Group 2

Question 1

complaisance

Answer 1

the willingness to comply with the wishes of others (adj. complaisant)

Question 2

ascetic

Answer 2

one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion

Question 2

inert

Answer 2

unmoving; lethargic; sluggish

Question 3

axiom

Answer 3

a universally recognized principle (adj: axiomatic)

Question 3

ephemeral

Answer 3

brief; fleeting

Question 4

facetious

Answer 4

playful; humorous

Question 5

cacophony

Answer 5

harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance (adj: cacophonous)

Question 5

impecunious

Answer 5

lacking funds; without money

Question 6

intransigent

Answer 6

refusing to compromise (noun: intransigence)

Question 8

avarice

Answer 8

green, especially for wealth (adj: avaricious)

Question 9

fallacy

Answer 9

an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief (adj: fallacious)

Question 10

dearth

Answer 10

smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack

Question 10

heretical

Answer 10

violating accepted dogma or convention (noun: heresy)

Question 10

viscous

Answer 10

thick; sticky (noun: viscosity)

Question 11

opaque

Answer 11

impenetrable by light; not reflecting light

Question 12

eulogy

Answer 12

a speech honoring the dead (verb: eulogize)

Question 12

precursor

Answer 12

one that precedes and indicates or announces another

Question 12

redoubtable

Answer 12

awe-inspiring; worthy of honor

Question 13

demur

Answer 13

to question or oppose

Question 14

dogmatic

Answer 14

expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or unprovable principles (noun: dogma)

Question 16

aesthetic

Answer 16

dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful

Question 17

ebullience

Answer 17

the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings (adj: ebullient)

Question 18

pernicious

Answer 18

extremely harmful; potentially causing death

Question 19

pious

Answer 19

extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion (noun: piety)

Question 19

prolific

Answer 19

producing large volumes or amounts

Question 20

disinterested

Answer 20

free of bias or self-interest; impartial

Question 21

quaff

Answer 21

to drink deeply

Question 22

sanction

Answer 22

authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to

Question 23

stoic

Answer 23

indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast (noun: stoicism)

Question 24

innocuous

Answer 24

harmless; causing no damage

Question 25

squalid

Answer 25

sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect (adj: squalor)

Question 26

penurious

Answer 26

penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous

Question 27

satire

Answer 27

a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision

Question 29

caustic

Answer 29

burning or stinging; causing corrosion

Question 29

prodigious

Answer 29

abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary

Question 29

quiescence

Answer 29

stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest (adj: quiescent)

Question 29

ubiquitous

Answer 29

existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread

Question 30

adulation

Answer 30

excessive praise; intense adoration

Question 30

supplant

Answer 30

to take the place of; supersede

Question 31

incipient

Answer 31

beginning to come into being or to become apparent

Question 33

esoteric

Answer 33

intended for or understood by a small, specific group

Question 34

preen

Answer 34

to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care

Question 35

inveigle

Answer 35

to obtain by deception or flattery

Question 37

enigmatic

Answer 37

mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand

Question 39

canon

Answer 39

an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (adj: canonical)

Question 41

catalyst

Answer 41

a person or thing that causes change; a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing

Question 43

accolade

Answer 43

expression of praise

Question 45

emollient

Answer 45

soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying

Question 46

oscillation

Answer 46

the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm (verb: oscillate)

Question 47

didactic

Answer 47

intended to teach or instruct

Question 49

empirical

Answer 49

based on observation or experiment

Question 50

ameliorate

Answer 50

to make better or more tolerable

Question 51

bucolic

Answer 51

rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants

Question 53

elegy

Answer 53

a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead (adj: elegiac)

Question 54

abate

Answer 54

to lessen in intensity

Question 55

hyperbole

Answer 55

an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech (adj: hyperbolic)

Question 56

putrefy

Answer 56

to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor (adj: putrid)

Question 57

burgeon

Answer 57

to grow rapidly or flourish

Question 57

exonerate

Answer 57

to remove blame

Question 58

culpable

Answer 58

deserving blame (noun: culpability)

Question 60

peruse

Answer 60

to examine with great care (noun: perusal)

Question 61

urbane

Answer 61

sophisticated; refined; elegant (noun: urbanity)

Question 62

contrite

Answer 62

regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness (noun: contrition)

Question 63

odious

Answer 63

evoking intense aversion or dislike

Question 64

cupidity

Answer 64

eager or excessive desire to possess something; greed; avarice

Question 65

cogent

Answer 65

appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing

Question 66

torpid

Answer 66

lethargic; sluggish; dormant (noun: torpor)

Question 68

contentious

Answer 68

argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement

Question 69

discretion

Answer 69

cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj: discreet)

Question 70

castigation

Answer 70

severe criticism or punishment (verb: castigate)

Question 71

gregarious

Answer 71

sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people

Question 72

chary

Answer 72

wary; cautious; sparing

Question 73

furtive

Answer 73

marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious

Question 74

vilify

Answer 74

to defame; to characterize harshly

Question 75

eclectic

Answer 75

composed of elements drawn from various sources

Question 76

morose

Answer 76

sad; sullen

Question 77

harangue

Answer 77

to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech