vocab #6

Question 1

ludicrous

Answer 1

inviting ridicule
ex: why that’s ludicrous!

Question 2

martinet

Answer 2

someone who demands conformity
ex: the teacher was a martinet

Question 3

maudlin

Answer 3

very sentimental/emotional
ex: titanic is very maudlin

Question 4

nebulous

Answer 4

lacking definite form/limits
ex: the trees in the fog looked nebulous to them

Question 5

obsequious

Answer 5

attempting to win favor by flattery
ex: someone who is a teacher’s pet is obsequious

Question 6

ostracize

Answer 6

expel from a community or group
ex: he was ostracized by our friend group

Question 7

panacea

Answer 7

hypothetical remedy for all ills
ex: it may be a panacea, but it is not a definite solution.

Question 8

pander

Answer 8

yield to
ex: your parents may pander if you consistently beg

Question 9

placate

Answer 9

stop being angry by pleasing them
ex: you might be able to placate him by doing the dishes.

Question 10

prodigious

Answer 10

great in size, force, extent, or degree
ex: a prodigious writer

Question 11

prolific

Answer 11

intellectually productive
ex: a prolific writer produces 2 novels a year.

Question 12

propensity

Answer 12

a natural tendency
ex: dogs have a propensity to bark

Question 13

prudent

Answer 13

wise thing to do
ex: it’s prudent to keep your mouth shut

Question 14

redundant

Answer 14

more than is needed

Question 15

surreptitious

Answer 15

marked by secrecy
ex: someone behaves in a surreptitious way

Question 16

taciturn

Answer 16

uncommunicative, reserved
ex: he had a taciturn nature

Question 17

truculent

Answer 17

quick to argue/always looking for a fight/hard to please
ex: that was a truculent essay

Question 18

vacillate

Answer 18

to be undecided about soemthing
ex: you might vacillate between dogs and cats

Question 19

vilify

Answer 19

to spread negative information about
ex: the nazis vilified the Jews

Question 20

vituperation

Answer 20

abusive language
ex: a political debate slips into vituperation