GCSE Vocabulary

Question 1

euphemism

Answer 1

noun
A word or phrase used to avoid saying an unpleasant or offensive word.

Eg. “Senior citizen” is a euphemism for “old person”.
or
The article made so much use of euphemism that often its meaning was unclear.

Question 2

ambiguous

Answer 2

adjective
Open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations.

Eg. I wish my professor’s instructions were less ambiguous so that I could better understand them.

Question 3

aberration

Answer 3

noun
a: a change from what is typical or usual, esp. a temporary change.

Eg. The drop in our school’s test scores was dismissed as an aberration.

b: a temporary change from the typical or usual way of behaving.

Eg. In a moment of aberration, she agreed to go with him.
I’m sorry I’m late - I had a mental aberration and forgot we had a meeting today.

Question 4

abhor

Answer 4

verb
to hate, detest

Eg. Because she always wound up getting hit in the head when she tried to play swing ball, Tess began to abhor the sport.)

Question 5

alacrity

Answer 5

noun
eagerness, speed

Eg. For some reason Simon loved to help his girlfriend whenever he could, so when she asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.

Question 6

appease

Answer 6

verb
to calm, satisfy

Eg. She claimed that the government had only changed the law in order to appease their critics.

Question 7

cajole

Answer 7

verb
to urge, coax

Eg. Mary’s friends cajoled her into drinking too much.

Question 8

candor

Answer 8

noun
honesty, frankness

Eg. We were surprised by the candour of the politician’s speech because she is usually rather evasive.

Question 9

coerce

Answer 9

verb
To make someone do something by force or threat.

Eg. The judge decided the man didn’t have to honour his contract as he’d been coerced into it.

Question 10

complacency

Answer 10

noun
self satisfied ignorance of danger

Eg. Simon tried to shock his friends out of their complacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them.

Question 11

diligent

Answer 11

adjective
Showing care in doing one’s work.

Eg. The diligent researcher made sure to double check her measurements.

Question 12

elated

Answer 12

adjective
overjoyed, thrilled

Eg. When he found out he won the lottery, the man was elated.

Question 13

empathy

Answer 13

noun
sensitivity to another’s feelings as if they were one’s own

Eg. He had empathy with small children.

Question 14

flabbergasted

Answer 14

adjective
astounded

Eg. When I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always flabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer.

Question 15

gluttony

Answer 15

noun
overindulgence of food or drink

Eg. Chocolate cake is so good, I don’t know how anyone can call gluttony a sin.

Question 16

indolent

Answer 16

adjective
lazy

Eg. Why should my indolent children, who can’t even get up off the sofa to help me, be rewarded with a curry.

Question 17

inhibit

Answer 17

verb
to prevent, restrain, stop

Eg. When I told you I needed the car last night, I certainly never intended to inhibit you from going out.

Question 18

jubilant

Answer 18

adjective
extremely joyful, happy

Eg. The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried the woman from the burning building.

Question 19

morose

Answer 19

adjective
gloomy or sullen

Eg.Jamie’s morose nature made him quite unpleasant to talk to.

Question 20

myriad

Answer 20

adjective
consisting of a great number

Eg. It was difficult deciding what to do on Saturday night as the city presented with with a myriad of possibilities for fun.

Question 21

novice

Answer 21

noun
a beginner, someone without training or experience

Eg. Because we were all novices at archery, our instructor decided to start with the basics.

Question 22

oblivious

Answer 22

adjective
lacking consciousness or awareness of something

Eg. Oblivious to the burning smell emanating from the kitchen, my father didn’t notice the rolls in the oven were burned until it was much too late.

Question 23

plethora

Answer 23

noun
an abundance, excess

Eg. The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled almost three feet high.

Question 24

vex

Answer 24

verb
to confuse or annoy

Eg. My boyfriend vexes me by teasing me for hours on end.