Hit Parade Group 2

Question 1

abate

Answer 1

to lessen in intensity or degree

Question 2

adulation

Answer 2

excessive praise; intense adoration

Question 3

ameliorate

Answer 3

to make better or more tolerable

Question 4

ascetic

Answer 4

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

Question 5

avarice

Answer 5

greed, especially for wealth (adj: avaricious)

Question 6

bucolic

Answer 6

rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants

e.g. ‘bucolic setting’

Question 7

castigation

Answer 7

severe criticism and punishment

e.g. ‘health officials castigated the kitchen staff for not keeping it clean’

Question 8

chary

Answer 8

wary; cautious; sparing

e.g. ‘chary of telling the truth’

Question 9

complaisance

Answer 9

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

Question 10

contrite

Answer 10

regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness (noun: contrition)

Question 11

demur

Answer 11

to question or oppose

e.g. ‘they wanted to make him the treasurer, but he demurred’

Question 12

didactic

Answer 12

intended to teach or instruct

Question 13

ebullience

Answer 13

the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings

e.g. ‘the ebullience of happy children’

Question 14

eclectic

Answer 14

composed of elements drawn from various sources

Question 15

elegy

Answer 15

a mournful poem, esp one lamenting the dead

Question 16

emollient

Answer 16

calming and conciliatory / moisturizing (to the skin)

e.g. ‘the president’s emollient approach to differences’

Question 17

esoteric

Answer 17

intended for or understood by a small, specific group

Question 18

exonerate

Answer 18

to remove blame

Question 19

facetious

Answer 19

flippant

e.g. ‘a facetious remark’

Question 20

heretical

Answer 20

violating accepted dogma or convention (noun: heresy)

Question 21

impecunious

Answer 21

lacking funds; without money

Question 22

incipient

Answer 22

beginning to come into being or become apparent

‘he could feel the incipient anger building up’

Question 23

intransigent

Answer 23

refusing to compromise (noun: intransigence)

Question 24

inveigle

Answer 24

to obtain by deception or flattery

e.g. ‘inveigled her way into a promotion’

Question 25

odious

Answer 25

evoking intense aversion or dislike

e.g. ‘an odious character’

Question 26

penurious

Answer 26

poor / very stingy

Question 27

pernicious

Answer 27

extremely harmful in a way that is not easily seen or noticed

e.g. ‘pernicious influence of the mass media’

Question 28

quaff

Answer 28

to drink deeply

e.g. ‘he quaffed pint after pint of beer’

Question 29

quiescence

Answer 29

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

Question 30

redoubtable

Answer 30

awe-inspiring; worthy of honor

e.g. ‘he was a redoubtable debater’

Question 31

supplant

Answer 31

to take the place of; to supersede

e.g. ‘domestic production has been supplanted by imports’

Question 32

torpid

Answer 32

lethargic; sluggish; dormant

e.g. ‘we sat around in a torpid state’

Question 33

urbane

Answer 33

sophisticated; refined; elegant (noun: urbanity)

e.g. ‘he is charming and urbane’