Units 3-5 - Pd 1

Question 1

pedestrian

Answer 1

Ordinary or dull

The diners were less than impressed with the pedestrian meal – hot dogs and chips.

Question 2

bona fide

Answer 2

Genuine; real

The antiques dealer confirmed that our coins were bona fide colonial era currency.

Question 3

Sadistic

Answer 3

deriving pleasure from causing pain

The serial killer was called sadistic by the news after it was found that he murdered several women without a motive.

Question 4

deviate

Answer 4

to stray

The boy deviated from the path and got lost in the woods.

Question 5

ambiguous

Answer 5

vague; open to more than one interpretation

The spectators at the art exhibit each saw a different image in the ambiguous painting.

Question 6

rakish

Answer 6

dashingly stylish and confident

The rakish businessman walked into the interview with high hopes of getting hired for his affluence could already afford him a chic suit.

Question 7

debacle

Answer 7

a complete failure or disaster

Joe’s party turned out to be a debacle when no one showed up.

Question 8

Impair

Answer 8

To weaken

The doctor was impaired by the sickness.

Question 9

Quasi-

Answer 9

Somewhat

I was quasi-happy with my performance; I did not do my best, but I did not do my worst either.

Question 10

non sequitur

Answer 10

does not follow / argument that doesn’t make sense

The Cadbury commercial with two kids was very non sequitur because it had nothing to do with the product.

Question 11

Obloquy

Answer 11

Strong disapproval.

It was obvious to the mother that the dancing purple dinosaur on tv had become the victim of her stubborn 5-year old son’s obloquy. After all, the boy threw the remote at the television every time the show came on.

Question 12

Impale

Answer 12

To be pierced with a sharp object

Yuki impaled his finger on a shard from a broken stirring rod while cleaning a beaker.

Question 13

nebulous

Answer 13

hazy; unclear

The idea was nebulous to the students who were not familiar with passive voice.

Question 14

besmirch

Answer 14

to dirty; to stain

After the boy cheated on the test, he besmirched his sense of trust with the teacher.

Question 15

Fop

Answer 15

a person with fashion conscious

The fashion-forward Russell Westbrook is a fop.

Question 16

cataclysm

Answer 16

A violent change

The volcano’s explosion caused cataclysmic changes in the atmosphere.

Question 17

demeanor

Answer 17

behavior or manner

The girl who had just failed the test had a sad demeanor the rest of the day.

Question 18

imprecation

Answer 18

a curse

The wizard cast an imprecation on the prince, turning him into a frog.

Question 19

glower

Answer 19

to glare

The librarian glowered at the loud kids who weren’t getting their work done.

Question 20

fortuitous

Answer 20

happening by accident

Bob Ross would agree that any paint strokes he does not make on purpose are simply fortuitous.

Question 21

importune

Answer 21

to beg

Those who raise funds for charity will appeal to your emotions to importune you for donations.

Question 22

elegy

Answer 22

sad, mournful poem

The elegy was conveyed so passionately that the entire audience cried.

Question 23

fecund

Answer 23

fertile

The farmer was more than happy that his fields were fecund and beautiful this year.

Question 24

ebullient

Answer 24

bubbly, enthusiastic

The ebullient cheerleader isn’t only peppy on the field but off the field too.

Question 25

panegyric

Answer 25

speech of strong praise The ancient Greeks delivered many long panegyrics to rouse the citizens to glorify their ancestors.

Question 26

deference

Answer 26

a show of respect; respectful consideration Students are expected to show deference towards their teachers.

Question 27

extenuate

Answer 27

to lessen the seriousness by providing some plausible excuses Jenny attempted to extenuate the problem by cracking a joke.

Question 28

pedantic

Answer 28

showing off one's intelligence The college professor is so pedantic, as he uses words we do not understand.

Question 29

Bowdlerize

Answer 29

*To remove material that is considered improper or offensive* If 50 Shades of Grey got bowdlerized, there would be no movie.

Question 30

sanguine

Answer 30

happy-go-lucky, optimistic, bullish Despite economic hardship, many people still had a **sanguine** attitude that made them still have hope of a return to prosperity.

Question 31

Celibate

Answer 31

A person who abstains from sexual activity or marriage. Yesterday he had seriously believed himself to be a celibate for life; he had dismissed forever the hope of happiness.

Question 32

Edify

Answer 32

to instruct or improve someone's morality or intelect The boy edified his younger brother after he broke his mother's vase and lied.

Question 33

parochial

Answer 33

narrow or limited Conservatives have a parochial view on marriage as they only believe in the communion between a man and a woman.

Question 34

adventitious

Answer 34

a happy accident It was adventitious when the man tripped and fell, but found a 20 dollar bill where he landed.

Question 35

Obfuscate

Answer 35

To confuse I hate to create obfuscation, but I must point out that the pronunciation of the word "obfuscate" is itself confusing!

Question 36

Baroque

Answer 36

Overly decorated The baroque architecture gave the building a medieval look.

Question 37

Hedonism

Answer 37

pursuit of pleasure (especially in a bodily sense) The hedonism of the ancient civilization lead to its demise because they chose to drink and be merry rather than defend their city.

Question 38

Quandary

Answer 38

*A state of perplexity or doubt* iheartmemphis was in a quandary about whether or not he should "throw a flag on the play."

Question 39

Sacrosanct

Answer 39

Extremely holy. The sacrosanct priest focused primarily on religion and refused to sway his beliefs.

Question 40

carnal

Answer 40

of or having to do with the body After spending endless months serving in the military, the man looks forward to receiving carnal pleasure from his wife in the bedroom.

Question 41

Recapitulate

Answer 41

To summarize Ms. Kenee made the student recapitulate the major points of the story.

Question 42

Perfunctory

Answer 42

Done without care; haphazard. The building is on the verge of collapse due to its perfunctory construction.

Question 43

Optimum

Answer 43

ideal; most favorable (as pertaining to conditions, for example) We had hoped for optimum results from the surgery, and the doctor confirmed that we had gotten what we wished for. Dana was going to fully recover!

Question 44

Imperative

Answer 44

of vital importance; crucial It is imperative that you file your taxes by April 15 if you want to avoid penalty with the IRS.

Question 45

Facetious

Answer 45

treating serious issues with inappropriate humor; flippant My boss kept telling me that I had to come in on Saturday to work on an enormous project. I kept waiting for him to say, "I'm just being facetious!" He never did. I worked on Saturday. I hate my boss.