Week 2 Vocab

Question 1

Sanction

Answer 1

[SANGK-shuhn] (n) 
1. 
(POSITIVE 
meaning) 
Official
 or 
authoritative
 permission 
or 
authorization; 
 support
 or 
encouragement; 
(v) 
To 
approve 
or 
authorize 
officially;
 to 
support 
or 
tolerate
 by
showing
 approval

 2.
 (NEGATIVE 
meaning)
 A 
penalty 
meant
 to
 force 
compliance; 
a 
military 
or 
economic measure 
adopted 
by 
several 
nations
 and 
meant
 to
 coerce 
another 
nation 
violating
 international 
law; 
 (v)
 To 
penalize, 
especially 
for 
a 
violation 
of 
international 
law. “Sanction rates will be reduced if clients are better able to meet the modified requirements”

Question 2

Complaisant

Answer 2

[kuhm-PLEY-suhnt] (adj.) 
Agreeable, 
eager
 to
 please,
 obliging. “The aim is the soften the satire and make it complaisant”

Question 3

Ubiquitous

Answer 3

[yoo-BIK-wi-tuhs] (adj.) 
Existing
 or 
present 
everywhere; 
constantly 
encountered 
or 
widespread. “There’s no need to worry about being able to take cash out as ATM’s are ubiquitous in Bangkok”

Question 4

Distend

Answer 4

[dih-STEND] (v) 
To 
extend
 (v)
 To 
swell
 or 
extend
 from 
internal
 pressure
. “Manhattan is amazingly distended, with skyscrapers sprouting from every corner and every block”

Question 5

Vacillate

Answer 5

[VAS-uh-leyt] (v) 
To
 hesitate
 or
 waver 
in 
forming 
an 
opinion
 or 
make 
a 
decision 
 (v)
 To 
fluctuate 
or 
oscillate. “They vacillated back and fourth from positive direction to grim outlook”

Question 6

Perfidy

Answer 6

(n)
 1.
 The 
quality
 or 
state 
of 
being 
disloyal; 
treachery;
 faithlessness 2.
 An
 act 
of 
disloyalty. “Such an act of perfidy might start a world-wide conflagration”

Question 7

Derivative

Answer 7

(adj.) 
Not
 original, 
secondary, 
or
 copied
 (adj.)
 Derived.
 “Copycats are never as good as the original and always feel derivative”

Question 8

Fracas

Answer 8

[FREY-kuhs] (n)
 A
 noisy, 
loud
 quarrel,
 brawl, 
or
 disturbance.
 “The fracas over the trust fund is largely a sideshow”

Question 9

Explicit

Answer 9

[ik-SPLIS-it] (adj.)
 Fully
 and 
clearly
 expressed, 
without
 leaving
 anything
 to 
implication
 (adj.)
 Fully 
developed 
or 
defined (adj.)
 Forthright 
and 
unambiguous 
in 
expression
. “It should anchor expectations by setting an explicit inflation target”

Question 10

Presumptuous

Answer 10

[pri-ZUHMP-choo-uhs] (adj.)
 Overstepping
 the 
bounds
 of
 what’s
 right 
or
 proper; 
inappropriately
 forward
 or 
taking
 liberties
. “It was presumptuous to think that he would do you that favor just because you were nice to him”

Question 11

Extraneous

Answer 11

[ik-STREY-nee-uhs] (adj.)
 Irrelevant,
 unrelated, 
not
 pertinent
 (adj.) 
Nonessential,
 not 
vital
 (adj.)
 Coming
 from
 outside
. “Its well-worked out, simple plot is all the stronger for not being stuffed with extraneous incidents”

Question 12

Slight

Answer 12

[slahyt] (v)
 1.
 To
 treat 
as 
unimportant
 or
 make
 light 
of
 2.
 To
 treat
 with
 disdain
 or 
discourteous
 in attention
 3.
 To
 do
 inattentively 
or
 negligently
 (n)
 An 
instance
 of 
being 
slighted 
 (adj.) 
1. 
Slim 
or 
delicate 
of 
body 
 2. 
Small 
in 
size,
 extent, 
or 
quantity 
 3.
 Trifling, 
trivial, 
or 
unimportant
 4. 
Lack
 strength 
or 
substance; 
flimsy. “His slight of hand brought life to the presentation” “He has a slight build, skinny arms and legs and a head too big for his body”

Question 13

Vigor

Answer 13

[VIG-er] (n) 
Active
 strength
 or 
energy; 
vitality. “No one questioned his renewed energy & vigor because he had always been vivacious”

Question 14

Transparent

Answer 14

[trans-PAR-uhnt] (adj.) 
Permitting
 the
 passage
 of
 light,
 sheer
 enough
 to 
see 
through (adj.)
 Frank, 
candid, 
and 
free 
of 
deceit 
or 
pretense 
 (adj.)
 Obvious; 
readily 
seen 
or 
understood (adj.)
 Open 
with 
regards 
to 
methods 
or 
practices, 
especially
 in
 business
. “The answer was transparent, the department had to be cut”

Question 15

Pristine

Answer 15

[pri-STEEN] (adj.)
 Belonging
 or 
related 
to
 the
 original,
 earliest
 condition;
 primitive
 (adj.)
 Remaining
 in
 a 
pure,
 unspoiled
 state,
 untouched
 by
 civilization
 (adj.)
 Clean
 as 
if
 new. “Her room was always pristine; everything had its own place”

Question 16

Confound

Answer 16

[kon-FOUND] (v)
 To 
confuse, perplex, 
or
 stump;
 To
 throw 
into 
disorder
 (v)
 To 
mix 
up, 
fail 
to 
notice 
differences (v)
 To
 refute, 
prove
 wrong,
 or
 put 
to
 shame. “The confounded waitress stood there, trying to understand the customer’s oder”

Question 17

Console

Answer 17

(v)
 To
 comfort,
 alleviate 
someone’s
 grief, 
suffering, 
or 
sense 
of 
loss 
 (n)
 1.
 a
 cabinet 
(such 
as 
for
 a
 television)
 designed 
to 
stand 
on 
the 
floor 2.
 the 
control 
unit
 of
 a 
computer,
 electrical
system, 
vehicle, 
etc. “She was inconsolable when her fish died and refused to speak to anyone for a week”

Question 18

Discrete

Answer 18

(n)
 Separate 
or 
distinct; 
an 
individual 
thing (n)
 Consisting
 of 
unconnected
 individual 
parts; 
not 
continuous. “Each GRE class is discrete and can be taken in any order”

Question 19

Specious

Answer 19

[SPEE-shuhs] (adj.)
 Deceptive 
in 
attractions
 or
 allure
 (adj.) 
Falsely 
appearing
 true, 
genuine, 
or
plausible. “His arguments and specious comparisons are ridiculous and not worth seriously entertaining”

Question 20

Approbation

Answer 20

[ap-ruh-BEY-shuhn] (n)
 Official 
approval
 (n)
 Commendation, 
praise; 
a
 warm 
expression
of
 approval. “She welcomed the approbation she received from her ballet performance”

Question 21

Concur

Answer 21

[kuhn-KUR] (v) 
To
 agree,
 cooperate,
 or 
coincide. “All of the scientists concur; this was the greatest discovery yet”

Question 22

Nadir

Answer 22

[NEY-der] (adj.)
 The
 lowest 
point (adj.)
 A
 point 
on 
the 
celestial 
sphere, 
opposite
 the 
zenith 
and
 below
 the
 observer. “Their usage is as much as three times higher at its peak than at its nadir”

Question 23

Tractability

Answer 23

[TRAK-tuh-buhl] (n)
 Capacity 
for 
being
 led, 
controlled, 
or 
taught; 
docility
 (n)
 Malleability; 
Ease 
of 
being 
handled 
or
worked 
with
. “It is not scientific to over-simplify premises and models to gain tractability at the expense of accuracy”

Question 24

Impermeable

Answer 24

[im-PUR-mee-uh-buhl] (adj.)
 Not
 permeable; 
preventing
 passage
 through
 or 
into 
itself. “Line the hole with plastic or some other impermeable material”

Question 25

Denunciation

Answer 25

[dih-nuhn-see-EY-shuhn] (n) 
1. 
public 
condemnation 
or 
censure 2.
 an
 accusation 
of 
a 
crime. “Your denunciation of such behavior would be far more effective if you cit specific examples”

Question 26

Lackluster

Answer 26

[LAK-luhs-ter] (adj.)
 Without 
luster 
or 
brilliance;
 dull
. “He got off to a lackluster start this season, but he’s been doing progressively better”

Question 27

Foment

Answer 27

[foh-MENT] (v) 
To 
foster 
or 
promote 
the 
development 
of; 
to
 incite 
or 
rouse. “They were reputed to foment wars and revolutions for their own selfish purposes”

Question 28

Deference

Answer 28

[DEF-er-uhns] (n)
 Submission 
to 
or 
due 
respect 
for 
superiors 
or 
elders. “Deference and obedience to one’s elders is important”

Question 29

Veracity

Answer 29

[vuh-RAS-i-tee] (n)
 Conformity 
or 
adherence 
to 
the 
truth 
or 
accuracy. “The fact that he did not recognize the danger he was in makes me doubt his veracity and intelligence”

Question 30

Diffuse

Answer 30

[v. dih-FYOOZ; adj. dih-FOOS] (adj.) 
Dispersed,
 spread
 out
 (adj.) 
Wordy 
and 
poorly 
organized
. “The result is to scatter our attention and diffuse our concentration”

Question 31

Innocuous

Answer 31

[ih-NOK-yoo-uhs] (adj.)
 Harmless
 or 
without 
negative 
effect (adj.)
 Unlikely 
to 
offend 
or 
inspire 
a
 strong
reaction; 
insipid 
or 
bland
. “The text was about something innocuous: A request to go to the county fair”

Question 32

Audacious

Answer 32

[aw-DEY-shuhs] (adj.)
 Recklessly 
bold;
 (adj.)
 Insolent 
or
contemptuous
 of 
rules (adj.)
 Original 
and 
spirited
. “It was an audacious marketing strategy and the aggressive tactics worked”

Question 33

Exculpatory

Answer 33

[ik-SKUHL-puh-tohr-ee] (v) 
To
 clear 
from
 a
 charge
 or 
guilt. “The decision was to exculpate his record”

Question 34

Abate

Answer 34

[uh-BEYT] (v)
 To 
reduce 
in 
degree,
 amount, 
or 
intensity. “The damage will get worst before it begins to abate”

Question 35

Obstinate

Answer 35

[OB-stuh-nit] (adj.) 
Stubbornly
 sticking
 to
 an
 attitude,
 opinion, 
purpose, 
or 
course, 
against 
 argument
 or 
persuasion;
 difficult 
to 
control, 
subdue, 
or 
remedy
. “Remaining obstinate could do the President more harm than good”

Question 36

Prodigious

Answer 36

[pruh-DIJ-uhs] (adj.)
 Impressive 
or 
extraordinary 
in 
bulk,
 amount, 
or 
degree; 
enormous
 (adj.)
 Marvelous, 
eliciting
 amazement
. “The legal costs could be prodigious”

Question 37

Stolid

Answer 37

[STOL-id] (adj.) 
Unemotional 
or 
impassive
. “He was stolid even after hearing about his defeat”

Question 38

Alleviate

Answer 38

[uh-LEE-vee-eyt] (v)
 To
 mitigate, 
lessen, 
or 
make
 bearable. “The nurse attempted to alleviate the pain with Advil”

Question 39

Levy

Answer 39

[LEV-ee] (v)
 1.
 To 
impose
 and
 collect 
(such 
as 
a 
tax) 2.
 To 
draft 
troops 
into
 military 
service 3. 
To
 declare 
and 
wage 
war. “The countries levied a war against each other that laster for ten years”

Question 40

Exacerbate

Answer 40

[eg-ZAS-er-beyt] (v)
 To
 make 
more 
severe, 
violent, 
or 
bitter; 
to
 aggravate, 
intensify, 
or 
inflame. “Throwing water at an oil fire will exacerbate the flames”

Question 41

Covert

Answer 41

[koh-VERT] (adj.)
 Not 
openly 
done,
 acknowledged,
 or
avowed; 
veiled (adj.)
 Sheltered
 or 
covered
. “The covert mission lead to a successful outcome”

Question 42

Apprise

Answer 42

[uh-PRAHYZ] (v)
 To
 inform, 
tell, 
or 
give
 notice 
to. “No one was there to apprise her of what was to come next”

Question 43

Recalcitrant

Answer 43

[ri-KAL-si-truhnt] (adj.) 
Stubbornly 
resisting 
or
 defying
 authority
 or
 guidance
. “His recalcitrant behavior lead to his arrest”

Question 44

Derision

Answer 44

[dih-RIZH-uhn] (n) 
Ridicule,
 mockery,
 or
 scorn

. “He was corrected quite publicly and with great derision”

Question 45

Taciturn

Answer 45

[TAS-i-turn] (adj.)
 Disinclined
 to
 speak 
by
 temperament
. “He was a mild-mannered and taciturn man who lived a life of solitude”

Question 46

Blithe

Answer 46

[blahyth] (adj.)
 Lighthearted,
 carefree,
 joyous,
 or 
gaily
 cheerful (adj.)
 Thoughtless,
 heedless, 
or 
without
 regard
 or
 consideration
. “The children’s blithe made the old woman smile”

Question 47

Convoke

Answer 47

[kuhn-VOHK] (v) 
To 
call 
(as
 a
 group
 of 
people) 
to 
a 
meeting. “My manager enjoys convoking meetings at 4:45 PM every Friday.

Question 48

Impetuous

Answer 48

[im-PECH-oo-uhs] (adj.) 
Impulsive,
 characterized
 by 
sudden,
 passionate 
action
 (adj.)
 Violent 
or 
forceful. “The student exhibited an impetuous behavior without thinking about the consequences”

Question 49

Ponderous

Answer 49

[PON-der-uhs] (adj.) 
Of
 great
 weight;
 unwieldy
 due 
to
 heaviness
 and 
bulk
 (adj.)
 Labored,
 dull, 
or 
lifeless
 . “Many deemed it to be a noble effort, but weighty and ponderous nevertheless”