vocab 4

Question 1

bifurcate

Answer 1

(vb) to divide into two branches
Biff’s family tree bifurcated in 1946 when his grandmother remarried, thus creating a second branch of relatives.
Word Forms: bifurcately, bifurcation, bifurcous Related Word: fork

Question 2

bombast

Answer 2

(n) high-sounding language with little meaning, used to impress people.
Be sure that your speech isn’t pretentious or inflated, as the audience has no time to listen to bombast.
Word Forms: bombastic, bombastically, bombaster

Question 3

bonhomie

Answer 3

(n) friendliness
Bonnie had many friends who admired her kind nature and bonhomie.
Word Form: bonhomous

Question 4

humbug

Answer 4

deceptive or false talk or behaviour.
“his comments are sheer humbug”

Question 5

boor

Answer 5

(n) a person who is rude, clumsy, and lacking social manners
Boris was a boor at the dinner party; after telling the host that her house was cheaply decorated, he ate his steak
with his fingers and burped during the meal.
Word Forms: boorish, boorishly, boorishness
Note: Be careful not to confuse a boor (a rude person) with a bore (a boring person).

Question 6

bromide

Answer 6

(n) a common saying
As true as the old bromides are, such as “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” none of
them are much comfort to a newly-broken heart.
Word Forms: bromidic, bromidically

Question 7

bucolic

Answer 7

(adj) relating to country life; rural
The farmer lived a bucolic lifestyle, rising with the sun to tend the farm and retiring at sundown.
Word Forms: bucolical, bucolically

Question 8

burgeon

Answer 8

(vb) to flourish
Under the mayor’s direction, the quiet town burgeoned into an active city.

Question 9

burnish

Answer 9

(vb) to polish
In preparation for his dinner party, Bernie burnished the silverware and serving platters.
Word Forms: burnishable, burnishment, burnisher Antonym Form: unburnished

Question 10

byzantine

Answer 10

(adj) highly complex or intricate
In a home loan, the byzantine language and unfamiliar terminology can be intimidating to a first-time home buyer.

Question 11

cabal

Answer 11

(n) a secret group of plotters or schemers
The cabal met in a church basement to plan the overthrow of the government.
Word Form: caballer Related Word: cabala

Question 12

cacophony

Answer 12

(n) harsh, jarring sound
On the first day of school, the band’s output was a cacophony of trumpets and horns; however, by the end of the year,
the horn section blended well with the rest of the ensemble.
Word Forms: cacophonic, cacophonous, cacophonously

Question 13

cajole

Answer 13

(vb) to influence by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
Caleb cajoled his mother into letting him borrow the car by telling her how young and pretty she looked today.
Word Forms: cajolement, cajolingly, cajolery, cajoler

Question 14

callous

Answer 14

(adj) insensitive; emotionally hardened
The senator’s callous indifference to the suffering of the people in the war-torn country cost him reelection.
Word Forms: callously, callousness Related Word: callus

Question 15

calumny

Answer 15

(n) a false statement intended to harm someone’s reputation
Callie delivered the calumny about Brittany to an audience in the cafeteria; she hoped the lie would keep the other
girl from becoming Prom queen.
Word Forms: calumniate, calumniation, calumnious, calumniously, calumniatory, calumniator

Question 16

canard

Answer 16

(n) false story or rumor
The belief that Napoleon was short is a canard; he was actually 5’7”, an above average height for a Frenchman in
1800.

Question 17

canonical

Answer 17

(adj) authorized or accepted
Pluto is no longer a canonical planet; due to its small mass, it was reclassified as a “dwarf planet” in 2006.
Word Forms: canonically, canon, canonic Antonym Forms: uncanonical, uncanonically

Question 18

cantankerous

Answer 18

(adj) ill-tempered and unwilling to cooperate
The cantankerous old man took the little boy’s sucker and refused to give it back.
Word Forms: cantankerously, cantankerousness

Question 19

capricious

Answer 19

(adj) apt to change suddenly
given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behaviour.
Cane’s capricious personality made him a fun friend but a terrible boss; social spontaneity was exciting but
workplace unpredictability was frustrating.
Word Forms: capriciously, capriciousness, caprice

Question 20

fickle

Answer 20

changing frequently, especially as regards one’s loyalties or affections.
“celebs trying to appeal to an increasingly fickle public”