question

abduct

answer

(v.) to kidnap, take by force (The evildoers abducted the fairy princess from her happy home.)

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banal

answer

(adj.) dull, commonplace (The client rejected our proposal because they found our presentation banal and unimpressive.)

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copious

answer

(adj.) profuse, abundant (Copious amounts of Snapple were imbibed in the cafeteria.)

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encumber

answer

(v.) to weigh down, burden (At the airport, my friend was encumbered by her luggage, so I offered to carry two of her bags.)

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incisive

answer

(adj.) clear, sharp, direct (The discussion wasn't going anywhere until her incisive comment allowed everyone to see what the true issues were.)

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obsequious

answer

(adj.) excessively compliant or submissive (Mark acted like Janet's servant, obeying her every request in an obsequious manner.)

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relish

answer

(v.) to enjoy (Pete always relished his bedtime snack.)

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veracity

answer

(n.) truthfulness, accuracy (With several agencies regulating the reports, it was difficult for Latifah to argue against its veracity.)

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abide

answer

1. (v.) to put up with 2. (v.) to remain (1 - Though he did not agree with the decision, Chuck decided to abide by it.) (2 - Despite the beating they've taken from the weather throughout the millennia, the mountains abide.)

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battery

answer

1. (n.) a device that supplies power 2. (n.) assault, beating (1. Most cars run on a combination of power from a battery and gasoline.) (2. Her husband was accused of assault and battery after he attacked a man on the sidewalk.)

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corroborate

answer

(v.) to support with evidence (Luke's seemingly outrageous claim was corroborated by witnesses.)

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enigmatic

answer

(adj.) mystifying, cryptic (That man wearing the dark suit and dark glasses is so enigmatic that no one even knows his name.)

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increment

answer

(n.) an enlargement; the process of increasing (The workmen made the wall longer, increment by increment.)

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obtuse

answer

(adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect (Political opponents warned that the prime minister's obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war.)

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renown

answer

(n.) honor, acclaim (The young writer earned international renown by winning the Pulitzer Prize.)

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vex

answer

(v.) to confuse or annoy (My little brother vexes me by poking me in the ribs for hours on end.)

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abort

answer

(v.) to give up on a half-finished project or effort (After they ran out of food, the men, attempting to jump rope around the world, had to abort and go home.)

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benign

answer

(adj.) favorable, not threatening, mild (We were all relieved to hear that the medical tests determined her tumor to be benign.)

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coup

answer

1. (n.) a brilliant, unexpected act 2. (n.) the overthrow of a government and assumption of authority (1. Alexander pulled off an amazing coup when he got a date with Cynthia by purposely getting hit by her car.) (2. In their coup attempt, the army officers stormed the Parliament and took all the

question

enthrall

answer

(v.) to charm, hold spellbound (The sailor's stories of fighting off sharks and finding ancient treasures enthralled his young son.)

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indigent

answer

(adj.) very poor, impoverished (I would rather donate money to help the indigent population than to the park sculpture fund.)

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onerous

answer

(adj.) burdensome (My parents lamented that the pleasures of living in a beautiful country estate no longer outweighed the onerous mortgage payments.)

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repose

answer

(v.) to rest, lie down (The cat, after eating an entire can of tuna fish, reposed in the sun and took a long nap.)

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vilify

answer

(v.) to lower in importance, defame (After the Watergate scandal, almost any story written about President Nixon sought to vilify him and criticize his behavior.)

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absolution

answer

(n.) freedom from blame, guilt, sin (Once all the facts were known, the jury gave Angela absolution by giving a verdict of not guilty.)

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beseech

answer

(v.) to beg, plead, implore (The servant beseeched the king for food to feed his starving family.)

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crescendo

answer

(n.) a steady increase in intensity or volume (The crescendo of the brass instruments gave the piece a patriotic feel.)

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equanimity

answer

(n.) composure (Even though he had just been fired, Mr. Simms showed great equanimity by neatly packing up his desk and wishing everyone in the office well.)

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induce

answer

(v.) to bring about, stimulate (Who knew that our decision to boycott school lunch would induce a huge riot?)

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orthodox

answer

(adj.) conventional, conforming to established protocol (The company's profits dwindled because the management pursued orthodox business policies that were incompatible with new industrial trends.)

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reprobate

answer

(adj.) evil, unprincipled (The reprobate criminal sat sneering in the cell.)

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viscous

answer

(adj.) not free flowing, syrupy (The viscous syrup took three minutes to pour out of the bottle.)

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accentuate

answer

(v.) to stress, highlight (Psychologists agree that those people who are happiest accentuate the positive in life.)

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blemish

answer

(n.) an imperfection, flaw (The dealer agreed to lower the price because of the many blemishes on the surface of the wooden furniture.)

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cultivate

answer

(v.) to nurture, improve, refine (At the library, she cultivated her interest in spy novels.)

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esoteric

answer

(adj.) understood by only a select few (Even the most advanced students cannot understand the physicist's esoteric theories.)

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inextricable

answer

(adj.) hopelessly tangled or entangled (Unless I look at the solution manual, I have no way of solving this inextricable problem.)

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ostracism

answer

(n.) exclusion from a group (Beth risked ostracism if her roommates discovered her flatulence.)

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reputable

answer

(adj.) of good reputation (After the most reputable critic in the industry gave the novel a glowing review, sales took off.)

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vocation

answer

(n.) the work in which someone is employed, profession (After growing tired of the superficial world of high-fashion, Edwina decided to devote herself to a new vocation: social work.)

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accommodating

answer

(adj.) helpful, obliging, polite (Though the apartment was not big enough for three people, Arnold, Mark, and Zebulon were all friends and were accommodating to each other.)

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boon

answer

(n.) a gift or blessing (The good weather has been a boon for many businesses located near the beach.)

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cursory

answer

(adj.) brief to the point of being superficial (Late for the meeting, she cast a cursory glance at the agenda.)

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euphoric

answer

(adj.) elated, uplifted (I was euphoric when I found out that my sister had given birth to twins.)

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ingenuous

answer

(adj.) not devious; innocent and candid (He must have writers, but his speeches seem so ingenuous it's hard to believe he's not speaking from his own heart.)

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palliate

answer

(v.) to reduce the severity of (The doctor trusted that the new medication would palliate her patient's discomfort.)

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resilient

answer

(adj.) able to recover from misfortune; able to withstand adversity (The resilient ballplayer quickly recovered from his wrist injury.)

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wanton

answer

(adj.) undisciplined, lewd, lustful (Vicky's wanton demeanor often made the frat guys next door very excited.)

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acerbic

answer

(adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste (Jill became extremely acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends.)

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buffet

answer

1. (v.) to strike with force 2. (n.) an arrangement of food set out on a table (1. The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to capsize them.) (2. Rather than sitting around a table, the guests took food from our buffet and ate standing up.)

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dearth

answer

(n.) a lack, scarcity (An eager reader, she was dismayed by the dearth of classic books at the library.)

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exalt

answer

(v.) to glorify, praise (Michael Jordan is the figure in basketball we exalt the most.)

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injunction

answer

(n.) an order of official warning (After his house was toilet-papered for the fifth time, the mayor issued an injunction against anyone younger than 21 buying toilet paper.)

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paradox

answer

(n.) an apparently contradictory statement that is perhaps true (The diplomat refused to acknowledge the paradox that negotiating a peace treaty would demand more resources than waging war.)

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resplendent

answer

(adj.) shiny, glowing (The partygoers were resplendent in diamonds and fancy dress.)

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wistful

answer

(adj.) full of yearning; musingly sad (Since her pet rabbit died, Edda missed it terribly and sat around wistful all day long.)

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acute

answer

1. (adj.) sharp, severe 2. (adj.) having keen insight (1. Arnold could not walk because the pain in his foot was so acute.) (2. Because she was so acute, Libby instantly figured out how the magician pulled off his "magic.")

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cadence

answer

(n.) a rhythm, progression of sound (The pianist used the foot pedal to emphasize the cadence of the sonata.)

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debunk

answer

(v.) to expose the falseness of something (He debunked her claim to be the world's greatest chess player by defeating her in 18 consecutive matches.)

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excursion

answer

(n.) a trip or outing (After taking an excursion to the Bronx Zoo, I dreamed about pandas and monkeys.)

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innuendo

answer

(n.) an insinuation (During the debate, the politician made several innuendos about the sexual activities of his opponent.)

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parody

answer

(n.) a satirical imitation (A hush fell over the classroom when the teacher returned to find Deborah acting out a parody of his teaching style.)

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revel

answer

(v.) to enjoy intensely (Theodore reveled in his new status as Big Man on Campus.)

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zealous

answer

(adj.) fervent, filled with eagerness in pursuit of something (If he were any more zealous about getting his promotion, he'd practically live at the office.)

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admonish

answer

(v.) to caution, criticize, reprove (Joe's mother admonished him not to ruin his appetite by eating cookies before dinner.)

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callous

answer

(adj.) harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderer's callous lack of remorse shocked the jury.)

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defamatory

answer

(adj.) harmful toward another's reputation (The defamatory gossip spreading about the actor made the public less willing to see the actor's new movie.)

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exonerate

answer

(v.) to free from guilt or blame, exculpate (The true thief's confession exonerated the man who had been held in custody for the crime.)

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insidious

answer

(adj.) appealing but imperceptibly harmful, seductive (Lisa's insidious chocolate cake tastes so good but makes you feel so sick later on!)

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pathology

answer

(n.) a deviation from the normal (Dr. Hastings had difficulty identifying the precise nature of Brian's pathology.)

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ribald

answer

(adj.) coarsely, crudely humorous (While some giggled at the ribald joke involving a parson's daughter, most sighed and rolled their eyes.)

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adumbrate

answer

(v.) to sketch out in a vague way (The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do.)

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canny

answer

(adj.) shrewd, careful (The canny runner hung at the back of the pack through much of the race to watch the other runners, and then sprinted past them at the end.)

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deft

answer

(adj.) skillful, capable (Having worked in a bakery for many years, Marcus was a deft bread maker.)

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expunge

answer

(v.) to obliterate, eradicate (Fearful of an IRS investigation, Paul tried to expunge all incriminating evidence from his tax files.)

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instigate

answer

(v.) to urge, goad (The demagogue instigated the crowd into a fury by telling them that they had been cheated by the federal government.)

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pellucid

answer

(adj.) easily intelligible, clear (Wishing his book to be pellucid to the common man, Albert Camus avoided using complicated grammar when composing The Stranger.)

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saccharine

answer

(adj.) sickeningly sweet (Tom's saccharine manner, although intended to make him popular, actually repelled his classmates.)

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aesthetic

answer

(adj.) artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty (We hired Susan as our interior decorator because she has such a fine aesthetic sense.)

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capricious

answer

(adj.) subject to whim, fickle (The young girl's capricious tendencies made it difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals.)

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deliberate

answer

(adj.) intentional, reflecting careful consideration (Though Mary was quite upset, her actions to resolve the dispute were deliberate.)

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extraneous

answer

(adj.) irrelevant, extra, not necessary (Personal political ambitions should always remain extraneous to legislative policy, but, unfortunately, they rarely are.)

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interject

answer

(v.) to insert between other things (During our conversation, the cab driver occasionally interjected his opinion.)

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penurious

answer

(adj.) miserly, stingy (Stella complained that her husband's penurious ways made it impossible to live the lifestyle she felt she deserved.)

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salutation

answer

(n.) a greeting (Andrew regularly began letters with the bizarre salutation "Ahoy ahoy.")

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affront

answer

(n.) an insult (Bernardo was very touchy, and took any slight as an affront to his honor.)

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catalog

answer

1. (v.) to list, enter into a list 2. (n.) a list or collection (1. The judge cataloged the victim's injuries before calculating how much money he would award.) (2. We received a catalog from J. Crew that displayed all of their new items.)

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demean

answer

(v.) to lower the status or stature of something (She refused to demean her secretary by making him order her lunch.)

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façade

answer

1. (n.) the wall of a building 2. (n.) a deceptive appearance or attitude (1. Meet me in front of the museum's main façade.) (2. Despite my smiling façade, I am feeling melancholy.)

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intractable

answer

(adj.) difficult to manipulate, unmanageable (There was no end in sight to the intractable conflict between the warring countries.)

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pernicious

answer

(adj.) extremely destructive or harmful (The new government feared that the Communist sympathizers would have a pernicious influence on the nation's stability.)

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satiate

answer

(v.) to satisfy excessively (Satiated after eating far too much turkey and stuffing, Liza lay on the couch watching football and suffering from stomach pains.)

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agile

answer

(adj.) quick, nimble (The dogs were too slow to catch the agile rabbit.)

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cavort

answer

(v.) to leap about, behave boisterously (The adults ate their dinners on the patio, while the children cavorted around the pool.)

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deplore

answer

(v.) to feel or express sorrow, disapproval (We all deplored the miserable working conditions in the factory.)

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fathom

answer

(v.) to understand, comprehend (I cannot fathom why you like that crabby and mean-spirited neighbor of ours.)

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inure

answer

(v.) to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation (Twenty years in the salt mines inured the man to the discomforts of dirt and grime.)

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pertinacious

answer

(adj.) stubbornly persistent (Harry's parents were frustrated with his pertinacious insistence that a monster lived in his closet. Then they opened the closet door and were eaten.)

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scurrilous

answer

(adj.) vulgar, coarse (When Bruno heard the scurrilous accusation being made about him, he could not believe it because he always tried to be nice to everyone.)

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alacrity

answer

(n.) eagerness, speed (For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother whenever he could, so when his mother asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.)

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chastise

answer

(v.) to criticize severely (After being chastised by her peers for mimicking Britney Spears, Miranda dyed her hair black and affected a Gothic style.)

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deride

answer

(v.) to laugh at mockingly, scorn (The bullies derided the foreign student's accent.)

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feral

answer

(adj.) wild, savage (That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it.)

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irascible

answer

(adj.) easily angered (At the smallest provocation, my irascible cat will begin scratching and clawing.)

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philanthropic

answer

(adj.) charitable, giving (Many people felt that the billionaire's decision to donate her fortune to house the homeless was the ultimate philanthropic act.)

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sensual

answer

(adj.) involving sensory gratification, usually related to sex (With a coy smile, the guest on the blind-date show announced that he considered himself a very sensual person.)

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alleviate

answer

(v.) to relieve, make more bearable (This drug will alleviate the symptoms of the terrible disease, but only for a while.)

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chronicle

answer

1. (n.) a written history 2. (v.) to write a history (1. The library featured the newly updated chronicle of World War II.) (2. Albert's diary chronicled the day-to-day growth of his obsession with Cynthia.)

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desolate

answer

(adj.) deserted, dreary, lifeless (She found the desolate landscape quite a contrast to the hustle and bustle of the overcrowded city.)

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fickle

answer

(adj.) shifting in character, inconstant (In Greek dramas, the fickle gods help Achilles one day, and then harm him the next.)

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jubilant

answer

(adj.) extremely joyful, happy (The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried the woman from the flaming building.)

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pithy

answer

(adj.) concisely meaningful (My father's long-winded explanation was a stark contrast to his usually pithy statements.)

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servile

answer

(adj.) subservient (The servile porter crept around the hotel lobby, bowing and quaking before the guests.)

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amalgamate

answer

(v.) to bring together, unite (Because of his great charisma, the presidential candidate was able to amalgamate all democrats and republicans under his banner.)

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circumscribed

answer

(adj.) marked off, bounded (The children were permitted to play tag only within a carefully circumscribed area of the lawn.)

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deter

answer

(v.) to discourage, prevent from doing (Bob's description of scary snakes couldn't deter Marcia from traveling in the rainforests.)

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flaccid

answer

(adj.) limp, not firm or strong (If a plant is not watered enough, its leaves become droopy and flaccid.)

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kudos

answer

(n.) praise for an achievement (After the performance, the reviewers gave the opera singer kudos for a job well done.)

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platitude

answer

(n.) an uninspired remark, cliché (After reading over her paper, Helene concluded that what she thought were profound insights were actually just platitudes.)

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solipsistic

answer

(adj.) believing that oneself is all that exists (Colette's solipsistic attitude completely ignored the plight of the homeless people on the street.)

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amenable

answer

(adj.) willing, compliant (Our father was amenable when we asked him to drive us to the farm so we could go apple picking.)

question

clamor

answer

1. (n.) loud noise 2. (v.) to loudly insist (1. Each morning the birds outside my window make such a clamor that they wake me up.) (2. Neville's fans clamored for him to appear on stage, but he had passed out on the floor of his dressing room.)

question

didactic

answer

1. (adj.) intended to instruct 2. (adj.) overly moralistic (1. She wrote up a didactic document showing new employees how to handle the company's customers.) (2. His didactic style of teaching made it seem like he wanted to persuade his students not to understand history fully, but to understand it from only one point of view.)

question

foil

answer

(v.) to thwart, frustrate, defeat (Inspector Wilkens foiled the thieves by locking them in the bank along with their stolen money.)

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larceny

answer

(n.) obtaining another's property by theft or trickery (When my car was not where I had left it, I realized that I was a victim of larceny.)

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plethora

answer

(n.) an abundance, excess (The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled almost three feet high.)

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sophomoric

answer

(adj.) immature, uninformed (The mature senior rolled her eyes at the sophomoric gross-out humor of the underclassman.)

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amorous

answer

(adj.) showing love, particularly sexual (Whenever Albert saw Mariah wear her slinky red dress, he began to feel quite amorous.)

question

clergy

answer

(n.) members of Christian holy orders (Though the villagers viewed the church rectory as quaint and charming, the clergy who lived there regarded it as a mildewy and dusty place that aggravated their allergies.)

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diligent

answer

(adj.) showing care in doing one's work (The diligent researcher made sure to check her measurements multiple times.)

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forlorn

answer

(adj.) lonely, abandoned, hopeless (Even though I had the flu, my family decided to go skiing for the weekend and leave me home alone, feeling feverish and forlorn.)

question

lavish

answer

1. (adj.) given without limits 2. (v.) to give without limits (1. Because they had worked very hard, the performers appreciated the critic's lavish praise.) (2. Because the performers had worked hard, they deserved the praise that the critic lavished on them.)

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portent

answer

(n.) an omen (When a black cat crossed my sister's path while she was walking to school, she took it as a portent that she would do badly on her spelling test.)

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stagnate

answer

(v.) to become or remain inactive, not develop, not flow (With no room for advancement, the waiter's career stagnated.)

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analogous

answer

(adj.) similar to, so that an analogy can be drawn (Though they are unrelated genetically, the bone structure of whales and fish is quite analogous.)

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cobbler

answer

(n.) a person who makes or repairs shoes (I had my neighborhood cobbler replace my worn-out leather soles with new ones.)

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disavow

answer

(v.) to deny knowledge of or responsibility for (Not wanting others to criticize her, she disavowed any involvement in the company's hiring scandal.)

question

forum

answer

(n.) a medium for lecture or discussion (Some radio talk-shows provide a good forum for political debate.)

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liability

answer

1. (n.) something for which one is legally responsible, usually involving a disadvantage or risk 2. (n.) a handicap, burden (1. The bungee-jumping tower was a great liability for the owners of the carnival.) (2. Because she often lost her concentration and didn't play defense, Marcy was a liability to the team.)

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precipice

answer

(n.) the face of a cliff, a steep or overhanging place (The mountain climber hung from a precipice before finding a handhold and pulling himself up.)

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stolid

answer

(adj.) expressing little sensibility, unemotional (Charles's stolid reaction to his wife's funeral differed from the passion he showed at the time of her death.)

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anesthesia

answer

(n.) loss of sensation (When the nerves in his spine were damaged, Mr. Hollins suffered anesthesia in his legs.)

question

coherent

answer

(adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (Renee could not figure out what Monroe had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)

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discordant

answer

(adj.) not agreeing, not in harmony with (The girls' sobs were a discordant sound amid the general laughter that filled the restaurant.)

question

frenetic

answer

(adj.) frenzied, hectic, frantic (In the hours between night and morning, the frenetic pace of city life slows to a lull.)

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linchpin

answer

(n.) something that holds separate parts together (The linchpin in the prosecution's case was the hair from the defendant's head, which was found at the scene of the crime.)

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preponderance

answer

(adj.) superiority in importance or quantity (Britain's preponderance of naval might secured the nation's role as a military power.)

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subjugate

answer

(v.) to bring under control, subdue (The invading force captured and subjugated the natives of that place.)

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annul

answer

(v.) to make void or invalid (After seeing its unforeseen and catastrophic effects, Congress sought to annul the law.)

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colossus

answer

(n.) a gigantic statue or thing (For 56 years, the ancient city of Rhodes featured a colossus standing astride its harbor.)

question

disdain

answer

1. (v.) to scorn, hold in low esteem 2. (n.) scorn, low esteem (1. Insecure about their jobs, the older employees disdained the recently hired ones, who were young and capable.) (2. After learning of his immoral actions, Justine held Lawrence in disdain.)

question

garish

answer

(adj.) gaudy, in bad taste (Mrs. Watson has poor taste and covers every object in her house with a garish gold lamé.)

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luminous

answer

(adj.) brightly shining (The light of the luminous moon graced the shoulders of the beautiful maiden.)

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prescribe

answer

(v.) to lay down a rule (The duke prescribed that from this point further all of the peasants living on his lands would have to pay higher taxes.)

question

superfluous

answer

(adj.) exceeding what is necessary (Tracy had already won the campaign so her constant flattery of others was superfluous.)

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antecedent

answer

(n.) something that came before (The great tradition of Western culture had its antecedent in the culture of Ancient Greece.)

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commodious

answer

(adj.) roomy (Holden invited the three women to join him in the back seat of the taxicab, assuring them that the car was quite commodious.)

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disparate

answer

(adj.) sharply differing, containing sharply contrasting elements (Having widely varying interests, the students had disparate responses toward the novel.)

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goad

answer

(v.) to urge, spur, incite to action (Jim may think he's not going to fight Billy, but Billy will goad Jim on with insults until he throws a punch.)

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malediction

answer

(n.) a curse (When I was arrested for speeding, I screamed maledictions against the policeman and the entire police department.)

question

privation

answer

(n.) lacking basic necessities (After decades of rule by an oppressive government that saw nothing wrong with stealing from its citizens, the recent drought only increased the people's privation.)

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surrogate

answer

(n.) one acting in place of another (The surrogate carried the child to term for its biological parents.)

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antiquated

answer

(adj.) old, out of date (That antiquated car has none of the features, like power windows and steering, that make modern cars so great.)

question

complement

answer

(v.) to complete, make perfect (Ann's scarf complements her blouse beautifully, making her seem fully dressed even though she isn't wearing a coat.)

question

disrepute

answer

(n.) a state of being held in low regard (The officer fell into disrepute after it was learned that he had disobeyed the orders he had given to his own soldiers.)

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gratuitous

answer

(adj.) uncalled for, unwarranted (Every morning the guy at the donut shop gives me a gratuitous helping of ketchup packets.)

question

manifest

answer

1. (adj.) easily understandable, obvious 2. (v.) to show plainly (1. When I wrote the wrong sum on the chalkboard, my mistake was so manifest that the entire class burst into laughter.) (2. His illness first manifested itself with particularly violent hiccups.)

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profane

answer

(adj.) lewd, indecent (Jacob's profane act of dumping frogs in the holy water in the chapel at his boarding school resulted in his dismissal.)

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taciturn

answer

(adj.) not inclined to talk (Though Jane never seems to stop talking, her brother is quite taciturn.)

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apathetic

answer

(adj.) lacking concern, emotion (Uninterested in politics, Bruno was apathetic about whether he lived under a capitalist or communist regime.)

question

compound

answer

1. (v.) to combine parts 2. (n.) a combination of different parts 3. (n.) a walled area containing a group of buildings (1. The problem was compounded by the crowds.) (2. Donna is a compound of intellect and physical beauty.) (3. Joe rushed into the compound when the fighting began.)

question

dissipate

answer

1. (v.) to disappear, cause to disappear 2. (v.) to waste (1. The sun finally came out and dissipated the haze.) (2. She dissipated her fortune on a series of bad investments.)

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hackneyed

answer

(adj.) unoriginal, trite (A girl can only hear "I love you" so many times before it begins to sound hackneyed and meaningless.)

question

mawkish

answer

(adj.) characterized by sick sentimentality (Although some nineteenth- century critics viewed Dickens's writing as mawkish, contemporary readers have found great emotional depth in his works.)

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propagate

answer

(v.) to multiply, spread out (Rumors of Paul McCartney's demise propagated like wildfire throughout the world.)

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temerity

answer

(n.) audacity, recklessness (Tom and Huck entered the scary cave armed with nothing but their own temerity.)

question

appraise

answer

(v.) to assess the worth or value of (A realtor will come over tonight to appraise our house.)

question

concede

answer

(v.) to accept as valid (Andrew had to concede that what his mother said about Diana made sense.)

question

dither

answer

(v.) to be indecisive (Not wanting to offend either friend, he dithered about which of the two birthday parties he should attend.)

question

hardy

answer

(adj.) robust, capable of surviving through adverse conditions (I too would have expected the plants to be dead by mid-November, but apparently they're very hardy.)

question

mendacious

answer

(adj.) having a lying, false character (The mendacious content of the tabloid magazines is at least entertaining.)

question

prosaic

answer

(adj.) plain, lacking liveliness (Heather's prosaic recital of the poem bored the audience.)

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terrestrial

answer

(adj.) relating to the land (Elephants are terrestrial animals.)

question

aquatic

answer

(adj.) relating to water (The marine biologist studies starfish and other aquatic creatures.)

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concomitant

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(adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion (His dislike of hard work carried with it a concomitant lack of funds.)

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docile

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(adj.) easily taught or trained (She successfully taught the docile puppy several tricks.)

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hegemony

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(n.) domination over others (Britain's hegemony over its colonies was threatened once nationalist sentiment began to spread around the world.)

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meticulous

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(adj.) extremely careful with details (The ornate needlework in the bride's gown was a product of meticulous handiwork.)

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prudence

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(n.) cautious, circumspect (After losing a fortune in a stock market crash, my father vowed to practice greater prudence in future investments.)

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tome

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(n.) a large book (In college, I used to carry around an anatomy book that was the heaviest tome in my bag.)

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arbitration

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(n.) the process or act of resolving a dispute (The employee sought official arbitration when he could not resolve a disagreement with his supervisor.)

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conduit

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(n.) a pipe or channel through which something passes (The water flowed through the conduit into the container.)

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duplicity

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(n.) crafty dishonesty (His duplicity involved convincing his employees to let him lower their salaries and increase their stock options, and then to steal the money he saved and run the company into the ground.)

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hierarchy

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(n.) a system with ranked groups, usually according to social, economic, or professional class (Women found it very difficult to break into the upper ranks of the department's hierarchy.)

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modulate

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(v.) to pass from one state to another, especially in music (The composer wrote a piece that modulated between minor and major keys.)

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pulchritude

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(n.) physical beauty (Several of Shakespeare's sonnets explore the pulchritude of a lovely young man.)

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tractable

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(adj.) easily controlled (The horse was so tractable, Myra didn't even need a bridle.)

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archetypal

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(adj.) the most representative or typical example of something (Some believe George Washington, with his flowing white hair and commanding stature, was the archetypal politician.)

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confluence

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(n.) a gathering together (A confluence of different factors made tonight the perfect night.)

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eclectic

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(adj.) consisting of a diverse variety of elements (That bar attracts an eclectic crowd: lawyers, artists, circus clowns, and investment bankers.)

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idiosyncratic

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(adj.) peculiar to one person; highly individualized (I know you had trouble with the last test, but because your mistakes were highly idiosyncratic, I'm going to deny your request that the class be given a new test.)

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morose

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(adj.) gloomy or sullen (Jason's morose nature made him very unpleasant to talk to.)

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putrid

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(adj.) rotten, foul (Those rotten eggs smell putrid.)

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transmute

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(v.) to change or alter in form (Ancient alchemists believed that it was possible to transmute lead into gold.)

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artifact

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(n.) a remaining piece from an extinct culture or place (The scientists spent all day searching the cave for artifacts from the ancient Mayan civilization.)

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congenial

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(adj.) pleasantly agreeable (His congenial manner made him popular wherever he went.)

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effervescent

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(adj.) bubbly, lively (My friend is so effervescent that she makes everyone smile.)

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immerse

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(v.) to absorb, deeply involve, engross (After breaking up with her boyfriend, Nancy decided to immerse herself in her work in order to avoid crying.)

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mutable

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(adj.) able to change (Because fashion is so mutable, what is trendy today will look outdated in five years.)

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quell

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(v.) to control or diffuse a potentially explosive situation (The skilled leader deftly quelled the rebellion.)

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trepidation

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(n.) fear, apprehension (Feeling great trepidation, Anya refused to jump into the pool because she thought she saw a shark in it.)

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ascribe

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(v.) to assign, credit, attribute to (Some ascribe the invention of fireworks and dynamite to the Chinese.)

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consecrate

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(v.) to dedicate something to a holy purpose (Arvin consecrated his spare bedroom as a shrine to Christina.)

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egregious

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(adj.) extremely bad (The student who threw sloppy joes across the cafeteria was punished for his egregious behavior.)

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impecunious

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(adj.) poor ("I fear he's too impecunious to take me out tonight," the bratty girl whined.)

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nebulous

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(adj.) vaguely defined, cloudy (The transition between governments meant that who was actually in charge was a nebulous matter.)

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rail

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(v.) to scold, protest (The professor railed against the injustice of the college's tenure policy.)

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turgid

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(adj.) swollen, excessively embellished in style or language (The haughty writer did not realize how we all really felt about his turgid prose.)

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assess

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(v.) to evaluate (A crew arrived to assess the damage after the crash.)

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consonant

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(adj.) in harmony (The singers' consonant voices were beautiful.)

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elicit

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(v.) to bring forth, draw out, evoke (Although I asked several times where the exit was, I elicited no response from the stone-faced policeman.)

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impervious

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(adj.) impenetrable, incapable of being affected (Because of their thick layer of fur, many seals are almost impervious to the cold.)

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nocturnal

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(adj.) relating to or occurring during the night (Jackie was a nocturnal person; she would study until dawn and sleep until the evening.)

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rash

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(adj.) hasty, incautious (It's best to think things over calmly and thoroughly, rather than make rash decisions.)

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uncanny

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(adj.) of supernatural character or origin (Luka had an uncanny ability to know exactly what other people were thinking. She also had an uncanny ability to shoot fireballs from her hands.)

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asylum

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1. (n.) a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary 2. (n.) an institution in which the insane are kept (1. For Thoreau, the forest served as an asylum from the pressures of urban life.) (2. Once diagnosed by a certified psychiatrist, the man was put in an asylum.)

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consummate

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(v.) to complete a deal; to complete a marriage ceremony through sexual intercourse (Erica and Donald consummated their agreement in the executive boardroom.)

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emaciated

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(adj.) very thin, enfeebled looking (My sister eats a lot of pastries and chocolate but still looks emaciated.)

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implement

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1. (n.) an instrument, utensil, tool 2. (v.) to put into effect, to institute (1. Do you have a knife or some other sort of implement that I could use to pry the lid off of this jar?) (2. After the first town curfew failed to stop the graffiti problem, the mayor implemented a new policy to use security cameras to catch perpetrators in the act.)

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nonchalant

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(adj.) having a lack of concern, indifference (Although deep down she was very angry, Marsha acted in a nonchalant manner when she found out that her best friend had used her clothing without asking.)

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recalcitrant

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(adj.) defiant, unapologetic (Even when scolded, the recalcitrant young girl simply stomped her foot and refused to finish her lima beans.)

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usurp

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(v.) to seize by force, take possession of without right (The rogue army general tried to usurp control of the government, but he failed because most of the army backed the legally elected president.)

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attribute

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1. (v.) to credit, assign (He attributes all of his success to his mother's undying encouragement.) 2. (n.) a facet or trait (Among the beetle's most peculiar attributes is its thorny protruding eyes.)

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contravene

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(v.) to contradict, oppose, violate (Edwidge contravened his landlady's rule against overnight guests.)

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eminent

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1. (adj.) distinguished, prominent, famous (Mr. Phillips is such an eminent scholar that every professor on campus has come to hear him lecture.) 2. (adj.) conspicuous (There is an eminent stain on that shirt.)

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impudent

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(adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent (The impudent young man looked the princess up and down and told her she was hot even though she hadn't asked him.)

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noxious

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(adj.) harmful, unwholesome (Environmentalists showed that the noxious weeds were destroying the insects' natural habitats.)

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reconcile

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1. (v.) to return to harmony 2. (v.) to make consistent with existing ideas (1. The feuding neighbors finally reconciled when one brought the other a delicious tuna noodle casserole.) (2. Alou had to reconcile his skepticism about the existence of aliens with the fact that he was looking at a flying saucer.)

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vacuous

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(adj.) lack of content or ideas, stupid (Beyonce realized that the lyrics she had just penned were completely vacuous and tried to add more substance.)

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augment

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(v.) to add to, expand (The eager student seeks to augment his knowledge of French vocabulary by reading French literature.)

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convene

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(v.) to call together (Jason convened his entire extended family for a discussion.)

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empirical

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1. (adj.) based on observation or experience 2. (adj.) capable of being proved or disproved by experiment (1. The scientist gathered empirical data on the growth rate of dandelions by studying the dandelions behind his house.) (2. That all cats hate getting wet is an empirical statement: I can test it by bathing my cat, Trinket.)

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incarnate

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1. (adj.) existing in the flesh, embodied 2. (v.) to give human form to (1. In the church pageant, I play the role of greed incarnate.) (2. The alien evaded detection by incarnating himself in a human form.)

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obfuscate

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(v.) to render incomprehensible (The detective did want to answer the newspaperman's questions, so he obfuscated the truth.)

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refurbish

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(v.) to restore, clean up (The dingy old chair, after being refurbished, commanded the handsome price of $200.)

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vehemently

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(adv.) marked by intense force or emotion (The candidate vehemently opposed cutting back on Social Security funding.)

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avenge

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(v.) to seek revenge (The victims will take justice into their own hands and strive to avenge themselves against the men who robbed them.)

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vanquish

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(v.) to conquer or subdue by superior force (The army vanquished the opposition with cunning, strength, and ingenuity.)

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refugee

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(n.) a person who flees for refuge or safety, esp. to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc. (The refugees, driven from their homes by violence, made their way across the desert.)

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haggard

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(adj.) having a gaunt, wasted, or exhausted appearance; wild looking (The haggard old man stumbled out of the alley in his tattered coat and worn-out shoes.)

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sultry

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1. (adj.) oppressively hot; sweltering 2. rousing passion (1. The workers dripped with sweat on the sultry summer day.) (2. The girl's sultry glance made the boy blush.)

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intrinsic

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(adj.) belonging to a thing by its very nature (Jeff thoughtfulness and compassion were intrinsic characteristics; he just always seemed to make the right decisions.)

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fallacy

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(n.) a deceptive, misleading, or false notion or belief (That AIDS could be transmitted through the air was a widely believed fallacy in the 1908s.)

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ideology

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(n.) the body of doctrine, myth, belief, etc., that guides an individual, social movement, institution, class, or large group. (The communist ideology was used by many leaders to gain favor with the working masses.)

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squalid

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(adj.) foul and repulsive, as from lack of care or cleanliness; neglected and filthy. (With dirt and filth in every corner of the fraternity house, the boys' squalid dwelling drew the attention of the university president.)

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eradicate

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(v.) to remove or destroy utterly; extirpate (The bleach eradicated the germs festering in the collar of the dirty shirt.)

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supersede

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(v.) to replace in power, authority, effectiveness, acceptance, use, etc., as by another person or thing (The general's desire to launch an attack was superseded by the President's desire to try diplomacy to resolve the issue,)

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