April 29 - Common Words I (part b)

Question 1

mercurial

Answer 1

adjective: (of a person) prone to unexpected and unpredictable changes in mood

The fact that Ella’s moods were as mercurial as the weather was problematic for her relationships—it didn’t help that she lived in Chicago.

Question 2

frugal

Answer 2

adjective: not spending much money (but spending wisely)

Monte was no miser, but was simply frugal, wisely spending the little that he earned.

Question 3

involved

Answer 3

adjective: complicated, and difficult to comprehend

The physics lecture became so involved that the undergraduate’s eyes glazed over.

Question 4

vindicate

Answer 4

verb: to clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof

Even seven Tour de France wins cannot vindicate Lance Armstrong in the eyes of the public–that the athlete used performance enhancing drugs invalidates all those wins.

Question 5

veracious

Answer 5

adjective: truthful

While we elect our leaders in the hope that every word they speak will be veracious, history has shown that such a hope is naive.

Question 6

aberration

Answer 6

noun: a deviation from what is normal or expected

Aberrations in climate have become the norm: rarely a week goes by without some meteorological phenomenon making headlines.

Question 7

extant

Answer 7

adjective: still in existence (usually refers to documents).

Despite many bookstores closing, experts predict that some form of book dealing will still be extant generations from now.

Question 8

ambivalent

Answer 8

adjective: mixed or conflicting emotions about something

Sam was ambivalent about studying for the exam because doing so ate up a lot of his time, yet he was able to improve his analytical skills.

Question 9

prevaricate

Answer 9

verb: to speak in an evasive way

The cynic quipped, “There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to prevaricate”.

Question 10

profligate

Answer 10

adjective: spending resources recklessly or wastefully

The composer Wagner, while living on a limited salary, was so profligate as to line all the walls of his apartment with pure silk.

noun: someone who spends resources recklessly or wastefully

Most lottery winners go from being conservative, frugal types to outright profligates who blow millions on fast cars, lavish homes, and giant yachts.

Question 11

undermine

Answer 11

verb: to weaken (usually paired with an abstract term)

The student undermined the teacher’s authority by questioning the teacher’s judgment on numerous occasions.

Question 12

anomalous

Answer 12

adjective: not normal

According to those who do not believe in climate change, the extreme weather over the last five years is simply anomalous—daily temperatures should return to their old averages, they believe.

Question 13

betray

Answer 13

verb: to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally

With the gold medal at stake, the gymnast awaited his turn, his quivering lip betraying his intense emotions.

Question 14

wanting

Answer 14

adjective: lacking

She did not think her vocabulary was wanting, yet there were so many words that inevitably she found a few she didn’t know.

Question 15

artful

Answer 15

adjective: exhibiting artistic skill

Picasso is generally considered the most artful member of the Cubist movement.

adjective: clever in a cunning way

Bernie Madoff’s artful Ponzi scheme stole billions of dollars from investors and is considered the largest financial fraud in U.S. history.

Question 16

parsimonious

Answer 16

adjective: extremely frugal; miserly

Katie is so parsimonious that she only buys a pair of socks if all of her other socks have holes in them.

Question 17

amalgam

Answer 17

noun: a mixture of multiple things

The band’s music was an amalgam of hip-hop, flamenco and jazz, blending the three styles with surprising results.

Question 18

demur

Answer 18

verb: to object or show reluctance

Wallace disliked the cold, so he demurred when his friends suggested they go skiing in the Alps.

Question 19

prodigal

Answer 19

adjective: rashly or wastefully extravagant

Successful professional athletes who do not fall prey to prodigality seem to be the exception—most live decadent lives.

Question 20

belie

Answer 20

verb: to give a false representation to; misrepresent

The smile on her face belies the pain she must feel after the death of her husband.

Question 21

chastise

Answer 21

verb: to reprimand harshly

Though chastised for eating the snacks for the party, Lawrence shrugged off his mother’s harsh words, and continued to plow through jars of cookies and boxes of donuts.

Question 22

maintain

Answer 22

verb: to assert

The scientist maintained that the extinction of dinosaurs was most likely brought about by a drastic change in climate.

This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 23

amorphous

Answer 23

adjective: shapeless

His study plan for the GRE was at best amorphous; he would do questions from random pages in any one of seven test prep books.

Question 24

gregarious

Answer 24

adjective: to be likely to socialize with others

Often we think that great leaders are those who are gregarious, always in the middle of a large group of people; yet, as Mahatma Gandhi and many others have shown us, leaders can also be introverted.

Question 25

parochial

Answer 25

adjective: narrowly restricted in scope or outlook

Jasmine was sad to admit it, but her fledgling relationship with Jacob did not work out because his culinary tastes were simply too parochial; “After all,” she quipped on her blog, “he considered Chef Boyardee ethnic food.”

This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study