Semester 2 - Vocab 1

Question 0

Inscrutable

Answer 0

adjective
: difficult to understand : causing people to feel curious or confused
Full Definition
: not readily investigated, interpreted, or understood : mysterious
Examples
the many inscrutable beliefs of that ancient religion
ancient oracles typically uttered inscrutable prophecies that could be interpreted almost any way one chose
Synonyms: arcane, cryptic, deep, enigmatic (also enigmatical), impenetrable, mysterious, mystic, occult, uncanny
Antonyms: accessible, clear, nonambiguous, obvious, plain, unambiguous, unequivocal

Question 1

Insatiable

Answer 1

adjective
: always wanting more : not able to be satisfied
Full Definition
: incapable of being satisfied : quenchless
Examples
an insatiable need for the approval of others
Synonyms: inappeasable, inextinguishable, insatiate, quenchless, unappeasable, unquenchable, unslakable
Antonyms: appeasable, extinguishable, satiable, satisfiable

Question 2

Insidious

Answer 2

adjective
: causing harm in a way that is gradual or not easily noticed
Full Definition
1 a : awaiting a chance to entrap : treacherous
b : harmful but enticing : seductive
2 a : having a gradual and cumulative effect : subtle
b of a disease : developing so gradually as to be well established before becoming apparent

Question 3

Inveigh

Answer 3

intransitive verb
: to protest or complain bitterly or vehemently : rail
in·veigh·er noun
Examples
always inveighing against the high property taxes that they were forced to pay

Question 4

Ire

Answer 4

noun
: intense anger
Full Definition
: intense and usually openly displayed anger
Examples
He directed his ire at the coworkers who reported the incident.
The proposal has raised/roused/provoked the ire of environmentalists.
Synonyms: angriness, birse [chiefly Scottish], choler, furor, fury, indignation, irateness, anger, lividity, lividness, mad, madness, mood [archaic], outrage, rage, spleen, wrath, wrathfulness
Antonyms: delight, pleasure

Question 5

Irksome

Answer 5

adjective
: annoying or irritating
Full Definition
: tending to irk : tedious
Examples
the irksome habit of leaving all the kitchen cabinet doors open
Synonyms: abrasive, aggravating, bothersome, carking, chafing, disturbing, exasperating, frustrating, galling, annoying, irritating, maddening, nettlesome, nettling, peeving, pesky, pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, pesty, plaguey (also plaguy), rankling, rebarbative, riling, vexatious, vexing

Question 6

Itinerant

Answer 6

adjective
: traveling from place to place : staying in a place for only a short amount of time
Full Definition
: traveling from place to place; especially : covering a circuit
Examples
an itinerant musician can see a lot of the world
Synonyms: ambulant, ambulatory, errant, fugitive, gallivanting (also galavanting), nomad, nomadic, perambulatory, peregrine, peripatetic, ranging, roaming, roving, vagabond, vagrant, wandering, wayfaring, on the move

Question 7

Kaleidoscopic

Answer 7

noun
a changing pattern or scene
Full Definition
1 : an instrument containing loose bits of colored material (as glass or plastic) between two flat plates and two plane mirrors so placed that changes of position of the bits of material are reflected in an endless variety of patterns
2 : something resembling a kaleidoscope: as
a : a variegated changing pattern or scene <a>
b : a succession of changing phases or actions <a>
c : a diverse collection</a></a>

Question 8

Ken

Answer 8

transitive verb
1 archaic : see
2 chiefly dialect : recognize
3 chiefly Scottish : know
intransitive verb
chiefly Scottish : know

noun
1 a : the range of vision
b : sight, view
2 : the range of perception, understanding, or knowledge

Question 9

Labyrinth

Answer 9

noun
: a place that has many confusing paths or passages
: something that is extremely complicated or difficult to understand
Full Definition
1 a : a place constructed of or full of intricate passageways and blind alleys
b : a maze (as in a garden) formed by paths separated by high hedges
2 : something extremely complex or tortuous in structure, arrangement, or character : intricacy, perplexity <a>
3 : a tortuous anatomical structure; especially : the internal ear or its bony or membranous part
Examples
we eventually realized that we were lost in the labyrinth of hallways in the museum
Synonyms: maze, rabbit warren, warren</a>

Question 10

Lachrymose

Answer 10

adjective
\: tending to cause tears
\: tending to cry often
Full Definition
1 : given to tears or weeping : tearful
2 : tending to cause tears : mournful
Examples
the more lachrymose mourners at the funeral required a steady supply of tissues
Synonyms: tearful, teary, weepy

Question 11

Laconic

Answer 11

adjective
: using few words in speech or writing
Full Definition
: using or involving the use of a minimum of words : concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious
synonyms see concise
Examples
the sportscaster’s color commentary tends to be laconic but very much to the point
laconic by nature, he found the monastery’s vow of silence was very much to his liking
Synonyms: aphoristic, apothegmatic, brief, capsule, compact, compendious, crisp, curt, elliptical (or elliptic), epigrammatic, concise, monosyllabic, pithy, sententious, succinct, summary, telegraphic, terse, thumbnail
Antonyms: circuitous, circumlocutory, diffuse, long-winded, prolix, rambling, verbose, windy, wordy

Question 12

Larceny

Answer 12

noun
law : the act of stealing something
Full Definition
: the unlawful taking of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it permanently
Examples
the security guard waited until the shoplifter had actually left the store with the item, so as to have proof of larceny
Synonyms: theft, robbery, stealing, thievery

Question 13

Lavish

Answer 13

adjective
: giving or using a large amount of something
: given in large amounts
: having a very rich and expensive quality
Full Definition
1 : expending or bestowing profusely : prodigal
2 a : expended or produced in abundance
b : marked by profusion or excess
synonyms see profuse
Synonyms: baroque, devilish, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, fancy, immoderate, inordinate, insane, intolerable, excessive, overdue, overextravagant, overmuch, overweening, plethoric, steep, stiff, towering, unconscionable, undue, unmerciful
Antonyms: middling, moderate, modest, reasonable, temperate

transitive verb
: to expend or bestow with profusion : squander
Examples
They lavished gifts on us.
They lavished attention on their children.
They lavished us with gifts.

Question 14

Low

Answer 14

intransitive verb
\: moo
Examples
low mountains/peaks
low hills
a low building

Question 15

Ludicrous

Answer 15

adjective
: very foolish
Full Definition
1 : amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity
2 : meriting derisive laughter or scorn as absurdly inept, false, or foolish
synonyms see laughable
Examples
the ludicrous sight of their teacher in a Halloween costume
a ludicrous and easily detected attempt to forge his father’s signature on a note to school
Synonyms: antic, chucklesome, comedic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, hilarious, humoristic, humorous, hysterical (also hysteric), killing, laughable, funny, ridiculous, riotous, risible, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious
Antonyms: humorless, lame, unamusing, uncomic, unfunny, unhumorous, unhysterical

Question 16

Machiavellian

Answer 16

adjective
: using clever lies and tricks in order to get or achieve something : clever and dishonest
Full Definition
1 : of or relating to Machiavelli or Machiavellianism
2 : suggesting the principles of conduct laid down by Machiavelli; specifically : marked by cunning, duplicity, or bad faith
Examples
yet another tale of a power-mad dictator with a Machiavellian plan to take over the world
Synonyms: cutthroat, immoral, unprincipled, unconscionable, unethical, unscrupulous
Antonyms: ethical, moral, principled, scrupulous

Question 17

Maudlin

Answer 17

adjective
\: showing or expressing too much emotion especially in a foolish or annoying way
Full Definition
1 : drunk enough to be emotionally silly
2 : weakly and effusively sentimental
Examples
a maudlin movie about a lovable tramp
Synonyms: chocolate-box, cloying, drippy, fruity, gooey, lovey-dovey, corny, mawkish, mushy, novelettish, saccharine, sappy, schmaltzy, sentimental, sloppy, slushy, soppy, soupy, spoony (or spooney), sticky, sugarcoated, sugary, wet
Antonyms: unsentimental

Question 18

Meretricious

Answer 18

adjective
: attractive in a cheap or false way
Full Definition
1 : of or relating to a prostitute : having the nature of prostitution
2 a : tawdrily and falsely attractive
b : superficially significant : pretentious
synonyms see gaudy

Question 19

Mettle

Answer 19

noun
: strength of spirit : ability to continue despite difficulties
Full Definition
1 a : vigor and strength of spirit or temperament
b : staying quality : stamina
2 : quality of temperament or disposition
synonyms see courage

Question 20

Microcosm

Answer 20

noun
: something (such as a place or an event) that is seen as a small version of something much larger
Full Definition
1 : a little world; especially : the human race or human nature seen as an epitome of the world or the universe
2 : a community or other unity that is an epitome of a larger unity