The Words

Question 1

abash (uh BASH)

Answer 1

v. to make ashamed; to embarrass

Question 2

abate (uh BATE)

Answer 2

v. to subside; to reduce

Question 3

abdicate (AB duh KATE)

Answer 3

v. to step down from a position of power or responsibility

Question 4

aberration (AB uh RAY shun

Answer 4

n. something not typical; a deviation from the standard

Question 5

abhor (ab HAWR)

Answer 5

v. to hate very, very much; to detest

Question 6

abject (AB jekt)

Answer 6

adj. hopeless; extremely sad and servile; defeated; utterly bummed out

Question 7

banal (BANE ul)

Answer 7

adj. unoriginal; ordinary

Question 8

bane (bane)

Answer 8

n. poison; torment; cause of harm

Question 9

bastion (BAS chun)

Answer 9

n. stronghold; fortress; fortified place

Question 10

beget (bi GET)

Answer 10

v. to give birth to; to create; to lead to; to cause

Question 11

belabor (bi LAY bur)

Answer 11

v. to go over repeatedly or to an absurd extent

Question 12

beleaguer (bi LEE gur)

Answer 12

v. to surround; to besiege; to harrass

Question 13

cacophony (kuh KOF uh nee)

Answer 13

n. harsh-sounding mixture of words, voices, or sounds

Question 14

cadence (KADE uns)

Answer 14

n. rhythm; the rise and fall of sounds

Question 15

cajole (kuh JOHL)

Answer 15

v. to persuade someone to do something he or she doesn’t want to do

Question 16

callow (KAL oh)

Answer 16

adj. immature

Question 17

candor (KAN dur)

Answer 17

n. truthfulness; sincere honesty

Question 18

capitalism (KAP i tuh LIZ um)

Answer 18

n. free enterprise; an economic system in which businesses are owned by private citizens (not the government) and in which the resulting products and services are sold with relatively little government control

Question 19

daunt (dawnt)

Answer 19

v. to make fearful; to intimidate

Question 20

dearth (durth)

Answer 20

n. lack; scarcity

Question 21

debacle (di BAH kul)

Answer 21

n. violent breakdown; sudden overthrow

Question 22

debauchery (di BAW chuh ree)

Answer 22

n. wild living; excessive intemperance

Question 23

debilitate (di BIL i TATE)

Answer 23

v. to weaken; to cripple

Question 24

decadent (DEK uh dunt)

Answer 24

adj. decaying or decayed, especially in terms of morals

Question 25

ebullient (i BUL yunt)

Answer 25

adj. boiling; bubbling with excitement; exuberant

Question 26

eccentric (ik SEN trik)

Answer 26

adj. not conventional; a little kooky; irregular

Question 27

eclectic (i KLEK tik)

Answer 27

adj. choosing the best from many sources; drawn from many sources

Question 28

edify (ED uh FYE)

Answer 28

v. to enlighten; to instruct, especially in moral or religious matters

Question 29

efface (i FASE)

Answer 29

v. to erase; to rub away the features of

Question 30

effusion (i FYOO zhun)

Answer 30

n. a pouring forth

Question 31

fabrication (FAB ruh KAY shun)

Answer 31

n. a lie; something made up

Question 32

facetious (fuh SEE shus)

Answer 32

adj. humorous; not serious; clumsily humorous

Question 33

facile (fAS il)

Answer 33

adj. fluent; skillful in a superficial way; easy