Vocab 1

Question 1

abdicate

Answer 1

(vb) to give up, often in a formal manner
King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry Mrs. Wallis Simpson, a divorced American.
Word Forms: abdicable, abdicative, abdicator, abdication Antonym Form: unabdicative

Question 2

aberrant

Answer 2

(adj) unusual
My dog displayed aberrant behavior when he refused to greet me at the door or eat any of the treats I offered.
Word Forms: aberrance, aberrancy, aberrantly, aberrate, aberrational

Question 3

abeyance

Answer 3

(n) temporary suspension
The council voted to place the decision in abeyance for a month while more research was conducted.
Word Forms: abeyant, abeyancy

Question 4

abjure

Answer 4

(vb) to give up, often in a formal manner
King Edward VIII abjured the throne in order to marry Mrs. Wallis Simpson, a divorced American.
Word Forms: abjuratory, abjurer, abjuration Antonym Forms: unabjuratory, unabjured, nonabjuratory

Question 5

abstemious

Answer 5

(adj) sparing in consumption, especially of food and drink
Abby’s emaciated figure was the result of her abstemious lifestyle; she never ate breakfast or lunch, and rarely ate
dinner.
Word Forms: abstemiously, abstemiousness

Question 6

abstruse

Answer 6

(adj) hard to understand
Mr. Abbot tried to teach us how to solve an abstruse math problem, but it was too complicated for us to understand.
Word Forms: abstrusely, abstruseness, abstrusity

Question 7

accretion

Answer 7

(n) an increase
Akeem’s gradual accretion of duties at work did not go unnoticed; he was given a raise for taking on the extra work.
Word Forms: accrete, accretive, accretionary Antonym Forms: nonaccretion, nonaccretive

Question 8

acerbic

Answer 8

(adj) sour; harsh
Sour Patch Kids candy tastes like acerbic gummy bears.
Word Forms: acerbically, acerbate, acerbity Antonym Forms: unacerbic, unacerbically

Question 9

acidulous

Answer 9

(adj) sour; sharp
Her acidulous criticism of my paper on Shakespeare was disappointing since I had invested many hours in research.
Word Forms: acidulent, acidulation Related Words: subacidulous, acid

Question 10

acme

Answer 10

(n) the highest point
The Roman Empire reached its acme of power around 11 AD, but a slow decline occurred over the next four
centuries.
Word Forms: acmic, acmatic,

Question 11

acumen

Answer 11

(n) good judgment
The judge was respected for his acumen when sentencing convicted defendants.
Word Forms: acuminous, acuminate, acumination Antonym Form: unacuminous

Question 12

adroit

Answer 12

(adj) highly skilled, especially with one’s hands
The adroit mechanic was able to fix Addy’s old car, even though six other mechanics said it couldn’t be repaired.
Word Forms: adroitly, adroitness

Question 13

aerie

Answer 13

(n) a nest; a home high on a mountain
Our aerie atop Roan Mountain was a cozy escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Related Word: aerial

Question 14

aesthetic

Answer 14

(adj) relating to beauty
Alaina chose this church because of its aesthetic qualities; it was the most beautiful wedding chapel she had ever
seen.
Word Forms: aesthetically, aesthetics (n.), aestheticize, aesthete, aesthetician Antonym Form: unaesthetic

Question 15

affable

Answer 15

(adj) friendly
In the fable, the affable princess was adored by all except for her three stepsisters who were angered by her
friendliness.
Word Forms: affably, affability, affableness Antonym Forms: inaffable, inaffibility

Question 16

affected

Answer 16

(adj) fake; phony
Afton had never traveled outside of the United States, but he used an affected French accent to attract attention.
Word Forms: affectedly, affectedness

Question 17

aggrandize

Answer 17

(vb) increase in size
Agatha, an avid baseball enthusiast, used her inheritance to aggrandize her collection of baseball cards.
Word Forms: aggrandizement, aggrandizer, aggrandizable Related Words: aggrade, grand

Question 18

alacrity

Answer 18

(n) liveliness and eagerness
Alaina impressed her new boss by accepting the task with alacrity; she was both eager and excited to get started.
Word Form: alacritous

Question 19

alchemy

Answer 19

(n) magical power; process of turning base metals into gold
Al uses alchemy in the kitchen, turning simple ingredients into delicious culinary works of art.
Word Forms: alchemic, alchemical, alchemistic, alchemistical, alchemically, alchemist, alchemistry Related:
chemistry

Question 20

amalgamation

Answer 20

(n) a combination
Amy’s new dance routine is an amalgamation of styles, including ballet and jazz.
Word Forms: amalgam, amalgamate, amalgamable, amalgamative, amalgamator