Eccentric - Formidable

Question 1

Eccentric

Answer 1

Adj. departing from convention. n. one who deviates from the norm; ex) Mary’s style, considered to be very __________ when she was young, led her to become one of the most popular fashion designers of all time.

Question 2

Eclectic

Answer 2

Combining elements from many different sources or styles; ex) Jenny’s __________ taste in movies ranged from musicals to comedies, dramas to action films.

Question 3

Effrontery

Answer 3

Rude and presumptuous behavior; ex) The general was unaware that his imperialist __________ was only breeding contempt among the colonists.

Question 4

Egregious

Answer 4

Noticeably bad or offensive; ex) William committed an __________ error when he failed to mention his wife during his acceptance speech.

Question 5

Eloquent

Answer 5

Very clear and precise; quality of being skilled in clear and precise speech; ex) Julie’s valedictorian speech was quite __________; she clearly articulated her hopes and dreams for a prosperous future.

Question 6

Elucidate

Answer 6

To clarify; ex) Recent efforts to __________ the text on certain ancient scrolls have yielded curious new perspectives on the political history of Babylon.

Question 7

Emancipation

Answer 7

The act of freeing or liberating; ex) Minor children may petition a court for __________ from their parents if they provide evidence of alternate housing and income.

Question 8

Emollient

Answer 8

Adj. softening or soothing. n. a softening agent; ex) Sarah rubbed an __________ over her dry, peeling, sunburned skin.

Question 9

Empirical

Answer 9

Based on or provable by observation and experiment; ex) The hypothesis had to be backed up by __________ evidence in order to be considered credible.

Question 10

Emulate

Answer 10

To follow an admirable example; imitate; ex) As she entered law school, she hoped to __________ the success of her sister, who was already a prominent partner in a law firm.

Question 11

Endorse

Answer 11

To support or sign; ex) The sports superstar was paid more than $10 million to __________ the new athletic shoe.

Question 12

Engender

Answer 12

To give rise to; originate; ex) Professor Evan’s good nature __________ed a positive attitude among his students.

Question 13

Enigmatic

Answer 13

Unexplainable, puzzling; ex) The Mona Lisa’s __________ smile is legendary.

Question 14

Entity

Answer 14

A discrete unit or being; ex) Though the corporations worked in conjunction with each other, they each remained a separate legal __________.

Question 15

Enumerate

Answer 15

To state things in a list; ex) At his performance review, the employee listened to his boss __________ several ways he could improve his performance in the workplace.

Question 16

Ephemeral

Answer 16

Temporary, fleeting; ex) Considered a “one-hit wonder,” the pop star enjoyed only __________ fame.

Question 17

Equivocal

Answer 17

Uncertain or ambiguous; ex) Many lengthy court battles could be avoided if the legislature took more care to avoid __________ language in the criminal statutes.

Question 18

Erudite

Answer 18

Learned; having great knowledge; ex) After earning three doctoral degrees, Dr. Kidman was considered one of the most __________ professors on campus.

Question 19

Esoteric

Answer 19

Understood by few people; mysterious; ex) Most of the subject matter in the novel is quite __________; the author is forced to overwhelm the reader with too much background information.

Question 20

Espouse

Answer 20

To choose to follow or support something; ex) Abraham Lincoln was famous for his refusal to __________ slavery in the North.

Question 21

Estimable

Answer 21

Admirable; deserving of esteem; ex) His first attempt at writing a novel was __________; nearly 1 million copies of the book were sold.

Question 22

Ethical

Answer 22

In line with the principles of right and wrong; ex) Only the most __________ people would return money from a wallet they find in the street.

Question 23

Euphemism

Answer 23

An inoffensive expression substituted for one that is deemed offensive; ex) The word borrowing is sometimes used as a __________ for stealing.

Question 24

Exacerbate

Answer 24

To intensify bitterness or violence; ex) The terrorist attacks __________ed the already strained relations between the two countries.

Question 25

Exceptional

Answer 25

Having uncommonly great qualities; ex) Kevin was an __________ basketball player, and received many offers to play at the collegiate level.

Question 26

Excoriate

Answer 26

To denounce; to chafe; ex) The film critics __________ed the film that was supposed to be that year’s biggest blockbuster, emphasizing how overrated it was.

Question 27

Exculpate

Answer 27

To remove blame; acquit; ex) The defendant was __________ed of the homicide charges when new evidence was found at the crime scene.

Question 28

Exhort

Answer 28

To urge or try to persuade ex) After graduating from college, Diana __________ed her parents to lend her the money to start her own business.

Question 29

Exigent

Answer 29

Demanding immediate attention; urgent; ex) In the __________ circumstances of the coup d’etat, thousands of troops were dispatched to the capital city.

Question 30

Explicate

Answer 30

To explain or make comprehensible; ex) The graduate student was unable to successfully __________ his thesis; therefore, he did not earn his degree.

Question 31

Expunge

Answer 31

To get rid of or erase; ex) The speeding infraction would be __________ed from John’s driving record after he paid a $600 fine and kept a clean record for one year.

Question 32

Extant

Answer 32

Currently existing; ex) There are few __________ copies of the Gutenberg Bible, four of which are in New York City.

Question 33

Extenuating

Answer 33

Partially justifiable ex) __________ circumstances surrounding the motive for the assault meant Sean would serve less jail time.

Question 34

Extol

Answer 34

To praise or glorify; ex) Ever the proud mother, Anna will __________ her child’s accomplishments to no end.

Question 35

Extrovert

Answer 35

A person characterized by concern with things outside of himself or herself; an outgoing or gregarious person;

ex) In order to be successful as a salesperson, you must be somewhat of an __________.

Question 36

Extricate

Answer 36

To free or disentangle; ex) It took rescue crews several hours to safely __________ all of the passengers from the plane that had crashed earlier in the day.

Question 37

Exultant

Answer 37

Gleeful because of success; ex) The __________ crowd cheered the soccer team on to victory in the World Cup.

Question 38

Fallacy

Answer 38

An error in reasoning; ex) It is a common __________ that first-year law students spend every waking moment studying.

Question 39

Familial

Answer 39

Relating to the family; ex) Her __________ ties kept her from moving too far away from the town in which she grew up.

Question 40

Fathom

Answer 40

V: to come to understand the meaning of something. N: a measure of distance equal to six feet; ex) The complexity of the situation made it difficult to __________ a simple outcome.

Question 41

Fatuous

Answer 41

Foolish or delusive; smug; ex) We ignored Brendan’s __________ remarks about politics; he spoke strictly from opinion with no regard for the facts.

Question 42

Feckless

Answer 42

Lacking in purpose; careless; ex) Because more than half of the legislators are not running for reelection this fall, pundits predict another __________ session of the State House.

Question 43

Feign

Answer 43

To fabricate or deceive; ex) She __________ed astonishment when she walked into her surprise party; her best friend had previously told her about the event.

Question 44

Feint

Answer 44

N: a deceptive, diversionary action. V: to make a deceptive show of; ex) The robbers used some smoke bombs in the parking lot as a __________ while they discreetly took money from the cash drawers.

Question 45

Fidelity

Answer 45

Faithfulness or allegiance; often used to denote faithfulness in a romantic relationship, or faithfulness to a particular religion; ex) I admire dogs for their unshakeable __________ to their owners.

Question 46

Florid

Answer 46

Flushed with color; ornate; ex) The stark realism of neoclassicism in painting replaced the __________ idealism of the Rococo period.

Question 47

Foil

Answer 47

To keep from being successful; ex) Her plans were often __________ed by her failure to plan ahead.

Question 48

Foment

Answer 48

To incite or agitate; ex) Ryan tried to hold his tongue; he knew that one of his sarcastic remarks would __________ a fight that he didn’t want to start.

Question 49

Forage

Answer 49

To search for food or provisions; ex) During the cold winter months, many wild animals are forced to __________ for scarce food.

Question 50

Formidable

Answer 50

Capable of arousing fear or awe; ex) The current championship team was a __________ opponent for the yet unranked team.