#19 categorical ~ charisma

Question 1

categorical

/ˌkætɪˈgɔrɪkəl, -ˈgɒr-/

Answer 1

adj. unconditional; absolute
A categorical denial is one without exceptions - it covers every category.
- Crooked politicians often make categorical denials of various charges against them. Then they go to jail.
- I categorically refuse to do anything whatsoever at any time, in any place, with anyone.

Question 2

catharsis

/kəˈθɑrsɪs/

Answer 2

n. purification that brings emotional relief or renewal
To someone with psychological problems, talking to a psychiatrist can lead to a catharsis. A catharsis is a sometimes traumatic event after which one feels better.
A catharsis is cathartic. Some people find emotional movies cathartic - watching one often allows them to release buried feelings. Cathartic can also be a noun.

Question 3

catholic

/ˈkæθəlɪk, ˈkæθlɪk/

Answer 3

adj. universal; embracing everything
- Da Vinci was a catholic genius who excelled at everything he did.
Catholic with a small c means universal. Catholic with a large C means Roman Catholic or pertaining to an ancient , undivided Christian church.

Question 4

caustic

/ˈkɔstɪk/

Answer 4

adj. like acid; corrosive
Paint remover is a caustic substance; if you spill it on your skin, your skin will burn.
- The caustic detergent ate right through Henry’s laundry.
- The teacher’s caustic criticism of Sally’s term paper left her in tears.
Caustic can be used figuratively as well. A caustic comment is one that is so nasty or insulting that it seems to sting or burn the person to whom it is directed.

Question 5

celibacy

/ˈsɛləbəsi/

Answer 5

n. abstinence from sex
People who practice celibacy don’t practice sex. Celibacy is one of the requirements for Catholic priesthood.
To practice celibacy is to celibate. You will look a very long time in Hollywood before you find a celibate celebrity.

Question 6

censure

/ˈsɛnʃər/

Answer 6

v. to condemn severely for doing sth. bad
- The Senate sometimes censures senators for breaking laws or engaging in behavior unbecoming to an elected official.
Censure can also be a noun.
- The clumsy physician feared the censure of his fellow doctors, so he stopped treating anything more complicated than the common cold.
A Senate that made a habit of censuring senators might be said to be censorious. To be censorious is to be highly critical - to do a lot of censuring.

Question 7

cerebral

/ˈsɛrɪbrəl, US səˈriːbrəl/

Answer 7

adj. brainy; intellectually refined
Your cerebrum is the biggest part of your brain. To be cerebral is to do and care about things that really smart people do and care about
A cerebral discussion is one that is filled with big words and concerns abstruse matters that ordinary people can’t understand.
- Sebastian was too cerebral to be a baseball announcer; he kept talking about the existentialism of the outfield.

Question 8

chagrin

/ʃəˈgrɪn/

Answer 8

n. humiliation; embarrassed disappointment
- Much to my chagrin, I began to giggle during the eulogy at the funeral.
- Doug was filled with chagrin when he lost the race because he had put his shoes on the wrong feet.
To be chagrined is to feel humiliated or mortified.

Question 9

charisma

/kəˈrɪzmə/

Answer 9

n. a magical-seeming ability to attract followers or inspire loyalty
- The glamorous presidential candidate had a lot of charisma; voters didn’t seem to support him so much as be entranced by him.
- The evangelist’s undeniable charisma enabled him to bring in millions and millions of dollars in donations to his television show.
To have charisma is to be charismatic.