Reverse Magoosh common words - 5

Question 1

adjective: habitual

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

Answer 1

inveterate

Question 2

adjective: expressed too often to be interesting or seem sincere:

Many style guides recommend not using idioms in writing because these trite expressions are uninteresting and show a lack of imagination on the part of the writer.

Answer 2

trite

Question 3

adjective: 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.

Answer 3

reverent

Question 4

noun: 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.

Answer 4

accolade

Question 5

adjective: hostile (usually describes conditions or environments)

Venus, with a surface temperature that would turn rubber to liquid, is inimical to any form of life.

Answer 5

inimical

Question 6

adjective: 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.

Answer 6

propitious

Question 7

verb: cancel officially

The man’s driver’s license was rescinded after his tenth car accident, which meant he would never be allowed to legally drive again.

Answer 7

rescind

Question 8

adjective: very harmful.

The most successful viruses are pernicious: an infected person may feel perfectly healthy for several months while incubating and spreading the virus.

Answer 8

pernicious

Question 9

adjective: very bold and do not care what other people think about them or their behavior.

Their large “donations” to the local police department gave the drug cartel the brazen confidence to do their business out in the open.

Answer 9

brazen

Question 10

noun: 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.

Answer 10

audacity

Question 11

noun: a large indefinite number

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

Answer 11

myriad

Question 12

adjective: too eager to praise or obey someone:

The obsequious waiter did not give the couple a moment’s peace all through the meal, constantly returning to their table to refill their water glasses and to tell them what a handsome pair they made.

Answer 12

obsequious

Question 13

adjective: 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.

Answer 13

ravenous

Question 14

adjective: secret or mysterious.
Most college fraternities are known for arcane rituals that those hoping to join the fraternity must learn.

Answer 14

arcane

Question 15

adjective: moderated in effect

• The wide-eyed optimism of her youth was now tempered after she had worked many years in the criminal justice system.
• Her ambitions are tempered by the scale of the task.

Answer 15

tempered

Question 16

adjective: not having an obvious order or plan:

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

Answer 16

haphazard

Question 17

adjective: practicing self-denial

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

adjective: unadorned in style or appearance

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

adjective: 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.

Answer 17

austere

Question 18

adjective: 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.

Answer 18

resurgent

Question 19

adjective: 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.

adjective: having a sense of right and wrong; principled

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

Answer 19

scrupulous

Question 20

adjective: based on a random, groundless decision

One of the arbitrary decrees in place during the emperor’s rule is that all citizens pay him weekly homage at his palace.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Answer 20

arbitrary

Question 21

adjective: readily reacting to suggestions and influences; easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)

Compared to middle school students, who have an untamed wildness about them, high school students are somewhat more tractable.

Answer 21

tractable

Question 22

noun: dominance over a certain area

Until the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1587, Spain had hegemony over the seas, controlling waters stretching as far as the Americas.

Answer 22

hegemony

Question 23

adjective: sharply contrasted in character or purpose

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

Answer 23

antithetical

Question 24

adjective: lacking imagination

While Nan was always engaged in philosophical speculation, her brother was occupied with far more pedestrian concerns: how to earn a salary and run a household.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Answer 24

pedestrian

Question 25

noun: 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.

Answer 25

sycophant

Question 26

adjective: charming in a childlike or naive way She was winsome by nature, and many people were drawn to this free and playful spirit.

Answer 26

winsome

Question 27

adjective: emotionally touching - The photograph awakens poignant memories of happier days. - It is especially poignant that he died on the day before the wedding.

Answer 27

poignant

Question 28

adjective: fearless Captain Ahab was an intrepid captain whose reckless and fearless style ultimately led to his downfall.

Answer 28

intrepid

Question 29

adjective: incapable of being retracted or revoked Once you enter your plea to the court, it is irrevocable so think carefully about what you will say.

Answer 29

irrevocable

Question 30

adjective: produceing a large number of works. Schubert was the most prolific composer, producing hundreds of hours of music before he died at the age of 31.

Answer 30

prolific

Question 31

noun: 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.

Answer 31

sycophant

Question 32

adjective: habitually reserved and uncommunicative While the CEO enthusiastically shares his plans and agenda with all who will listen, the CFO is far more taciturn, rarely revealing his perspective.

Answer 32

taciturn

Question 33

adjective: happening at irregular intervals. The signals were at first sporadic, but now we detect a clear, consistent pattern of electromagnetic radiation emanating from deep space.

Answer 33

sporadic

Question 34

adjective: lacking imagination While Nan was always engaged in philosophical speculation, her brother was occupied with far more pedestrian concerns: how to earn a salary and run a household. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Answer 34

pedestrian

Question 35

verb: 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.

Answer 35

repudiate

Question 36

verb: to warn strongly, even to the point of reprimanding Before the concert began, security personnel admonished the crowd not to come up on stage during the performance.

Answer 36

admonish

Question 37

noun: a voter (= person who can vote) in a particular area of the country: The mayor's constituents are no longer happy with her performance and plan to vote for another candidate in the upcoming election. noun: an abstract part of something The constituents of the metal alloy are nickel, copper, and tin.

Answer 37

constituent

Question 38

adjective: 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.

Answer 38

garrulous

Question 39

adjective: 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."

Answer 39

subversive

Question 40

adjective: so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe - She wrote a truly prodigious number of novels. - After the relatively small homerun totals in the "dead ball" era, Babe Ruth's homerun totals were truly prodigious: every year, he set a new all-time record.

Answer 40

prodigious

Question 41

adjective: being very hard to know what they are really thinking or what they mean. His speech was so dense and confusing that many in the audience found it inscrutable.

Answer 41

inscrutable

Question 42

verb: to cause voilence or trouble to develop. After having his pay cut, Phil spread vicious rumors about his boss, hoping to foment a general feeling of discontent.

Answer 42

foment

Question 43

noun: a person who is or seems to be interested in a subject, but whose understanding of it is not very deep or serious: - He's a bit of a dilettante as far as wine is concerned. - Fred has no formal medical training; while he likes to claim authority on medical issues, he is little more than a dilettante.

Answer 43

dilettante

Question 44

verb: to be uncertain what to do, or to change often between two opinions: Some students vacillate between schools when deciding which to attend, while others focus only on one school. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Answer 44

vacillate

Question 45

adjective: very generous with money: Uncle Charley was known for his munificence, giving all seven of his nephews lavish Christmas presents each year.

Answer 45

munificent

Question 46

adjective: rude and arrogant Lilian could not help herself from being insolent, commenting that the Queen's shoes were showing too much toe.

Answer 46

insolent

Question 47

verb: restrict or confine Their tour of South America was circumscribed so that they saw only popular destinations and avoided the dangerous parts of cities. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Answer 47

circumscribe

Question 48

verb: 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. noun: 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.

Answer 48

sanction

Question 49

verb: 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.

Answer 49

lionize

Question 50

verb: exclude from a community or group Later in his life, Leo Tolstoy was ostracized from the Russian Orthodox Church for his writings that contradicted church doctrine.

Answer 50

ostracize