p12

Question 1

lurid

Answer 1

Gruesome or excessively vivid; sensational, shocking, unrestrained

There’s also a good amount of raw violence, and no lack of harsh language, but the show doesn’t feel lurid or exploitative.

Question 2

machination

Answer 2

Crafty schemes or plots

incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed

Question 3

maelstrom

Answer 3

Violent whirlpool; any chaotic, turbulent situation

There has been a maelstrom of conversation around the blockchain and crypto-asset landscape during the last several months, and that is with justifiable reason.

Question 4

magnanimous

Answer 4

High-minded, noble, lofty; generous in forgiving others, free of resentment

Rosengart’s legal guidance has helped make possible this magnanimous humanitarian effort.

Question 5

magnate

Answer 5

Very important or influential person, esp. in business

Question 6

makeshift

Answer 6

A temporary, often improvised, substitute (noun); improvised for temporary use (adj)

when his belt broke, he was forced to use string as a makeshift

Question 7

malediction

Answer 7

A curse

the two old women began casting aspersions and heaping maledictions upon one another

Question 8

malinger

Answer 8

Pretend to be sick, esp. to get out of work, duties, etc.

But when workers begin to take advantage of manager’s kindly nature to malinger or disrupt operations, the entire business is threatened

Question 9

mar

Answer 9

Damage, spoil, ruin

Her awkward British accent and acting mars an otherwise great movie

Question 10

martinet

Answer 10

Person who adheres to rules extremely closely; strict disciplinarian

The prison’s warden was a cruel martinet.

Question 11

maudlin

Answer 11

Excessively sentimental, showing sadness or some other emotion in a foolish or silly way

Death, the only long-term certainty for any of us, permeates these episodes, although not in an overly maudlin way.

Question 12

maverick

Answer 12

Rebel, individualist, dissenter

In the Senate, he had established himself as a prickly maverick, not averse to sharp criticism of his own party, its policies, and its leaders

Question 13

maxim

Answer 13

A general truth or fundamental principle, esp. expressed as a proverb or saying

Moore’s Law is the maxim, coined by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, that correctly predicted the number of transistors in computer chips would double at quick intervals.

Question 14

mendacious

Answer 14

Lying, habitually dishonest

The racist and Malthusian elements in Darwin’s work are subject on which the new secularists are either silent, delicate, or mendacious

Question 15

mendicant

Answer 15

Beggar, or religious follower who lives by begging

But for all their contempt, Egyptian rulers have become mendicants at the feet of kings and emirs of the Gulf

Question 16

mercurial

Answer 16

Quickly and unpredictably changing moods; fickle, flighty

Democrats are also very wary of scaring off the mercurial senator Manchin with any pressure, despite knowing that a major economic package could potentially boost their political chances significantly.

Question 17

meretricious

Answer 17

Attractive in a vulgar or flashy way, tawdry, related to prostitute; deceptive, pretentious

scholarly names to provide fig-leaves of respectability for meretricious but stylish books
These artistic reckonings prove that meretricious contemporary filmmakers can barely justify their own practices.

Question 18

metaphysical

Answer 18

Concerned with abstract thought; very subtle or abstruse (hard to understand)

fate and metaphysical aid both seemed to have influenced President Park during her regime

Question 19

milieu

Answer 19

Environment, atmosphere; the environmental setting in which something happens or develops

Maxwell is the daughter of wealthy publisher Robert Maxwell, and was reared in a milieu that included mansions, exclusive schools, and a family yacht.

Question 20

militate

Answer 20

Have a great effect, weigh heavily (often as militate against)

His boyish appearance and small voice militated against his getting an early promotion

Question 21

mired

Answer 21

Stuck, entangled (in something, like a swamp or muddy area), soiled

The case been mired in probate court for years

Question 22

mirth

Answer 22

Jollity, merriment; amusement or laughter

Her clumsy attempt to cut the cake was the cause of much mirth.

Question 23

misanthrope

Answer 23

hater of humankind

Question 24

missive

Answer 24

Letter, written message

The board was divided over Musk’s missive delivered on Twitter yesterday.

Question 25

mitigate

Answer 25

Make less severe; lessen or moderate (damage, grief, pain, etc.)

Emergency funds are being provided to help mitigate the effects of the disaster.

Question 26

modicum

Answer 26

A little bit or limited quantity

Though its economy has already been rocked by the new sanctions, Russia still can look to markets and friends elsewhere — not least in China — for some hard currency and a modicum of solidarity.

Question 27

modish

Answer 27

Stylish, contemporary

the strikingly modish gowns that actresses wear to award shows

Question 28

mollify

Answer 28

Calm or soothe (an angry person); lessen or soften

The landlord fixed the heat, but the tenants still were not mollified.

Question 29

molt

Answer 29

Shed or cast off, esp. to regularly shed skin, feathers, etc. (as a snake)

During a run of ideal weather earlier this month, the city began its molt from a sleepy seaside burg into its bustling summer form.

Question 30

juvenile

Answer 30

of, for, or relating to young people; childish, immature

Question 31

monastic

Answer 31

Relating to or resembling a monastery (where monks or nuns live), esp. by being quiet, secluded, contemplative, strict, and/or lacking luxuries

The monastic project showed me how to turn loneliness into solitude.

Question 32

monotony

Answer 32

Sameness or repetitiousness to the point of being boring; lack of variation, uniformity, esp. repetition in sound (monotone)

The brief storm was a relief from the monotony of the hot summer afternoon.

Question 33

mores

Answer 33

Customs, manners, or morals of a particular group

But because socially conservative British social mores were brought to bear on Charles and Camilla’s relationship, her becoming Queen Consort was for years the source of significant speculation.

Question 34

morose

Answer 34

Gloomy, sullen

Even as tech optimism is obvious, sentiment in much of the rest of the market remains morose.

Question 35

multifarious

Answer 35

Diverse, having a lot of variety

the multifarious interests and activities in which Benjamin Franklin immersed himself

Question 36

munificent

Answer 36

Generous, giving liberally

a munificent host who has presided over many charitable events at his mansion

Question 37

myopic

Answer 37

Near-sighted; lacking long-term thinking, short-sighted

When he ran again in 2013, this time without a primary opponent, his campaign had an almost myopic focus on a subject dear to Republicans: job creation.

Question 38

nadir

Answer 38

Lowest point

Even those that were in better shape at the end of the 1920s were feeling the effects by the Depression’s nadir in 1933.

Question 39

nascent

Answer 39

Coming into existence, still developing

The 2020 edition of the event was called off days before it was supposed to begin after the government banned social gatherings because of the then-nascent covid outbreak