Frequently Asked Words

Question 1

abase

Answer 1

(v.) - to humiliate ; belittle.

• “i watched my colleagues abasing themselves before the boss.”

Question 2

aberration

Answer 2

(n.) - departure from what is normal ; deviation.

• “he was regarded as an aberration among his peers.”

Question 3

abet

Answer 3

(v.) - assist and encourage someone to do something wrong, esp. a crime.

• “he was guilty of abetting others.”

Question 4

abjure

Answer 4

(v.) - solemnly renounce (a belief/cause/claim).

• “the MPs were encouraged to abjure their allegiance.”

Question 5

ablution

Answer 5

(n.) - the act of washing oneself ; cleansing.

• “the priests performed their ablutions.”

Question 6

abscond

Answer 6

(v.) - leave quickly and secretly, esp. to avoid arrest ; take flight.

• “the butler absconded with the week’s savings.”

Question 7

abstruse

Answer 7

(adj.) difficult to understand ; obscure.

• “an abstruse philosophical theory.”

Question 8

accost

Answer 8

(v.) - to approach someone in an aggressively/boldly.

• “the reporters accosted him.”

Question 9

accredit

Answer 9

(v.) to give official authorization to or approval of ; certify.

• “discovery of distillation is accredited to the arabs.”

Question 10

acquit

Answer 10

(v.) - free someone from criminal charges by a verdict of not guilty.

• “the jury acquitted him on all counts.”

Question 11

acrid

Answer 11

(adj.) unpleasantly bitter or pungent.

• “acrid smoke.”

Question 12

acrimony

Answer 12

(n.) bitterness or ill-feeling ; resentment.

• “the dispute continued with increasing acrimony.”

Question 13

acumen

Answer 13

(n.) keenness of mind in a particular field, like business ; insight

• “she hides a shrewd business acumen.”

Question 14

acuity

Answer 14

(n.) sharpness or keenness of thought, vision or hearing.

• “intellectual acuity.”

Question 15

adage

Answer 15

(n.) a proverb/short statement expressing a general truth ; old saying

• “the old adage ‘out of sight, out of mind’.”

Question 16

addle

Answer 16

(v.) - make someone confused.
- (of an egg) become rotten

• “being in love must have addled your brain.”

Question 17

adduce

Answer 17

(v.) to offer as example, reason or proof.

• “adduce evidence in support of a theory.”

Question 18

adjudicate

Answer 18

(v.) to make formal judgement on a dispute.

• “the committee adjudicates on all betting issues.”

Question 19

adjure

Answer 19

(v.) to ask/order someone to do something ; beseech

• “the judge adjured him to answer truthfully.”

Question 20

admonitory

Answer 20

(adj.) advising or warning someone about their behaviour.

• “she raised an admonitory finger at me.”

Question 21

adroit

Answer 21

(adj.) clever or skillful

• “he was adroit at evading tax.”

Question 22

advent

Answer 22

(n.) the beginning of an event, the invention of something, or the arrival of a person.

• “the advent of the gramophone changed the musical world.”

Question 23

adventitious

Answer 23

(adj.) happening as a result of an external factor or chance rather than design or inherent nature ; unplanned.

• “an adventitious event”

Question 24

advert

Answer 24

(n.) an advertisement
OR (v.) refer to in speaking or writing

• “he adverted briefly about the news.”

Question 25

agog

Answer 25

(adj.) excited and eager to know or see more

• “we waited agog for news.”

Question 26

alacrity

Answer 26

(n.) speed and eagerness

• “she accepted the money with alacrity.”

Question 27

alcove

Answer 27

(n.) a recess in the wall of a room or garden
OR (in nature) large, arched recessions formed in a cliff wall.

• “the cottage rested upon a little alcove in the mountainside”

Question 28

allay

Answer 28

(v.) diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, or worry)

• "”the report attempted to educate the public and allay fears.”

Question 29

alleviate

Answer 29

(v.) make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe.

• “he couldn’t prevent her pain, only alleviate it.”

Question 30

allocate

Answer 30

(v.) to give a particular amount of time, money, etc. to someone or something, so that it can be used in a particular way

• “salesmen should allocate time for work in each area of their business.”

Question 31

allure

Answer 31

(n.) the quality of being attractive, interesting, or exciting.

• “the allure of being on stage.”

Question 32

aloof

Answer 32

(adj.) removed or distant either physically or emotionally.

• “he was an aloof man.”

Question 33

ambient

Answer 33

(adj.) (especially of environmental conditions) existing in the surrounding area.

• “ambient lighting/sounds.”

Question 34

amble

Question 35

annuity

Question 36

ancillary

Question 37

anoint

Question 37

appraise

Question 38

apprise

Question 39

anon

Answer 39

(adv.) soon ; shortly

• “i’ll see you anon.”