Deck 7

Question 1

strident (adj)

/ˈstrʌɪd(ə)nt/

Answer 1

1. (Of a sound) loud and harsh; grating

2. Presenting a point of view, especially a controversial one, in an excessively forceful way

Question 2

grating

/ˈɡreɪtɪŋ/

Answer 2

1. (adj) Sounding harsh and unpleasant
   Irritating
2. (n) A framework of parallel or crossed bars, typically preventing access through an opening while permitting communication or ventilation

Question 3

vociferous (adj)

/və(ʊ)ˈsɪf(ə)rəs/

Answer 3

Expressing or characterized by vehement opinions; loud and forceful

Question 4

banality (n)

/bəˈnalɪti/

Answer 4

The fact or condition of being banal; unoriginality

Question 5

condescend (v)

/kɒndɪˈsɛnd/

Answer 5

Show that one feels superior; be patronizing

Do something in such a way as to emphasize that one clearly regards it as below one’s dignity or level of importance

Question 6

gaunt

/ɡɔːnt/

Answer 6

(Of a person) lean and haggard, especially because of suffering, hunger, or age
(Of a building or place) grim or desolate in appearance

Question 7

haggard (adj)

/ˈhaɡəd/

Answer 7

1. Looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering
2. (Of a hawk) caught for training as a wild adult of more than twelve months

Question 8

desolate

/ˈdɛs(ə)lət/

Answer 8

1. (adj) (Of a place) uninhabited and giving an impression of bleak emptiness:
2. (adj) Feeling or showing great unhappiness or loneliness
3. (v) Make (a place) appear bleakly empty
4. (v) Make (someone) feel utterly wretched and unhappy

Question 9

fatigue

/fəˈtiːɡ/

Answer 9

1. (n) Extreme tiredness resulting from mental or physical exertion or illness
   A reduction in the efficiency of a muscle or organ after prolonged activity
   A lessening in one’s response to or enthusiasm for something, caused by overexposure
2. (n) Weakness in metal or other materials caused by repeated variations of stress
3. (n) (fatigues) Menial non-military tasks performed by a soldier, sometimes as a punishment
4. (n) (fatigues) Loose clothing, typically khaki, olive drab, or camouflaged, of a sort worn by soldiers on active duty
5. (v) Cause (someone) to feel exhausted
   Reduce the efficiency of (a muscle or organ) by prolonged activity
   Weaken (a metal or other material) by repeated variations of stress

Question 10

bleak (adj)

/bliːk/

Answer 10

(Of an area of land) lacking vegetation and exposed to the elements
(Of a building or room) charmless and inhospitable; dreary
(Of the weather) cold and miserable
(Of a situation) not hopeful or encouraging; unlikely to have a favourable outcome
(Of a person’s expression) cold and forbidding

Question 11

dreary (adj)

/ˈdrɪəri/

Answer 11

Depressingly dull and bleak or repetitive

Question 12

ramification (n)

/ˌramɪfɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/

Answer 12

A complex or unwelcome consequence of an action or event

A subdivision of a complex structure or process

Question 13

stringent (adj)

/ˈstrɪn(d)ʒ(ə)nt/

Answer 13

(Of regulations, requirements, or conditions) strict, precise, and exacting:

Question 14

volatile (adj)

/ˈvɒlətʌɪl/

Answer 14

1. (Of a substance) easily evaporated at normal temperatures
2. Liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse
   (Of a person) liable to display rapid changes of emotion
3. (Of a computer’s memory) retaining data only as long as there is a power supply connected

Question 15

liable (adj)

/ˈlʌɪəb(ə)l/

Answer 15

1. Responsible by law; legally answerable
   (liable to) Subject by law to
2. Likely to do or to be something
   (liable to) Likely to experience (something undesirable)