Word List 8

Question 1

complacency

Answer 1

self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies
an instance of usually unaware or uninformed self-satisfaction

e.g. a momentary complacency that was quickly dispelled by the shock of cold reality

Question 2

complaisant

Answer 2

marked by an inclination to please or oblige
tending to consent to others’ wishes

e.g. The goddess was complaisant, granting exactly what they wished for.

Question 3

compliant

Answer 3

ready or disposed to comply; submissive
conforming to requirements

e.g. a corrupt regime aided by a compliant press
compliant with the latest standards

Question 4

compliment

Answer 4

an expression of esteem, respect, affection, or admiration, especially an admiring remark
(pl.) best wishes; regards
to express esteem, respect, affection, or admiration to
to present with a token of esteem

e.g. complimented her on her election victory

Question 5

vituperative

Answer 5

uttering or given to censure; containing or characterized by verbal abuse

e.g. the type of provocative magazine article that is guaranteed to engender vituperative threats of subscription cancellations

Question 6

composed

Answer 6

free from agitation; calm, especially self-possessed

e.g. They tried to remain composed throughout the ordeal.

Question 7

composure

Answer 7

tranquility, equanimity

Question 8

intransigent

Answer 8

characterized by refusal to compromise or to abandon an extreme position or attitude; uncompromising

e.g. He has remained intransigent, refusing all suggestions for improvement of the process.

Question 9

repulse

Answer 9

to drive or beat back; repel
to repel by discourtesy, coldness, or denial
to cause repulsion in

e.g. I was repulsed by the movie’s violence.

Question 10

compunction

Answer 10

anxiety arising from awareness of guilt
distress of mind over an anticipated action or result
a twinge of misgiving; scruple

e.g. compunctions of conscience
showed no compunction in planning devilish engines of destruction

Question 11

concatenate

Answer 11

to link together in a series or chain

e.g. The movie actually concatenates into one extended narrative several episodes from various books in the series.

Question 12

concede

Answer 12

to grant as a right or privilege
to accept as true, valid, or accurate
to accept grudgingly or hesitantly
to relinquish grudgingly or hesitantly

e.g. I concede that the work has been slow so far.
concede power

Question 13

conceit

Answer 13

a result of mental activity; thought
excessive appreciation of one’s own worth or virtue

e.g. His conceit has earned him many enemies.

Question 14

rarefy

Answer 14

to make rare, thin, porous, or less dense; to expand without the addition of matter
to make more spiritual, refined, or abstruse

Question 15

concession

Answer 15

• concede

Question 16

conciliate

Answer 16

to gain (as goodwill) by pleasing acts
to make compatible; reconcile
appease

e.g. The company’s attempts to conciliate the strikers have failed.

Question 17

polemical

Answer 17

of, relating to, or being a polemic; controversial
engaged in or addicted to polemics; disputatious

e.g. an unnecessarily polemical look at the supposed incompatibility between science and religion

Question 18

conclave

Answer 18

a private secret meeting

Question 19

conclusive

Answer 19

of, relating to, or being a conclusion
putting an end to debate or question especially by reason of irrefutability

e.g. the archaeological discovery was conclusive proof that the Vikings had indeed settled in North America around 1000 A.D.

Question 20

concomitant

Answer 20

accompanying especially in a subordinate or incidental way

e.g. an improvement in the facilities led to a concomitant improvement in morale

Question 21

concord

Answer 21

a state of agreement; harmony

e.g. living in concord with people different races and religions

Question 22

damnify

Answer 22

to cause loss or damage to

Question 23

indemnify

Answer 23

to secure against hurt, loss, or damage
to make compensation to for incurred hurt, loss, or damage

e.g. The company generously indemnifies workers who are injured on the job.

Question 24

countenance

Answer 24

calm expression; mental composure
face, visage, especially the face as an indication of mood, emotion, or character
bearing or expression that offers approval or sanction; moral support
also

e.g. The photograph showed his somber countenance.
He countenanced the delays and inconveniences of travelling by air with good grace.

Question 25

condescend

Answer 25

to descend to a less formal or dignified level; unbend
to waive the privileges of rank
to assume an air of superiority

e.g. I will not condescend to answer the sore loser’s charge that I cheated in order to win the race.

Question 26

condone

Answer 26

to regard or treat (something bad or blameworthy) as acceptable, forgivable, or harmless

e.g. a government accused of condoning racism
condone corruption in politics

Question 27

conducive

Answer 27

tending to promote or assist

e.g. an atmosphere conducive to education

Question 28

conduit

Answer 28

a large pipe for fluids

e.g. a conduit for illicit payments
a conduit of information

Question 29

confection

Answer 29

any kind of candy or other sweet preparation

Question 30

conifer

Answer 30

any of an order of mostly evergreen trees and shrubs having usually needle-shaped or scalelike leaves and including forms with true cones and others with an arillate fruit

Question 31

confederacy

Answer 31

a league or compact for mutual support or common action; alliance
a combination of persons for unlawful purposes; conspiracy

e.g. a confederacy of native tribes

Question 32

confer

Answer 32

to compare views or take counsel; consult
to bestow from or as if from a position of superiority
to give (as a property or characteristic) to someone or something

e.g. The lawyer and judge conferred about the ruling.
conferred an honorary degree on her
A reputation for power will confer power.

Question 33

profess

Answer 33

to declare or admit openly or freely; affirm
to declare in words or appearances only; pretend, claim
to confess one’s faith in or allegiance to

e.g. He professes confidence in his friend.

Question 34

confide

Answer 34

to have confidence; trust
to show confidence by imparting secrets
to tell confidentially
to give to the care or protection of another; entrust

e.g. He confided that he was very unhappy with his job.
confide in a friend
The local SPCA was looking for homes for a number of exotic animals confided to its care.

Question 35

configuration

Answer 35

the way the parts of something are arranged
contour, outline

e.g. The basic configuration of the building is that of a geodesic dome.

Question 36

confiscate

Answer 36

to seize as forfeited to the public treasury

to seize by or as if by authority

Question 37

fiscal

Answer 37

of or relating to taxation, public revenues, or public debt
of or relating to financial matters

e.g. the fiscal health of the university

Question 38

conflagration

Answer 38

fire, especially a large disastrous fire
conflict, war

e.g. The treaty is the latest attempt to resolve the ten-year conflagration.

Question 39

deflagrate

Answer 39

to cause to deflagrate

to burn rapidly with intense heat and sparks being given off

Question 40

conflate

Answer 40

to bring together; fuse
confuse

e.g. Be careful not to conflate gossip with real news.
The movie conflates documentary footage and dramatized reenactments so seamlessly and ingeniously that viewers may not know what is real and what is not.

Question 41

jibe

Answer 41

to be in accord; agree

Question 42

confound

Answer 42

baffle, frustrate
to put to shame; discomfit
refute

e.g. The complicated directions confounded him.
The school’s team confounded all predictions and won the game.

Question 43

congeal

Answer 43

to change from a fluid to a solid state by or as if by cold
to make viscid or curdled; coagulate
to make rigid, fixed, or immobile

Question 44

congenial

Answer 44

having the same nature, disposition, or tastes; kindred
existing or associated together harmoniously
pleasant, especially agreeably suited to one’s nature, tastes, or outlook
sociable, genial

e.g. congenial companions
The town is a congenial place for raising children.
a congenial host

Question 45

dour

Answer 45

stern, harsh
obstinate, unyielding
gloomy, sullen

e.g. a dour expression
the dour mood of the crowd

Question 46

conglomerate

Answer 46

to gather into a mass or coherent whole
accumulate

e.g. Over the years, the town’s discarded junk conglomerated at the bottom of the river.

Question 47

congruent

Answer 47

congruous
superposable so as to be coincident throughout

e.g. His personal goal is not congruent with the goals of the team.
a theory congruent with the known facts of the case

Question 48

conjecture

Answer 48

supposition
inference from defective or presumptive evidence
to arrive at or deduce by surmise or guesswork; guess
to make conjectures

e.g. The biography includes conjectures about the writer’s earliest ambitions.
scientists conjecturing that a disease is caused by a defective gene

Question 49

conjoin

Answer 49

to join together (as separate entities) for a common purpose

Question 50

conjunction

Answer 50

• the act or an instance of conjoining; the state of being conjoined; combination
  occurrence together in time or space; concurrence

Question 51

injunction

Answer 51

the act or an instance of enjoining; order, admonition
a writ granted by a court or equity whereby one is required to do or to refrain from doing a specified act

e.g. The group has obtained an injunction to prevent the demolition of the building.

Question 52

conjure

Answer 52

to charge or entreat earnestly or solemnly
to summon by or as if by invocation or incantation
to affect or effect by or as if by magic; imagine, contrive
to bring to mind
to use a conjurer’s tricks; juggle

e.g. I conjure you to hear my plea.
We conjure up our own metaphors for our own needs.
words that conjure pleasant images

Question 53

abjure

Answer 53

to renounce upon oath
to reject solemnly
to abstain from; avoid

e.g. abjure extravagance

Question 54

connive

Answer 54

to pretend ignorance of or fail to take action against something one ought to oppose
to be indulgent or in secret sympathy; wink
to cooperate secretly or have a secret understanding
conspire

e.g. The government connived in the rebels’ military buildup.
The principal connived at all the school absences that were recorded on the day of the city’s celebration of its Super Bowl victory.
accused his opponents of conniving to defeat the proposal

Question 55

connoisseur

Answer 55

a person who knows a lot about something; an expert in a particular subject

Question 56

connotation

Answer 56

the suggestive of a meaning by a word apart from the thing its explicit names or describes; implication

e.g. the connotations of comfort that surrounded that old chair

Question 57

conscientious

Answer 57

governed by or conforming to the dictates of conscience; scrupulous
meticulous, careful

e.g. He was conscientious about following the doctor’s orders.

Question 58

conscript

Answer 58

to enroll into service by compulsion; drat

e.g. conscripted into the army

Question 59

consequence

Answer 59

a conclusion derived from logic; inference
something produced by a cause or necessarily following from a set of conditions
importance with respect to power of producing an effect
social importance

e.g. a mistake of no consequence

Question 60

consequential

Answer 60

of the nature of a secondary result; indirect
having significant consequences; important
self-important

e.g. There have been several consequential innovations in their computer software.

Question 61

conservatory

Answer 61

a greenhouse for growing or displaying plants

a school specializing in one of the fine arts

Question 62

consign

Answer 62

to give over to another’s care
to commit especially to a final destination or fate
to send or address to an agent to be cared for or sold

e.g. She consigned the painting to an auction house.
a writer consigned to oblivion

Question 63

console

Answer 63

a combination of readouts or displays and an input device (as a keyboard or switches) by which an operator can monitor and interact with a system
a small storage cabinet
to alleviate the grief, sense of loss, or trouble of; comfort

e.g. the military officer who must console the bereaved at a soldier’s funeral

Question 64

consonant

Answer 64

being in agreement or harmony; free from elements making for discord

e.g. His gentle behavior is consonant with his expressed belief in pacifism.

Question 65

conspicuous

Answer 65

obvious to the eye or mind
attracting attention; striking
marked by a noticeable violation of good taste

e.g. conspicuous changes
a conspicuous success

Question 66

perspicacious

Answer 66

of acute mental vision or discernment; keen

Question 67

mercurial

Answer 67

characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood

e.g. a mercurial temper

Question 68

consternation

Answer 68

amazement or dismay that hinders or throws into confusion

e.g. The candidate caused consternation among his supporters by changing positions on a key issue.

Question 69

constituent

Answer 69

a member of a constituency
an essential part; component, element
also

e.g. Many senators have received calls from constituents who want them to vote in favor of the law.
The company can be separated into several constituent parts.

Question 70

constitute

Answer 70

to appoint to an office, function, or dignity
set up, establish
make up, form, compose

e.g. He was constituted treasurer.
Imports constitute a challenge to local goods.
Women constitute 70 percent of the student population at the college.

Question 71

constitutional

Answer 71

relating to, inherent in, or affecting the constitution of body or mind
of, relating to, or entering into the fundamental makeup of something; essential

e.g. Constitutional symptoms of the disease include headache and fever.
the constitutional guarantee of free speech

Question 72

construe

Answer 72

to analyze the arrangement and connection of words in (a sentence or sentence part)
to understand or explain the sense or intention of usually in a particular way or with respect to a given set of circumstances

e.g. The way the court construes various words has changed over time.
He construed my actions as hostile.

Question 73

consul

Answer 73

an official appointed by a government to reside in a foreign country to represent the commercial interests of citizens of the appointing country

Question 74

consummate

Answer 74

complete in every detail; perfect
extremely skilled and accomplished
of the highest degree
finish, complete; to make perfect; achieve

e.g. Consummate cabinet-makers, they produced desks and chests of drawers that are now regarded as masterpieces of American furniture.
consummate skill/cruelty
The bargaining process went on for a few days, but the deal was never consummated.

Question 75

contiguous

Answer 75

being in actual contact; touching along a boundary or at a point, adjacent
next or near in time or sequence
touching or connected throughout in an unbroken sequence

e.g. Connecticut and Massachusetts are contiguous states.

Question 76

contemplate

Answer 76

to think about intently

Question 77

contempt

Answer 77

the act of despising; the state of mind of one who despises; disdain
lack of respect or reverence for something
willful disobedience to or open disrespect of a court, judge, or legislative body

e.g. speak with contempt
a profound contempt for her opponents

Question 78

deference

Answer 78

respect and esteem due to a superior or an elder; also affected or ingratiating regard for another’s wishes
(in deference to: in consideration of)

e.g. He is shown much deference by his colleagues.
She returned early in deference to her parents’ wishes.

Question 79

estimable

Answer 79

capable of being estimated
worthy of esteem

e.g. an estimable adversary/colleague

Question 80

contemptuous

Answer 80

manifesting, feeling, or expressing deep hatred or disapproval; feeling or showing contempt

e.g. loutish tourists who are contemptuous of the ways and traditions of their host countries

Question 81

distend

Answer 81

extend
to enlarge from internal pressure; swell

e.g. an abdomen distended by disease