Vocab 4

Question 1

excess

Answer 1

plethora

Assuming that more was better, the defendant offered the judge a plethora of excuses.

Question 2

crude or coarse; characteristic of commoners

Answer 2

plebeian

After five weeks of rigorous studying, the graduate settled in for a weekend of plebeian socializing and television watching.

Question 3

able to be molded, altered, or bent

Answer 3

plastic

The new material was very plastic and could be formed into products of vastly different shape.

Question 4

to soothe or pacify

Answer 4

placate

The burglar tried to placate the snarling dog by referring to it as a “nice doggy” and offering it a treat.

Question 5

an abusive, condemnatory speech

Answer 5

diatribe

The trucker bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off.

Question 6

allowing light to show through; delicate

Answer 6

diaphanous

These diaphanous curtains do nothing to block out the sunlight.

Question 7

jumping from one thing to another; disconnected

Answer 7

desultory

Athena had a desultory academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in 3 years.

Question 8

to dry out thoroughly

Answer 8

desiccate

After a few weeks lying on the desert’s baking sand, the cow’s carcass became completely desiccated.

Question 9

to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock

Answer 9

deride

The awkward child was often derided by his “cooler” peers.

Question 10

to express doubts or objections

Answer 10

demur

When scientific authorities claimed that all the planets revolved around the Earth, Galileo, with his superior understanding of the situation, was forced to demur.

Question 11

a leader or rabble-rouser, usually one appealing to emotion or prejudice

Answer 11

demagogue

He began his career as a demagogue, giving fiery speeches at political rallies.

Question 12

subtly or unexpectedly harmful

Answer 12

deleterious

If only we have known the clocks were defective before putting them on the market, it wouldn’t have been quite so deleterious to our reputation.

Question 13

respect; courtesty

Answer 13

deference

The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost deference.

Question 14

to mar the appearance of; to vandalize

Answer 14

deface

After the wall was torn down, the students began to deface the statues of Communist leaders of the formed Eastern Bloc.

Question 15

appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety

Answer 15

decorum

The countless complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the decorum appropriate for a visit to the palace.

Question 16

proper; tasteful; socially correct

Answer 16

decorous

The countess trained her daughters in the finer points of decorous behavior, hoping they would make a good impression when she presented them at Court.

Question 17

a downward slope

Answer 17

declivity

Because the village was situated on the declivity of a hill, it never flooded.

Question 18

to penetrate

Answer 18

permeate

This miraculous new cleaning fluid is able to permeate stains and dissolve them in minutes!

Question 19

to perceive or recognize

Answer 19

discern

It is easy to discern the difference between butter and butter-flavored topping.

Question 20

to set right; to free from error

Answer 20

disabused

Galileo’s observations disabused scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the Earth.

Question 21

a funeral hymn or mournful speech

Answer 21

dirge

Melville wrote a dirge for the funeral of James McPherson, a Union general who was killed in 1864.

Question 22

someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic

Answer 22

dilettante

Jerry’s friends were such dilettantes they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week.

Question 23

intended to delay

Answer 23

dilatory

The congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill.

Question 24

to make larger; to expand

Answer 24

dilate

Question 25

lacking self-confidence

Answer 25

diffident

Question 26

an authoritative statement

Answer 26

dictum "You have time to lean, you have time to clean." was the dictum our boss made us live by.

Question 27

the growth process from conception to birth

Answer 27

gestation

Question 28

tending to talk a lot

Answer 28

garrulous The garrulous parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking.

Question 29

to gather and store

Answer 29

garner The director managed to garner financial backing from several different sources for his next project.

Question 30

to dance or skip around playfully

Answer 30

gambol From her office, Amy enviously watched the playful puppies gambol around Central Park.

Question 31

secret; stealthy

Answer 31

furtive Glenn was furtive when he peered out of the corner of his eye at the stunningly beautiful model.

Question 32

tending to be thrifty or cheap

Answer 32

frugality

Question 33

frantic; frenzied

Answer 33

frenetic The employee's frenetic schedule left her little time to socialize.

Question 34

unruly; rebellious

Answer 34

fractious The general had a hard time maintaining discipline among his fractious troops.

Question 35

happening by chance; fortunate

Answer 35

fortuitous It was fortuitous that he won the lotto just before he had to pay back his loans.

Question 36

to prevent or delay; to anticipate

Answer 36

forestall

Question 37

to cross a body of water by wading

Answer 37

ford

Question 38

to arouse or incite

Answer 38

foment The rebels tried to foment revolution through their attacks on the government.

Question 39

excessively decorated or embellished

Answer 39

florid The palace had been decorated in an excessively florid style.

Question 40

to decline in vigor, strength or interest

Answer 40

flag The marathon runner slowed down as his strength flagged.

Question 41

foul-smelling; putrid

Answer 41

fetid The fetid stench from the outhouse caused Frances to wrinkle her nose in disgust.

Question 42

intensely emotional; feverish

Answer 42

fervid The fans of Maria Callas were particularly fervid, doing anything to catch a glimpse of the great opera singer.

Question 43

fertile; fruitful; productive

Answer 43

fecund The fecund couple yielded a total of 20 children.

Question 44

to grovel

Answer 44

fawn The understudy fawned over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis.

Question 45

stupid; foolishly self-satisfied

Answer 45

fatuous Ted's fatuous comments always embarrassed his keen-witted wife at parties.

Question 46

acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion

Answer 46

fanatical The stormtroppers were fanatical in their devotion to the emperor, readily sacrificing their lives for him.

Question 47

dignified; grandiose

Answer 47

august The august view of the Grand Teton summit took my breath away.

Question 48

a prophecy; a prediction of events

Answer 48

augury Troy hoped the rainbow was an augury of good things to come.

Question 49

fearless and daring

Answer 49

audacious The audacious peasant dared to insult the king's mother.

Question 50

to reduce in force or degree; to weaken

Answer 50

attenuate The Bill of Rights attenuated the traditional power of government to change laws at will.