Semester exam review words

Question 1

adroit

Answer 1

clever or skillful in using the hands or mind.

Question 2

adulterate

Answer 2

render (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance, typically an inferior one.

Question 3

affluence

Answer 3

the state of having a great deal of money; wealth.

Question 4

ambiguous

Answer 4

open to more than one interpretation; having a double meaning.

Question 5

antithesis

Answer 5

a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.

Question 6

bauble

Answer 6

a small, showy trinket or decoration.

Question 7

bedlam

Answer 7

a scene of uproar and confusion.

Question 8

besmirch

Answer 8

damage the reputation of (someone or something) in the opinion of others.

Question 9

bonafide

Answer 9

genuine; real.

Question 10

brevity

Answer 10

concise and exact use of words in writing or speech.

Question 11

cajole

Answer 11

persuade someone to do something by sustained coaxing or flattery.

Question 12

cataclysm

Answer 12

a large-scale and violent event in the natural world.

Question 13

celibate

Answer 13

a person who abstains from marriage and sexual relations.

Question 14

censure

Answer 14

the expression of formal disapproval

Question 15

defile

Answer 15

sully, mar, or spoil.

Question 16

deride

Answer 16

express contempt for; ridicule.

Question 17

diaphanous

Answer 17

(esp. of fabric) light, delicate, and translucent.

Question 18

elicit

Answer 18

evoke or draw out (a response, answer, or fact) from someone in reaction to one’s own actions or questions.

Question 19

elucidate

Answer 19

make (something) clear; explain.

Question 20

empathy

Answer 20

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Question 21

ephemeral

Answer 21

lasting for a very short time.

Question 22

fiscal

Answer 22

of or relating to government revenue, esp. taxes.

Question 23

fissure

Answer 23

a long, narrow opening or line of breakage made by cracking or splitting, esp. in rock or earth.

Question 24

flaunt

Answer 24

display (something) ostentatiously, esp. in order to provoke envy or admiration or to show defiance.

Question 25

garrulous

Answer 25

excessively talkative, esp. on trivial matters

Question 26

grotesque

Answer 26

comically or repulsively ugly or distorted.

Question 27

hackneyed

Answer 27

(of a phrase or idea) lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite.

Question 28

halcyon

Answer 28

denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful

Question 29

harbinger

Answer 29

a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another

Question 30

harlequin

Answer 30

a mute character in traditional pantomime, typically masked and dressed in a diamond-patterned costume.