Vocab 2

Question 1

Abate

Answer 1

to lessen in intensity or degree

Question 2

Accolade

Answer 2

an expression of praise

Question 3

Adulation

Answer 3

excessive praise; intense adoration

Question 4

Aesthetic

Answer 4

dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to the beautiful

Question 5

Ameliorate

Answer 5

to make better or more tolerable

Question 6

Ascetic

Answer 6

One who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion

Question 7

Avarice

Answer 7

greed, esp. for wealth

Question 8

Burgeon

Answer 8

to grow rapidly or flourish

Question 9

Bucolic

Answer 9

rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants

Question 10

Cacophony

Answer 10

harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance

Question 11

Canon

Answer 11

an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature

Question 12

Castigation

Answer 12

severe criticism or punishment

Question 13

Caustic

Answer 13

burning or stinging of flesh

sarcastic in a scathing bitter way

Question 14

Chary

Answer 14

cautious, suspicious and reluctant to do something

Question 15

Cogent

Answer 15

clear, logical, convincing

Question 16

Complaisance

Answer 16

the willingness to comply with the wishes of others

Question 17

Contrite

Answer 17

regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness

Question 18

Culpable

Answer 18

deserving blame

Question 19

Dearth

Answer 19

a scarcity or lack of

Question 20

Demur

Answer 20

to question or oppose

Question 21

Didactic

Answer 21

intended to teach or instruct

Question 22

Ebullience

Answer 22

the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings

Question 23

Eclectic

Answer 23

Composed of elements drawn from various sources

Question 24

Elegy

Answer 24

a mournful poem

Question 25

Emollient

Answer 25

soothing esp. to the skin

Question 26

Empirical

Answer 26

based on observation or experiment

Question 27

Enigmatic

Answer 27

mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand

Question 28

Esoteric

Answer 28

intended for or understood by a small, specific group

Question 29

Exonerate

Answer 29

to remove blame

Question 30

Furtive

Answer 30

marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious

Question 31

Harangue

Answer 31

to deliver aggressive and critical speech

Question 32

Impecunious

Answer 32

lacking funds; without money

Question 33

Incipient

Answer 33

beginning to come into being or to become apparent

Question 34

Inveigle

Answer 34

to obtain by deception or flattery

Question 35

Penurious

Answer 35

penny-pinching; ungenerous

Question 36

Peruse

Answer 36

to examine with great care

Question 37

Preen

Answer 37

to dress up; to groom oneself with elaborate care

Question 38

Putrefy

Answer 38

to rot; to decay and give off foul odor

Question 39

Quaff

Answer 39

to drink deeply

Question 40

Quiescence

Answer 40

stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest

Question 41

Redoubtable

Answer 41

awe-inspiring; formidable

Question 42

Torpid

Answer 42

lethargic; sluggish

Question 43

Urbane

Answer 43

Sophisticated; refined; elegant