Common Words 1

Question 0

galvanize

Answer 0

galvanize

verb: to excite or inspire (someone) to action

At mile 23 of his first marathon, Kyle had all but given up, until he noticed his friends and family holding a banner that read, “Go Kyle”; galvanized, he broke into a gallop, finishing the last three miles in less than 20 minutes.

Question 1

parochial

Answer 1

parochial

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.”

Question 2

impertinent

Answer 2

adjective: being disrespectful; improperly forward or bold

Dexter, distraught over losing his pet dachshund, Madeline, found the police officer’s questions impertinent—after all, he thought, did she have to pry into such details as to what Madeline’s favorite snack was?

Question 3

auspicious

Answer 3

adjective: favorable, the opposite of sinister

Despite an auspicious beginning, Mike’s road trip became a series of mishaps, and he was soon stranded and penniless, leaning against his wrecked automobile.

Question 4

venality

Answer 4

noun: the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption

Even some of the most sacred sporting events are not immune to venality, as many of the officials have received substantial bribes to make biased calls.

Question 5

profligate

Answer 5

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 6

belie

Answer 6

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 7

egregious

Answer 7

adjective: standing out in negative way; shockingly bad

The dictator’s abuse of human rights was so egregious that many world leaders demanded that he be tried in an international court for genocide.

Question 8

disinterested

Answer 8

adjective: unbiased; neutral

The potential juror knew the defendant, and therefore could not serve on the jury, which must consist only of disinterested members.

Question 9

upbraid

Answer 9

verb: to reproach; to scold

Bob took a risk walking into the “Students Barbershop”—in the end he had to upbraid the apparently drunk barber for giving him an uneven bowl cut.

Question 10

laconic

Answer 10

adjective: one who says very few words

While Martha always swooned over the hunky, laconic types in romantic comedies, her boyfriends inevitably were very talkative—and not very hunky.

Question 11

prevaricate

Answer 11

verb: to speak in an evasive way

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

Question 12

wanting

Answer 12

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 13

iconoclast

Answer 13

noun: somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions

Lady Gaga, in challenging what it means to be clothed, is an iconoclast for wearing a “meat dress” to a prominent awards show.

Question 14

prodigal

Answer 14

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 15

commensurate

Answer 15

adjective: to be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount

The convicted felon’s life sentence was commensurate to the heinousness of his crime.

Question 16

censure

Answer 16

verb: to express strong disapproval

After being caught in bed with a mistress, the mayor was quickly censured by the city council.

Question 17

mercurial

Answer 17

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 18

amalgam

Answer 18

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 19

demur

Answer 19

verb: to object or show reluctance

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

Question 20

intimate

Answer 20

verb: to suggest something subtly

At first Manfred’s teachers intimated to his parents that he was not suited to skip a grade; when his parents protested, teachers explicitly told them that, notwithstanding the boy’s precocity, he was simply too immature to jump to the 6th grade.

Question 21

venerate

Answer 21

verb: to respect deeply

The professor, despite his sleep-inducing lectures, was venerated amongst his colleagues, publishing more papers yearly than all of his peers combined.

Question 22

parochial

Answer 22

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.”

Question 23

mercurial

Answer 23

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 24

amalgam

Answer 24

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 25

demur

Answer 25

verb: to object or show reluctance

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

Question 26

frugal

Answer 26

adjective: not spending much money (but spending wisely)

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

Question 27

extant

Answer 27

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 28

involved

Answer 28

adjective: complicated, and difficult to comprehend

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

Question 29

gregarious

Answer 29

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 30

equivocal

Answer 30

adjective: confusing or ambiguous

The findings of the study were equivocal—the two researchers had different opinions on what the results signified.

Question 31

parsimonious

Answer 31

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 32

gregarious

Answer 32

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 33

anomalous

Answer 33

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 34

castigate

Answer 34

verb: to reprimand harshly

Drill sergeants are known to castigate new recruits so mercilessly that the latter often break down during their first week in training.

Question 35

intimate

Answer 35

verb: to suggest something subtly

At first Manfred’s teachers intimated to his parents that he was not suited to skip a grade; when his parents protested, teachers explicitly told them that, notwithstanding the boy’s precocity, he was simply too immature to jump to the 6th grade.

Question 36

venerate

Answer 36

verb: to respect deeply

The professor, despite his sleep-inducing lectures, was venerated amongst his colleagues, publishing more papers yearly than all of his peers combined.

Question 37

veracious

Answer 37

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.