Word List 4

Question 1

abet
(uh BET)
verb

Answer 1

Definition: to encourage or assist someone in committing a crime (e.g., aid and abet)
-After Joe vandalized the school, Jack was charged with abetting him.
-

Question 2

agnostic
(ag NOS tic)
noun & adj

Answer 2

Definition: noun- a person who believes that the existence of God is unknown and unknowable; adj- believing that the existence of God can neither be proven nor disproven

• Agnostics do not usually go to church.
• After examining several different faiths and finding logical flaws with all of them, Jill settled on the label of agnostic.

Question 3

atheism
(AY thee is um)
noun

Answer 3

Definition: the belief that there is no God.

• He didn’t believe in God, and therefore thought of himself as an atheist.
• The word “atheism” is made up of the prefix “a” (meaning “not” or “without”) and the root word “theism” (meaning “belief in the existence of a god or gods”).

Question 4

bereft
(bih REFT)
adj

Answer 4

Definition: deprived of or lacking something

• Since the age of six, he has been bereft of sight.
• He has been bereft of all happiness since his mother died.

Question 5

condone
(kun DONE) [rhymes with phone]
verb

Answer 5

Definition: to allow something with reluctance; to allow (behavior that is considered wrong) to continue

• By not punishing the student’s aggression, the college was condoning his behavior.
• I can’t condone your dishonest behavior any longer.

Question 6

cursory
(KUR suh ree)
adj

Answer 6

Definition: hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed

• She took a cursory look at the bill and ended up overpaying.
• His cursory review of the material resulted in a 73% on the final exam.

Question 7

daunting
(DAUNT ing)
adj

Answer 7

Definition: tending to make people afraid or less confident; very difficult to do or deal with

• The daunting task required her to pick up a spider.
• In the book Divergent, the Dauntless faction is intimidating and fearless.

Question 8

debunk
(dih BUNK)
verb

Answer 8

Definition: to prove the falseness or hollowness of; to disprove

• Tim quickly debunked Joe’s theory, as it was quite flawed.
• The defense quickly debunked the case presented by the prosecution.

Question 9

elucidate
(ih LOO si date)
verb

Answer 9

Definition: to make clear; to explain

• Can you elucidate your meaning in the third paragraph?
• Allow me to elucidate my opinion on the matter.

Question 10

ennui
(ahn WEE)
noun

Answer 10

Definition: a feeling of weariness from lack of interest; boredom

• She yawned during the lecture, overcome by ennui.
• He slipped out his phone, hoping for something to break up the unbearable ennui.

Question 11

gregarious
(grih GAIR ee us)
adj

Answer 11

Definition: fond of company; sociable

• He was a gregarious man; he had guests staying at his house all the time.
• For John, who had always been gregarious, being placed in solitary confinement was doubly torturous.

Question 12

hiatus
(hi AY tus)
noun

Answer 12

Definition: a pause or break in something

• The television show will return from its hiatus on February 24th.
• They returned to their relationship after a brief hiatus.

Question 13

integral
(IN tih grul)
adj

Answer 13

Definition: Essential or necessary for completeness

• A bathroom is an integral part of a house.
• Eggs are an integral part of this recipe.

Question 14

panacea
(pan uh SEE uh)
noun

Answer 14

Definition: a remedy for all diseases or difficulties; a cure-all

• This medicine did not turn out to be the panacea scientists hoped it would be.
• His theory could prove to be a panacea to the world’s economic woes.

Question 15

penultimate
(pih NULL tuh met)
adj

Answer 15

Definition: next to last; second to last

• They had a party celebrating the penultimate day of school.
• The penultimate scene of the movie was very dramatic.

Question 16

salutation
(sal yuh TAY shun)
noun

Answer 16

Definition: a formal or informal greeting to a written or non-written communication

• She greeted me with a kind salutation, and I politely greeted her back.
• “Dearest mother,” read the salutation on the letter.

Question 17

revoke
(rih VOKE)
verb

Answer 17

Definition: to cancel or nullify; to put an end to something’s validity

• The first place trophy was revoked when the judges discovered that the winner had cheated.
• The court revoked his driver’s license.

Question 18

remiss
(rih MISS)
adj

Answer 18

Definition: lacking care or attention to duty; negligent

• You have been remiss in your duties. Consider this your last day at the office.
• I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my manager for his role in my success.

Question 19

perfunctory
(per FUNK tuh ree)
adj

Answer 19

Definition: carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection

• He gave me a perfunctory nod in the hallway.
• She cast a perfunctory glance around the SAT testing room to check for test improprieties.

Question 20

zephyr
(ZEF er)
noun

Answer 20

Definition: a light breeze

• The zephyr tousled my hair.
• The day of our picnic was perfect, complete with sunny skies and zephyrs.