Princeton2k12 book vocabs - 1

Question 1

Fables

Answer 1

a short story that teaches a lesson (a moral) and that often has animals as the main characters

Question 2

Superfluous

Answer 2

more than what is wanted, not needed

Question 3

Portent

Answer 3

a sign or warning that a momentous or calamitous event is likely to happen

“many birds are regarded as being portents of death”

Question 4

momentous

Answer 4

a great importance or significance, especially in having a bearing on future events

“a period of momentous changes in East-West relations”

Question 5

Calamitous

Answer 5

involving calamity; catastrophic or disastrous

“such calamitous events as fires, hurricanes and floods”

Question 6

Animosity

Answer 6

a feeling of strong dislike, ill will, or enmity that tends to display itself in action

“a deep-seated animosity between two sister”

Question 7

Antagonism

Answer 7

Active hostility or opposition

“the antagonism between them”

Question 8

Obtrusive

Answer 8

noticeable or prominent in an unwelcome or intrusive way

“During the test, the clock on the wall was obtrusive as it ticked unusually loud”

Question 9

Incredulous

Answer 9

(of a person or their manner) unwilling or unable to believe something

Question 10

prodigious

Answer 10

1) remarkably or impressively great in extent, size or degree
2) unnatural or abnormal

“the stove consumed prodigious amount of fuel”

“rumors of prodigious happenings such as monstrous births

Question 11

Solidarity

Answer 11

unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common interest; mutual support within a group

Question 12

Stolidity

Answer 12

an absence of emotion or enthusiasm

Question 13

Monotony

Answer 13

lack of variety and interest; tedious repetition and routine sameness of pitch or tone in a sound or utterance

“you can become resigned to the monotony of captivity”
“depression flattens the voice almost to monotony”

Question 14

Sidereal

sai.dee.ree.uhl

Answer 14

of or with respect to the distant stars (i.e. the constellations or fixed stars, not the sun or planets

Question 15

Boisterous

Answer 15

noisy, energetic and cheerful

“a group of boisterous lads”

Question 16

Etiolated

Answer 16

1) having lost vigor/substance; feeble

2) (of a plant) pale and drawn out due to the lack of light

Question 17

Circumscribe

Answer 17

1) restrict (something) within limits
“the minister’s powers are circumscribed both by tradition and the organization of local government”

2) draw (a figure) round another, touching it at points but not cutting it
“if a hexagon is circumscribed about a circle the lines joining opposite vertices meet in one point

Question 18

Receptivity

Answer 18

the quality of being willing to or to accept new ideas or suggestions
(synonym responsiveness)

Question 19

Intransigence

Answer 19

refusal to change one’s views or to agree about something

“in the face of government intransigence, he resigned in disgust”

Question 20

Comportment

Answer 20

behavior; bearing

“he displayed precisely the comportment expected of the rightful king”

Question 21

Alleviate

Answer 21

make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe

“he couldn’t prevent her pain, only alleviate it”

Question 22

Delineate

Answer 22

describe or portray (something) precisely

“the law should delineate and prohibit behavior which is socially abhorrent”

Question 23

Balk at

Answer 23

To refuse something obstinately or abruptly

Question 24

Revel in

Answer 24

to enjoy (something) very much

“She reveled in her success”

Question 25

Carnage

Answer 25

the killing of a large number of people

Question 26

Ominous

Answer 26

giving the worrying impression that something bad is going to happen; threateningly inauspicious

“there were ominous dark clouds gathering overhead”

Question 27

Abhorrent

Answer 27

inspiring disgust and loathing; repugnant

“racism was abhorrent to us all”

Question 28

Obstinately

Answer 28

stubbornly adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments or persuasion obstinate resistance to change

Question 29

Auspicious

Answer 29

conducive to success; favourable

Question 30

Conducive

Answer 30

making a certain situation or outcome likely or possible

“the harsh lights and cameras were hardly conductive to a relaxed atmosphere”

Question 31

Discomposure

Answer 31

the state or feeling of being disturbed or agitated; agitation

“she laughed to mask her discomposure”

Question 32

Resolute

Answer 32

admirably purposeful, determined and unwavering

Question 33

Bland

Answer 33

1) lacking strong features or characteristics and therefore uninteresting
“bland, mass-produced pop music”

2) (of food or drink) unseasoned, mild-tasting, or insipid
“a bland and unadventurous vegetarian dish”

3) showing no strong emotion

Question 34

Scrumptious

Answer 34

(of food) extremely tasty; delicious

“a scrumptious chocolate tart”

Question 35

Tart

Answer 35

an open pastry case containing a sweet or savory filling

“an apple tart”

Question 36

Timed

Answer 36

Showing a lack of courage and confidence

“I was too timed to ask for what I wanted”

Question 37

Inhibit

Answer 37

to restrain, hinder, arrest or check (an action, impulse ,etc.) to prohibit; forbid

Question 38

Wallow

Answer 38

1) (chiefly or large mammals) roll about or lie in mud or water, especially to keep cool or avoid biting insects
“there were watering places where buffalo like to wallow”

2) (of a person) indulge in an unrestrained way in (something that he finds pleasurable)
“I was wallowing in the luxury of the hotel”

Question 39

Flamboyant

Answer 39

(a person or their behavior) tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence and stylishness.

“He was infamous for his flamboyant whimsicality. Sometimes he visited the library wearing his swimming trunks and other times, he attended a professional meeting in shots”

Question 40

Exuberance

Answer 40

the quality of being full of energy, excitement and cheerfully ness

“a sense of youthful exuberance”

Question 41

Pristine

Answer 41

1) in it’s original condition; unspoiled
“pristine copies of an early magazine”

2) clean and fresh as if new; spotless
“a pristine white shirt”

Question 42

Astute

Answer 42

having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one’s advantage

“an astute businessman”

Question 43

Shrewd

Answer 43

having or showing sharp powers of judgement; astute

“she was shred enough to guess the motive behind his guesture”

Question 44

Courteous

Answer 44

polite, respectful, or considerate in manner

“she was courteous and obliging to all”

Question 45

Calumnious

kuh.luhm.nee.uhs

Answer 45

(of a statement) false and defamatory; slanderous

“all of these charges are false and calumnious”

Question 46

Impertinent

Answer 46

1) not showing proper respect; rude
“an impertinent question”

2) not pertinent to a particular matter; irrelevant
“talk of ‘rhetoric’ and strategy’ is impertinent to this process”

Question 47

Maladroit

Answer 47

inefficient or inept; clumsy

“both men are unhappy about the maladroit way the matter has been handled”

Question 48

Defamatory

Answer 48

(of remarks, writing, etc) damaging the good reputation of someone; slanderous or libellous

“a defamatory allegation”

Question 49

Libel

Answer 49

a published false statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation; a written defamation.

“he was found guilty of a libel on a Liverpool inspector of taxes”

Question 50

Demagogue

Answer 50

a political leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument

Question 51

Prejudice

Answer 51

1) a liking or dislike for one rather than another especially without good reason
“She has a prejudice against department stores”

2) a feeling of unfair dislike directed against an individual or a group because of some characteristics (race or religion)
3) injury or damage to a person’s rights