Word List 36

Question 1

tact

Answer 1

sensitive mental or aesthetic perception
a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others to avoid offense

e.g. converted the novel into a play with remarkable skill and tact
The peace talks required great tact on the part of both leaders.

Question 2

tactic

Answer 2

a device for accomplishing an end
a method of employing forces in combat

e.g. an effective tactic for solving crimes
a specialist in naval tactics

Question 3

taking

Answer 3

captivating, winning, or pleasing

e.g. a taking smile

Question 4

talisman

Answer 4

an object held to act as a charm to avert evil and bring good fortune
something producing apparently magical or miraculous effects

Question 5

tally

Answer 5

to record on or as if on tally; tabulate
to make a count of
correspond

e.g. tally expenses every day
The numbers on the old list and the new list don’t tally.

Question 6

talon

Answer 6

the claw of an animal

Question 7

tambourine

Answer 7

a small drum

Question 8

tamp

Answer 8

to drive in or down by a succession of light or medium blows
to put a check on; reduce, lessen

e.g. tamp the earth around the base of the seedlings
tamp down rumors

Question 9

tantalize

Answer 9

to please or torment by or as if by presenting something desirable to the view but continually keeping it out of reach

e.g. tantalized by the possibility of earning a lot of money quickly

Question 10

tantamount

Answer 10

equivalent in value, significance, or effect

e.g. His statement was tantamount to an admission of guilt.
a relationship tantamount to marriage

Question 11

tapestry

Answer 11

a heavy handwoven reversible textile used for hangings, curtains, and upholstery and characterized by complicated pictorial designs
something resembling tapestry (as in complexity or richness of design)

e.g. nature’s rich tapestry

Question 12

tardy

Answer 12

moving slowly; sluggish
delayed beyond the expected or proper time; late

e.g. tardy in filling out the application

Question 13

tare

Answer 13

a plant that has small flowers and is used to feed farm animals

Question 14

tarnish

Answer 14

to dull or destroy the luster of by or as if by air, dust, or dirt; soil, stain
to detract from the good quality of; vitiate

e.g. reputation tarnished by the scandal

Question 15

tarpaulin

Answer 15

waterproofed canvas

Question 16

tatty

Answer 16

rather worn, frayed, or dilapidated; shabby

e.g. The owner has let the place become increasingly fatty over the years.

Question 17

tawdry

Answer 17

cheap and gaudy in appearance or quality; also, ignoble

e.g. a tawdry attempt to smear his opponent

Question 18

taxonomy

Answer 18

the study of the general principles of scientific classification; systematics
classification

e.g. the taxonomies of various plant groups

Question 19

technocrat

Answer 19

a technical expert; especially, one exercising managerial authority

Question 20

tedium

Answer 20

the quality or state of being tedious; tediousness; also, boredom

e.g. The movie was three hours of tedium.
relieve the tedium of work

Question 21

teeter

Answer 21

to movie unsteadily; wobble
waver, vacillate

e.g. teetered on the brink of bankruptcy

Question 22

telling

Answer 22

carrying great weight and producing a marked effect; effective, expressive

e.g. the most telling evidence

Question 23

temerity

Answer 23

unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition; rashness, recklessness
a rash or reckless act

e.g. She had the temerity to ask him…

Question 24

temper

Answer 24

to dilute, qualify, or soften by the addition or influence of something else; moderate
to make stronger and more resilient through hardship; toughen

e.g. temper justice with mercy
troops tempered in battle

Question 25

tempest

Answer 25

a violent storm tumult, uproar e.g. The town council handled the tempest over cuts to the school budget as well as could be expected.

Question 26

temporal

Answer 26

of or relating to time as opposed to eternity of or relating to earthly life e.g. Each of those revolutions has its own political, cultural, and temporal context which made it distinct. temporal joy

Question 27

temporize

Answer 27

to act to suit the time or occasion; yield to current or dominant opinion to draw out discussions or negotiations so as to gain time e.g. Courtiers are made of chameleons, because they are inconstant and know how to temporize. You'd have to temporize until you found out how she wanted to be advised.

Question 28

tenable

Answer 28

capable of being held, maintained, or defended; defensible, reasonable e.g. The soldier's encampment on the open plain was not tenable, so they retreated to high ground. The tenable theory that a giant meteor strike set off a chain of events resulting in the demise of the dinosaurs.

Question 29

tenacious

Answer 29

not easily pulled apart; cohesive persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired retentive e.g. a tenacious advocate of civil rights tenacious negotiators a tenacious memory

Question 30

tendentious

Answer 30

marked by a tendency in favor of a particular point of view; biased

Question 31

tender

Answer 31

to present for acceptance; offer e.g. tender my resignation

Question 32

tenor

Answer 32

the general of basic quality or meaning of something; purport e.g. The tenor of his remarks is clear.

Question 33

tenuous

Answer 33

not dense; rare not thick; slender having little substance or strength; flimsy, weak shaky e.g. a tenuous fluid/rope tenuous influences/reasons a tenuous grasp on reality

Question 34

tepid

Answer 34

moderately warm; lukewarm lacking in passion, force, or zest marked by an absence of enthusiasm or conviction e.g. a tepid bath tepid poetry a tepid interest/response

Question 35

termite

Answer 35

a kind of soft, white insect that lives in groups, eats food, and causes a lot of damage to wooden structures

Question 36

terse

Answer 36

smoothly elegant; polished using few words; devoid of superfluity; also, short, brusque e.g. a terse summary dismissed me with a terse "no"

Question 37

testator

Answer 37

a person who dies leaving a will or testament in force

Question 38

testy

Answer 38

easily annoyed; irritable marked by impatience or ill humor e.g. testy remarks

Question 39

tether

Answer 39

something (as a rope or chain) by which an animal is fastened so that it can range only within a set radius the limit of one's strength or resources to fasten or restrain by or as if by tether e.g. at the end of my tether felt tethered to her desk until the work is done

Question 40

thatch

Answer 40

a plant material (as straw) used as a sheltering cover especially of a house to cover with or as if with thatch

Question 41

thematic

Answer 41

- theme | e. g. the thematic development in the story

Question 42

theocracy

Answer 42

government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided

Question 43

thicket

Answer 43

a dense growth of shrubbery or small trees; coppice something resembling a thicket in density or impenetrability; tangle e.g. a dense thicket of rosebushes a political thicket / a thicket of reporters

Question 44

threadbare

Answer 44

shabby barely adequate because of cheapness or shabbiness exhausted of interest or freshness e.g. threadbare clothes / a threadbare production threadbare cliches

Question 45

throng

Answer 45

a multitude of assembled persons; a large number a pressing increase of activity e.g. grabbed a megaphone and addressed the vast throng a throng of memories

Question 46

thwart

Answer 46

to run counter to so as to effectively oppose or baffle; contravene e.g. thwart the progress

Question 47

tiff

Answer 47

a petty quarrel also e.g. a little tiff about what color sheets to buy

Question 48

tightfisted

Answer 48

reluctant to part with money e.g. tightfisted owner

Question 49

timber

Answer 49

material, stuff; especially, a person or type of person qualified for a particular position or status e.g. managerial timber

Question 50

timbre

Answer 50

the quality of the sound made by a particular voice or musical instrument

Question 51

timorous

Answer 51

of a timid disposition; fearful expressing or suggesting timidity e.g. a shy and timorous teenager proceed with doubtful and timorous steps

Question 52

tinder

Answer 52

a very flammable substance adaptable for use as kindling something that serves to incite or inflame e.g. The rhetoric was ready tinder for revolution.

Question 53

tine

Answer 53

a slender pointed projecting part; prong | a point branch of an antler

Question 54

tinker

Answer 54

a usually itinerant mender of household utensils an unskillful mender; bungler to repair, adjust, or work with something in an unskilled or experimental manner; fiddle e.g. tinkering with his car in the garage

Question 55

tint

Answer 55

a usually slight or pale coloration; hue a usually slight modifying quality or characteristic; touch to impart or apply a tint to; color e.g. a photo with a sepia tint

Question 56

tirade

Answer 56

a protracted speech usually marked by intemperate, vituperative, or harshly censorious language e.g. a tirade about the failures of the government

Question 57

titular

Answer 57

existing in title only e.g. Although retired, he remains the titular chairman of the company.

Question 58

toady

Answer 58

one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors; sycophant

Question 59

tonsorial

Answer 59

of or relating to a barber or the work of a barber

Question 60

topple

Answer 60

overthrow defeat e.g. The strong winds toppled many trees.

Question 61

torpid

Answer 61

having lost motion or the power of exertion or feeling; dormant, numb sluggish in functioning or acting lacking in energy or vigor; apathetic, dull e.g. a torpid sloth that refused to budge off its tree branch My tongue and throat remained torpid for a time following the endoscopy.

Question 62

torpor

Answer 62

a state of mental and motor activity with partial or total insensibility apathy, dullness e.g. The news aroused him from his torpor. After a lifetime of setbacks, defeats, and failures, he could only greet the latest bad news with a resigned fatalism and dull torpor.

Question 63

totalitarianism

Answer 63

centralized control by an autocratic authority | the political concept that the citizen could be totally subject to an absolute state authority

Question 64

totter

Answer 64

to tremble or rock as if about to fall; sway | to become unstable; threaten to collapse

Question 65

toupee

Answer 65

a small wig that is worn by a man to cover a bald spot on his head

Question 66

tourniquet

Answer 66

a device (as a band of rubber) that checks bleeding or blood flow by compressing blood vessels

Question 67

tout

Answer 67

to solicit, peddle, or persuade importunately to make much of; promote, talk up e.g. touting tickets outside the stadium advertisements touting the drug's effectiveness

Question 68

tractable

Answer 68

capable of being easily led, taught, or controlled; docile easily handled, managed, or wrought; malleable e.g. a tractable horse/problem

Question 69

trance

Answer 69

stupor, daze a sleeplike state (as of hypnosis) usually characterized by partly suspended animation with diminished or absent sensory and motor activity a state of profound abstraction or absorption e.g. staring out the window in a trance

Question 70

transcend

Answer 70

to rise above or go beyond the limits of overcome e.g. music that transcends cultural boundaries transcend her own sufferings

Question 71

transcendent

Answer 71

exceeding usual limits; surpassing transcending the universe or material existence universally applicable or significant e.g. angels, demons, and other transcendent beings The star play's transcendent performance helped the team to a surprise victory. the transcendent importance of liberty

Question 72

transcendental

Answer 72

transcendent e.g. the concept of the soul as a transcendental entity He manifests a transcendental ability to inspire people.

Question 73

transfigure

Answer 73

to give a new and typically exalted or spiritual appearance to; transform outwardly and usually for the better

Question 74

transgress

Answer 74

to violate a command or law; sin to go beyond a boundary or limit e.g. He who transgresses must seek forgiveness. There are legal consequences for companies that transgress rules.

Question 75

transitory

Answer 75

tending to pass away; not persistent of brief duration; temporary e.g. the transitory nature of earthly pleasures a transitory panic

Question 76

translucent

Answer 76

permitting the passage of light free from disguise or falseness e.g. translucent water Captain America's translucent patriotism