Word List 2

Question 1

boorish

Answer 1

ill-mannered; The mountain boy is a boorish savage.

Question 2

epistle

Answer 2

letter; The poet wrote a dedicatory epistle.

Question 3

heresy

Answer 3

against orthodox opinion; That is heresy.

Question 4

poignant

Answer 4

deeply moving; She painted a poignant portrait of the countryside.

Question 5

respite

Answer 5

a break; He took a respite from the outside world.

Question 6

terse

Answer 6

concise; She spoke in a terse manner.

Question 7

obscure

Answer 7

difficult to understand; The directions were in an obscure language.

Question 8

acrophobia

Answer 8

fear of heights; He can’t go rock climbing due to his acrophobia.

Question 9

bourgeois

Answer 9

middle class; The bourgeois citizens’ opinions were conventional.

Question 10

debility

Answer 10

weakness; incapacity; The debility of a medical condition prevents him from learning.

Question 11

epistolary

Answer 11

concerned with letters; We had an epistolary friendship.

Question 12

languid

Answer 12

slow; His fatigue caused a languid manner.

Question 13

obscured

Answer 13

hidden; The murkiness obscured the view.

Question 14

resplendent

Answer 14

glowing; The gems sparkled resplendently.

Question 15

debunking

Answer 15

exposing false claims or myths; She debunked the ad campaign.

Question 16

epitomized

Answer 16

typified; He epitomizes the highest principles of morality.

Question 17

hidebound

Answer 17

rigid in opinions; The hidebound philosopher will not listen to anyone but himself.

Question 18

languish

Answer 18

decay; get weaker; His body languished in prison.

Question 19

obsequious

Answer 19

servile, submissive; She gave an obsequious bow.

Question 20

polemical

Answer 20

controversial; They entered into a polemical argument.

Question 21

decathlon

Answer 21

an athletic competition with 10 events; He was a high jumper in the decathlon.

Question 22

equivocate

Answer 22

speak ambiguously; avoid telling the truth; The candidate equivocated in the debate.

Question 23

larceny

Answer 23

theft; They committed grand larceny.

Question 24

timorous

Answer 24

cowardly; The noise made them timorous.

Question 25

adroit

Answer 25

skillful; He is an adroit debater.

Question 26

decorum

Answer 26

dignified, correct behavior; Conduct yourselves with decorum.

Question 27

largess

Answer 27

generosity; The largess of the sponsors provided enough funds for the cause.

Question 28

pontificate

Answer 28

speak pompously or dogmatically; He spoke with pontification.

Question 29

reticent

Answer 29

restrained; He spoke reticently about his recent divorce.

Question 30

tirade

Answer 30

stream of verbal abuse; She offered a tirade against abortion.

Question 31

adulation

Answer 31

servile admiration; The teen girls’ adulation for the rock star was revolting.

Question 32

bristle

Answer 32

to show irritation; The dog bristled when woken up.

Question 33

histrionic

Answer 33

theatrical; Calm down, there is no need for the histrionics.

Question 34

laud

Answer 34

praise; I laud your decision.

Question 35

obstreperous

Answer 35

noisy and boisterous; The children’s obstreperous conduct is unacceptable.

Question 36

portend

Answer 36

foretell; The clouds portend a storm.

Question 37

titter

Answer 37

giggle quietly; The children are tittering in the background.

Question 38

adversity

Answer 38

hardship; She overcame great adversity.

Question 39

broach

Answer 39

start to discuss; He broached the topic carefully.

Question 40

deference

Answer 40

respect; Out of deference for our friendship, I will relent.

Question 41

esoteric

Answer 41

obscure; The song provides many esoteric allusions.

Question 42

hoary

Answer 42

old; He told his grandchildren many hoary myths.

Question 43

lavish

Answer 43

on a grand scale; wasteful; She spends lavishly.

Question 44

obtuse

Answer 44

mentally dull; Don’t be obtuse.

Question 45

portent

Answer 45

a warning sign; This is a portent of things to come.

Question 46

tome

Answer 46

large book; That tome contains many stories.

Question 47

brusque

Answer 47

blunt, abrupt; She was given only a brusque welcome.

Question 48

defoliate

Answer 48

cause leaves to fall off; The trees defoliate.

Question 49

espouse

Answer 49

take up; support; I espouse the cause.

Question 50

obviate

Answer 50

avoid; This obviates the risk of unnecessary injuries.

Question 51

poseur

Answer 51

someone who puts on an act; High school is full of poseurs.

Question 52

riddled

Answer 52

full of (usually full of holes); This story is riddled with errors.

Question 53

torpid

Answer 53

inactive, stagnant; The creature is torpid and slow.

Question 54

bulwark

Answer 54

fortification; The dam serves as a bulwark against the lake.

Question 55

defunct

Answer 55

no longer in existence; The tribe is defunct.

Question 56

odious

Answer 56

hateful; The odious leader sneered.

Question 57

posterity

Answer 57

future generations; The posterity of this family depends on you.

Question 58

rife

Answer 58

common; Crime is rife in these areas.

Question 59

torpor

Answer 59

sluggishness; She awakens from a long torpor.

Question 60

affable

Answer 60

friendly, social, easygoing; He is an affable and courteous gentleman.

Question 61

degradation

Answer 61

poverty; debasement; The degradation of the ghetto is disheartening.

Question 62

eulogy

Answer 62

praise; He gave a eulogy.

Question 63

legion

Answer 63

in large numbers; The legion of soldiers stood still.

Question 64

officious

Answer 64

domineering, intrusive; She interrupted officiously.

Question 65

rigor

Answer 65

thoroughness; The logical rigor of mathematics is not for everyone.

Question 66

totter

Answer 66

walk unsteadily; The baby tottered to his parents.