vocab #2

Question 1

Assiduous

Answer 1

showing great care or attention to detail; conscientious

Question 2

Blasphemy

Answer 2

the act of speaking sacrilegiously about sacred things

Question 3

Cognizant

Answer 3

having knowledge/being aware of (like incognito, shares Latin root word cognoscere – “to know”)

Question 4

Demagogue

Answer 4

a leader who gains power and popularity by arousing emotions prejudices instead of rational argument (like pedagogical, it contains the Greek suffix -agogos, which means “leading”)

Question 5

Diffident

Answer 5

modest or shy because of a lack of confidence (i.e., someone who is definitely not an exhibitionist)

Question 6

Fetid

Answer 6

smelling extremely unpleasant or putrid

Question 7

Insurrection

Answer 7

a violent uprising against authority; a mutiny

Question 8

Insouciant

Answer 8

showing a casual lack of concern; nonchalant

Question 9

Masochist

Answer 9

someone who finds pleasure in his or her own suffering or humiliation (note the difference between this and a sadist)

Question 10

Myriad

Answer 10

countless or extremely great in number; innumerable

Question 11

Pariah

Answer 11

an outcast; someone who has been ostracized

Question 12

Pertinent

Answer 12

relevant or applicable to the matter at hand (antonym of immaterial)

Question 13

Pretentious

Answer 13

showy; affected; artificial; intending to impress people with inflated levels of knowledge, talent, or style

Question 14

Rambunctious

Answer 14

wildly exuberant; boisterous

Question 15

Tedious

Answer 15

excessively long, slow, or boring; monotonous; tiresome

Question 16

Trepidation

Answer 16

a feeling of fear or unease about something that may happen; qualms

Question 17

Unconscionable

Answer 17

not morally right or reasonable (similar to unscrupulous but used to describe an action, not a person)