinely publishes the most moronically mendacious stories about celebrities.

Question 93

mendicant

Answer 93

beggar also e.g. those wretched mendicants on the streets of Calcutta

Question 94

menthol

Answer 94

a crystalline alcohol C10H20O that occurs especially in mint oils and has the odor and cooling properties of peppermint

Question 95

mercantile

Answer 95

of or relating to merchants or trading of, relating to, or having the characteristics of mercantilism e.g. mercantile system

Question 96

mercenary

Answer 96

one that serves merely for wages serving merely for pay or sordid advantage; venal; also, greedy hired for service in the army of a foreign country e.g. an army of foreign mercenaries His motives in choosing a career were purely mercenary.

Question 97

mercurial

Answer 97

characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood animated; lively; sprightly; quick-witted e.g. a mercurial temper

Question 98

meretricious

Answer 98

of or relating to a prostitute; having the nature of prostitution tawdrily and falsely attractive superficially significant; pretentious e.g. The paradise they found was a piece of meretricious trash. There is nothing showy or clever, nothing cheap or meretricious in their work.

Question 99

merit

Answer 99

to be worthy of or entitled or liable to; earn deserve e.g. Both ideas merit further consideration. His good work merits a raise.

Question 100

merited

Answer 100

deserving, worthy of e.g. Whatever fulsome cliche of brilliance you want to attach to Hoffman is merited.

Question 101

meritorious

Answer 101

deserving of honor or esteem e.g. worked all night with meritorious determination to get the project done on time

Question 102

mesa

Answer 102

an isolated relatively flat-topped natural elevation usually more extensive than a butte and less extensive than a plateau a broad terrace with an abrupt slope on one side; bench

Question 103

mesh

Answer 103

enmesh, entangle to cause (as gears) to engage; to coordinate closely; interlock also e.g. They meshed traditions from several cultures into one wedding ceremony. a book trying to mesh philosophy and humor We covered the blueberry bushes in nylon mesh to keep the birds from the fruit. a routine request that got hung up in the meshes of the state bureaucracy

Question 104

metaphysics

Answer 104

the part of philosophy that is concerned with the basic causes and nature of things

Question 105

mete

Answer 105

(archaic) measure to give out by measure; dole (oft. used with out) boundary e.g. mete out punishment metes and bounds

Question 106

meteoric

Answer 106

of or relating to a meteor resembling a meteor in speed or in sudden and temporary brilliance of, relating to, or derived from the earth's atmosphere e.g. a meteoric rise to fame meteoric water

Question 107

methodical

Answer 107

arranged, characterized by, or performed with method or order habitually proceeding according method; systematic e.g. Their methodical review of the evidence exposed some problems with the study's findings. She's a slow and methodical worker, and her drawings reflect the extra care she takes.

Question 108

metrical

Answer 108

of, relating to, or arranged in a rhythmic pattern of beats e.g. The metrical chugging of the machinery had a hypnotic effect.

Question 109

metropolis

Answer 109

a very large or important city e.g. a big, teeming metropolis where ambitious people from all over come to make their mark