June 5 - Common Words V (part a)

Question 1

sycophant

Answer 1

• a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage

The CEO was unaware of the damaging consequences of his choices, largely because he surrounded himself with sycophants who would never dare criticize him.

Question 2

circumscribe

Answer 2

• restrict or confine

Their tour of South America was circumscribed so that they saw only popular destinations and avoided the dangerous parts of cities.

Question 3

subversive

Answer 3

• in opposition to an established system or institution.

The ruling political party has begun a campaign to shut down subversive websites that it deems as a threat to “national safety.”

Question 4

dilettante

Answer 4

• an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge

Fred has no formal medical training; while he likes to claim authority on medical issues, he is little more than a dilettante.

Question 5

scrupulous

Answer 5

• characterized by extreme care and great effort

Because of his scrupulous nature, Mary put him in charge of numbering and cataloging the entire collection of rare stamps.

• having a sense of right and wrong; principled

Everyone trusted what he said and followed his example because he was scrupulous and honest.

Question 6

tempered

Answer 6

• moderated in effect

The wide-eyed optimism of her youth was now tempered after she had worked many years in the criminal justice system.

Question 7

ravenous

Answer 7

• extremely hungry; devouring or craving food in great quantities

John didn’t eat much at all during the week he had the flu, so now that he is regaining his health, it’s not surprising that he has a ravenous appetite.

Question 8

audacity

Answer 8

• aggressive boldness in social situations

Mike was upset at the man who not only cut in front of him at the ticket counter but also had the audacity to cut in front of him at the bathroom line.

Question 9

winsome

Answer 9

• charming in a childlike or naive way

She was winsome by nature, and many people were drawn to this free and playful spirit.

Question 10

lionize

Answer 10

• assign great social importance to

Students in the U.S. learn to lionize Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington because they are the founding fathers of the nation.

Question 11

arcane

Answer 11

• requiring secret or mysterious knowledge

Most college fraternities are known for arcane rituals that those hoping to join the fraternity must learn.

Question 12

sanction

Answer 12

• give authority or permission to

The authorities have sanctioned the use of the wilderness reserve for public use; many expect to see hikers and campers enjoying the park in the coming months.

• a legal penalty for a forbidden action

International sanctions have been placed on certain shipping lanes that were thought to be involved in human trafficking.

Question 13

accolade

Answer 13

• an award or praise granted as a special honor

Jean Paul-Sartre was not a fan of accolades, and as such, he refused to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964.

Question 14

myriad

Answer 14

• a large indefinite number

There are a myriad of internet sites hawking pills that claim to boost energy for hours on end.

Question 15

propitious

Answer 15

• presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs of success

The child’s heartbeat is still weak, but I am seeing many propitious signs and I think that she may be healing.

Question 16

garrulous

Answer 16

• full of trivial conversation

Lynne was garrulous: once, she had a fifteen minute conversation with a stranger before she realized the woman didn’t speak English.

Question 17

antithetical

Answer 17

• sharply contrasted in character or purpose

His deep emotional involvement with these ideas is, in fact, antithetical to the detachment Buddhism preaches.

Question 18

reverent

Answer 18

• feeling or showing profound respect or veneration

The professor could speak objectively about the other composers, but he always lectured about Brahms with a particularly reverent air, unable to offer a single criticism of his compositions.

Question 19

inveterate

Answer 19

• habitual

He is an inveterate smoker and has told his family and friends that there is no way he will ever quit.

Question 20

prolific

Answer 20

• intellectually productive

Schubert was the most prolific composer, producing hundreds of hours of music before he died at the age of 31.

Question 21

repudiate

Answer 21

• reject as untrue or unfounded

Many in the public believed the rumors of a UFO crash outside town, so the chief of police did everything he could to repudiate the rumors.

Question 22

gauche

Answer 22

• lacking social polish

Sylvester says the most gauche things, such as telling a girl he liked that she was much prettier when she wore makeup.

Question 23

austere

Answer 23

• practicing self-denial

His lifestyle of revelry and luxurious excess could hardly be called austere.

• unadorned in style or appearance

Late Soviet architecture, although remaining largely austere, moved into experimental territory that employed previously unused shapes and structures.

• harsh in manner of temperament

The principal of my elementary school was a cold, austere woman; I could never understand why she chose to work with children.

Question 24

haphazard

Answer 24

• marked by great carelessness; dependent upon or characterized by chance

Many golf courses are designed with great care, but the greens on the county golf course seem entirely haphazard.

Question 25

resurgent

Answer 25

• rising again as to new life and vigor

The team sank to fourth place in June, but is now resurgent and about to win the division.