Vocabulary

Question 1

Endemic [en·dem·ic] adj.

Answer 1

Native to a specific region or environment and not occurring naturally anywhere else.

“Malaria is endemic in tropical climates.” (n.) An endemic plant or animal.

Question 2

Atrocious [a·tro·cious] adj.

Answer 2

Horrifyingly wicked: “Atrocious cruelties.” Of a very poor quality; extremely bad or unpleasant: “Atrocious weather.”

Question 3

Abysmal [a·bys·mal] adj.

Answer 3

Extremely bad; appalling.

“The results were pretty abysmal;” “Abysmal failure.”

Question 4

Fractious [frac·tious] adj.

Answer 4

(1) Easily irritated; bad-tempered:

“they fight and squabble like fractious kids.”

(2) (of an organization) Difficult to control; unruly.

Question 5

Austerity [aus·ter·i·ty] n.

Answer 5

(1) Sternness or severity of manner or attitude.
(2) Extreme plainness and simplicity of style or appearance.

Question 6

Luminous [lu·mi·nous] adj.

Answer 6

Bright or shining, esp. in the dark. Glowing with health, vigor, or a particular emotion:

“Her eyes were luminous with joy.”

Question 7

Mitigate [mit·i·gate] v.

Answer 7

(1) Make less severe, serious, or painful:

“He wanted to mitigate the damages in court.”

(2) Lessen the gravity of (an offense or mistake).

Question 8

Determinate [de·ter·mi·nate] adj.

Answer 8

Having exact and discernible limits or form.

Question 9

Divergence [di·ver·gence] n.

Answer 9

(1) A difference or conflict in opinions, interests, wishes, etc.
(2) The process or state of diverging.

Question 10

Propitious [pro·pi·tious] adj.

Answer 10

(1) Indicating a good chance of success; favorable.

“It was a propitious time to leave the party without offending the host.”

(2) Favorably disposed toward someone.

Question 11

Tactile [tac·tile] adj.

Answer 11

(1) Of or connected with the sense of touch.
(2) Perceptible by touch or apparently so; tangible: “A tactile keyboard.”

Question 12

Facetious [fa·ce·tious] adj.

Answer 12

Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.

Question 13

Existential [ex·is·ten·tial] adj.

Answer 13

(1) Of or relating to existence.
(2) Concerned with existence, esp. human existence as viewed in the theories of existentialism.

“An existential threat.”

Question 14

Caprice [ca·price] n.

Answer 14

A sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior.

“With the caprice of a despotic king, he alternated between kindnessand cruelty.”

Question 15

Indolent; Indolence [in·do·lent] n.

Answer 15

Having or showing a disposition to avoid exertion; slothful, lazy:

“an indolent person.”

Question 16

Salacious [sa·la·cious] adj.

Answer 16

Treating sexual matters in an indecent way. Lustful; lecherous:

“A salacious grin.”

Question 17

Vacuous [vac·u·ous] adj.

Answer 17

Having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless: “a vacuous expression.”

Question 18

Vitriol; Vitriolic [vit·ri·ol] n.

Answer 18

Cruel, bitter, scathing criticism; Abusive feeling or expression.

“A vitriolic tone of voice.”

Question 19

Capacious [ca·pa·cious] adj.

Answer 19

Having a lot of space inside; roomy.

“A capacious closet.”

Question 20

Predacious [pre·da·cious] adj.

Answer 20

Predatory; Given to victimizing, plundering, or destroying for one’s own gain.

“A victim of predacious behavior.”

Question 21

Vitiate [vi·ti·ate] v.

Answer 21

Spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of.

“The government programs were vitiated by excessive red tape.”

Destroy or impair the legal validity of.

Question 22

Spurious [spu·ri·ous] adj.

Answer 22

Not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit. Not being what it purports to be; false or fake.

“Spurious claims.”

Question 23

Pejorative [pe·jo·ra·tive] adj.

Answer 23

Expressing contempt or disapproval. Disparaging; belittling.

“He used pejorative overtones in his speech.”

Question 24

Sardonic [sar·don·ic] adj.

Answer 24

Grimly mocking or cynical.

“He had a sardonic expression after hearing the bad joke.”

Question 25

Veracity [ve·rac·i·ty] n.

Answer 25

Conformity to facts; accuracy. Habitual truthfulness.

“What is the veracity of these allegations.”

“Her veracity and character.”

Question 26

Abstruse [ab·struse] adj.

Answer 26

Difficult to understand; obscure.

“An abstruse argument presented by the lawyers.”

Question 27

Labyrinth [lab·y·rinth] n.

Answer 27

A complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one’s way; a maze.

“Exploring the labyrinth of waterways.” An intricate and confusing arrangement.