testmasters vocab 101-150

Question 1

contrite

Answer 1

feeling regret and sorrow for one’s sins or offenses; pentitent

Question 2

contrived

Answer 2

false; artificial

Question 3

conundrum

Answer 3

a puzzle; a predicament

Question 4

conversant

Answer 4

very familiar with a topic or language; well informed about something (After doing a study abroad program in Spain, she became conversant in Spanish.)

Question 5

copious

Answer 5

abundant; plentiful (Think of “Copies.”)

Question 6

cordial

Answer 6

friendly

Question 7

covet

Answer 7

to desire

Question 8

crystallize

Answer 8

to cause something to become fully formed and clear

Question 9

cultivate

Answer 9

to nurture or promote (Demagogues, leaders who often use lies, often try to cultivate their followers by castigating ineffective leaders.)

Question 10

curator

Answer 10

people who preserve classical forms; the custodians of a collection

Question 11

curmudgeon

Answer 11

an old, cranky, stubborn person, cantankerous; irascible (A curmudgeon just grumbles and complains a lot.)

Question 12

cursory

Answer 12

superficial; hasty, brief (Even if you only have a cursory knowledge of some TV shows, you can still understand most plots.)

Question 13

curtail

Answer 13

stop

Question 14

cynical

Answer 14

scornful of the motives, virtue, or integrity of others

Question 15

daunting

Answer 15

discouraging

Question 16

decry

Answer 16

to strongly criticize

Question 17

deft

Answer 17

skillful

Question 18

delineate

Answer 18

mark (If you mark the borders of your garden, you are delineating them.)

Question 19

denounce

Answer 19

to condemn openly as being evil or reprehensible

Question 20

derivation

Answer 20

the obtaining or developing of something from a source or origin (the derivation of scientific laws from observation); the source from which something is derived, origin (Xocoatl is the derivation of the word chocolate.) (The word chocolate is a derivative of the word xocoatl.)

Question 21

despise

Answer 21

to regard with contempt or scorn

Question 22

dichotomy

Answer 22

a contrast (When there are two ideas, especially two opposed ideas - like war and peace, or love and hate - you have a dichotomy.)

Question 23

diffidence/diffident

Answer 23

modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence (She was diffident about stating her opinion.)

Question 24

dilettante

Answer 24

a dabbler in an art or a field of knowledge

Question 25

diligent

Answer 25

marked by persevering, painstaking effort

Question 26

diminish

Answer 26

to make smaller or less or to cause to appear so; to detract from the authority, reputation, or prestige of

Question 27

diminutive

Answer 27

extremely small in size; tiny

Question 28

dirge

Answer 28

a funeral song

Question 29

discern

Answer 29

perceive or recognize (something) (I can discern no difference between the two policies); distinguish (someone or something) with difficulty by sight or with the other senses (she could faintly discern the shape of a skull); to perceive with the eyes or intellect; detect

Question 30

discomfit

Answer 30

make (someone) feel uneasy or embarrassed (he was not noticeably discomfited by her tone)

Question 31

disconcerted

Answer 31

to upset the self-possession of; ruffle; to frustrate (plans, for example) by throwing into disorder (The news anchor became disconcerted when the teleprompter failed and she had to extemporize.)

Question 32

discriminate/discrimination

Answer 32

the ability to see the nuances or subtle distinctions

Question 33

disdain

Answer 33

to regard or treat with haughty contempt; despise

Question 34

disillusionment

Answer 34

a feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be (the high abstention rate at the election reflected the voters’ growing disillusionment with politics)

Question 35

disingenuous

Answer 35

not truly honest or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does; giving the false appearance of being honest or sincere (that innocent, teary-eyed look is just part of a disingenuous act); crafty

Question 36

diparaging

Answer 36

disapproving

Question 37

disparate/disparity

Answer 37

the condition or fact of being unequal, as in age, rank, or degree; difference

Question 38

dispirited

Answer 38

lacking enthusiasm (If you have lost your spirit and enthusiasm, you are dispirited.)

Question 39

divisive

Answer 39

creating disagreements or discord

Question 40

dour

Answer 40

silent and gloomy; serious and standoffish

Question 41

drab

Answer 41

faded and dull in appearance

Question 42

droll

Answer 42

amusingly odd or whimsically comical

Question 43

dubious

Answer 43

fraught with uncertainty or doubt; undecided; of questionable character

Question 44

dubiously

Answer 44

doubtful (Some people view bio-fuels dubiously; they do not think they are a solution to our energy crisis.)

Question 45

duplicity

Answer 45

deceptiveness; acting in two different ways to different people regarding the same matter

Question 46

dynamism

Answer 46

vitality

Question 47

eccentric

Answer 47

departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern of behavior (Most people consider her eccentric due to her strange behavior.)

Question 48

eclectic

Answer 48

made up of or combining elements from a variety of sources

Question 49

edify

Answer 49

instruct or improve (someone) morally or intellectually (religious paintings that edify the viewer) (When do we ever see elected officials engage in that sort of careful, thoughtful dialogue in an edifying way?)

Question 50

effusive

Answer 50

expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner; gushy (an effusive welcome)