Mangoosh Common words - VI

Question 1

furtive

Answer 1

adjective: marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed

While at work, George and his boss Regina felt the need to be as furtive as possible about their romantic relationship.

Question 2

jovial

Answer 2

adjective: (of a person) friendly and in a good mood, or (of a situation) enjoyable because of being friendly and pleasant:

The presidential candidate and her supporters were jovial once it was clear that she had won.

Question 3

mendacity

Answer 3

noun: the tendency to be untruthful

I can forgive her for her mendacity but only because she is a child and is seeing what she can get away with.

Question 4

disseminate

Answer 4

verb: cause to become widely known

Before the effects of anesthesia were disseminated, patients had to experience the full pain of a surgery.

Question 5

erudite

Answer 5

adjective: having or showing profound knowledge

Before the Internet, the library was typically where you would find erudite readers.

Question 6

transient

Answer 6

adjective: lasting a very short time

The unpredictable and transient nature of deja vu makes it a very difficult phenomenon to study properly.

Question 6

rebuke

Answer 6

verb: criticize severely or angrily; censure

The police chief rebuked the two officers whose irresponsible decisions almost led to the deaths of seven innocent by-standers.

Question 7

polemic

Answer 7

noun: a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.

The professor launched into a polemic, claiming that Freudian theory was a pack of lies that absolutely destroyed European literary theory.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 8

edifying

Answer 8

adjective: improving your mind:

I recently read an article in the Times about whether good literature is edifying or not; specifically, does reading more make a person more moral.

Question 9

fastidious

Answer 9

adjective: overly concerned with details; fussy

Whitney is fastidious about her shoes, arranging them on a shelf in a specific order, each pair evenly spaced.

Question 9

antipathy

Answer 9

noun: an intense feeling of dislike or aversion

Maria had an antipathy for tour groups, often bolting to the other side of the museum as soon as she saw a chaperone leading a group of wide-eyed tourists.

Question 10

nuance

Answer 10

noun: a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude

Because of the nuances involved in this case, I hired an outside consultant to advise us and help.

Question 11

banality

Answer 11

noun: the quality of being boring, ordinary, and not original, or something that is like this:

Herbert regarded the minister’s remark as a mere banality until Sharon pointed out profound implications to the seemingly obvious words.

Question 12

elicit

Answer 12

verb: call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)

Just smiling–even if you are depressed–can elicit feelings of pleasure and happiness

Question 13

appease

Answer 13

verb: pacify by acceding to the demands of

Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister during WWII, tried to appease Hitler and in doing so sent a clear message: you can walk all over us.

Question 14

anomaly

Answer 14

noun: something that is not normal, standard, or expected

After finding an anomaly in the data, she knew that she would have to conduct her experiment again.

Question 15

deleterious

Answer 15

adjective: harmful to living things

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was deleterious to the fishing industry in the southern states.

Question 16

efficacious

Answer 16

adjective: producing the intended result

Since Maggie’s cough syrup, which had expired five years back, was no longer efficacious, she coughed through the night.

Question 17

flux

Answer 17

noun: a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event)

Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing, everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of flux.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 17

duress

Answer 17

noun: compulsory force or threat

The witness said he signed the contract under duress and argued that the court should cancel the agreement.

Question 18

stringent

Answer 18

adjective: demanding strict attention to rules and procedures

Most of the students disliked the teacher because of his stringent homework policy, but many students would later thank him for demanding so much from them.

Question 19

nonplussed

Answer 19

adjective: unsure how to act or respond

Shirley was totally nonplussed when the angry motorist cut her off and then stuck his finger out the window.

Question 20

dispassionate

Answer 20

adjective: unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice

A good scientist should be dispassionate, focusing purely on what the evidence says, without personal attachment.

Question 21

maladroit

Answer 21

adjective: clumsy

As a child she was quite maladroit, but as an adult, she has become an adept dancer.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 22

sullen

Answer 22

adjective: Someone who is sullen is bad-tempered and does not speak much.
Herbert took board games too seriously, often appearing sullen after losing.

Question 23

arduous

Answer 23

adjective: demanding considerable mental effort and skill; testing powers of endurance

In order to deal with the arduous cross-country journey, truck drivers often survive on a string of caffeinated drinks, staying awake for up to 30 hours at a time.

Question 24

esoteric

Answer 24

adjective: very unusual and understood or liked by only a small number of people, especially those with special knowledge:
Map collecting is an esoteric hobby to most, but to geography geeks it is a highly enjoyable pastime.

Question 25

impartial

Answer 25

adjective: free from undue bias or preconceived opinions

The judge was not impartial since he had been bribed by the witness’s family.

Question 26

dilatory

Answer 26

adjective: wasting time

Lawyers use dilatory tactics so that it takes years before the case is actually decided.

Question 27

askance

Answer 27

adverb: with a look of suspicion or disapproval

The old couple looked askance on the teenagers seated next to them, whispering to each other, “They’ve got rings through their noses and purple hair!”

Question 28

opulence

Answer 28

noun: the quality of being expensive and luxurious:

Russian oligarchs are famous for their opulence, living in fancy homes and dining on expensive caviar.

Question 29

craven

Answer 29

adjective: pathetically cowardly

Though the man could have at least alerted the police, he crouched cravenly in the corner as the old woman was mugged.

Question 30

pejorative

Answer 30

adjective: expressing disapproval (usu. refers to a term)

Most psychologists object to the pejorative term “shrink”, believing that they expand the human mind, not limit it.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 31

posit

Answer 31

verb: assume as fact

Initially, Einstein posited a repulsive force to balance Gravity, but then rejected that idea as a blunder.

Question 32

indecorous

Answer 32

adjective: not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society

Eating with elbows on the table is considered indecorous in refined circles.

Question 33

contrition

Answer 33

noun: the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad

Those who show contrition during their prison terms–especially when under review by a parole board–often get shortened sentences.

Question 34

truncate

Answer 34

verb: reduce the length of something

The soccer game was truncated when the monsoon rain began to fall.

Question 34

misconstrue

Answer 34

verb: interpret in the wrong way

The politician never trusted journalists because he thought that they would misconstrue his words and misrepresent his positions.

Question 35

ignominious

Answer 35

adjective: (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame

Since the politician preached ethics and morality, his texting of revealing photographs was ignominious, bringing shame on both himself and his party.

Question 36

harried

Answer 36

adjective: troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances

With a team of new hires to train, Martha was constantly harried with little questions and could not focus on her projects.

Question 37

maverick

Answer 37

noun: someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action

Officer Kelly was a maverick, rarely following police protocols or adopting the conventions for speech common among his fellow officers.

Question 38

specious

Answer 38

adjective: plausible but false

He made a career out of specious arguments and fictional lab results, but lost his job and reputation when his lies were exposed by an article in The New York Times.

Question 39

placate

Answer 39

verb: If you placate someone, you do or say something to make them stop feeling angry.

I was able to placate the angry mob of students by promising to bring cookies on Monday.

Question 40

economical

Answer 40

adjective: avoiding waste, efficient

Journalists favor an economical style of writing, in which no unnecessary words are used and every sentence is as short as possible.

Question 41

imprudent

Answer 41

adjective: not wise

Hitler, like Napoleon, made the imprudent move of invading Russia in winter, suffering even more casualties than Napoleon had.

Question 42

timorous

Answer 42

adjective: timid; nervous and without much confidence

Since this was her first time debating on stage and before an audience, Di’s voice was timorous and quiet for the first 10 minutes.

Question 43

mundane

Answer 43

adjective: repetitive and boring; not spiritual

Nancy found doing dishes a thoroughly mundane task, although Peter found a kind of Zen pleasure in the chore.

adjective: relating to the ordinary world

Though we think of the pope as someone always dealing in holy matters, he is also concerned with mundane events, such as deciding when to set his alarm each morning.

Question 44

reproach

Answer 44

verb: to criticize someone, especially for not being successful or not doing what is expected:

At first, Sarah was going to yell at the boy, but she didn’t want to reproach him for telling the truth about the situation.

Question 45

bolster

Answer 45

verb: support and strengthen

The case for the suspect’s innocence was bolstered considerably by the fact that neither fingerprints nor DNA were found at the scene.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 46

capricious

Answer 46

adjective: Someone who is capricious often changes their mind unexpectedly.

Nearly every month our capricious CEO had a new plan to turn the company around, and none of them worked because we never gave them the time they needed to succeed.