Word List 9

Question 1

contented

Answer 1

feeling or showing satisfaction with one’s possessions, status, or situation

Question 2

contention

Answer 2

an act or instance of contending
a pointed advanced or maintained in a debate or argument
rivalry, competition

e.g. source of contention
in contention for the Olympic medal

Question 3

contentious

Answer 3

likely to cause disagreement or argument
exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes

e.g. a contentious issue
The dispute involves one of the region’s most contentious leaders.

Question 4

contest

Answer 4

strive, vie
to make the subject of dispute, contention, or litigation, especially dispute, challenge

e.g. She plans to contest a seat in the Congress next year.

Question 5

contiguity

Answer 5

• contiguous

Question 6

continent

Answer 6

self-restrained, temperate
one of the great divisions of land of the Earth
the countries of Europe except for Great Britain and Ireland

Question 7

contingent

Answer 7

likely but not certain to happen; possible
not logically necessary, especially empirical
unpredictable; intended for use in circumstances not completely foreseen
dependent on or conditioned by something else
not necessitated; determined by free choice

e.g. plan for contingent expenses
Payment is contingent on fulfillment of certain conditions.

Question 8

contort

Answer 8

to twist in a violent manner

e.g. features contorted with fury

Question 9

distort

Answer 9

to twist out of the true meaning or proportion, or natural, normal, or original shape or condition

e.g. distorted facts
a face distorted by pain
The new lighting distorted colors.

Question 10

tortuous

Answer 10

marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns; winding
marked by devious or indirect tactics; crooked, tricky
circuitous, involved

e.g. a tortuous path/conspiracy
the tortuous jargon of legal forms

Question 11

contraband

Answer 11

illegal or prohibited traffic in goods; smuggling

goods or merchandise whose importation, exportation, or possession is forbidden; also smuggled goods

Question 12

contravene

Answer 12

to go or act contrary to; violate
to oppose in argument; contradict

e.g. contravene a law
contravene a proposition

Question 13

contrite

Answer 13

feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for a sin or shortcoming

e.g. a contrite criminal/apology

Question 14

attrition

Answer 14

sorrow for one’s sins
the act of rubbing together; friction; also the act of wearing or grinding down by friction
the act of weakening or exhausting by constant harassment, abuse, or attack
a reduction in numbers usually as a result of resignation, retirement, or death

e.g. Attrition has led to the main mechanism’s breaking.
a war of attrition
Attrition is high among social worker because of the difficult work and poor pay.

Question 15

triturate

Answer 15

crush, grind

to pulverize and comminute thoroughly by rubbing or grinding

Question 16

contrive

Answer 16

devise, plan
to form or create in an artistic of ingenious manner
to bring about by stratagem or with difficulty; manage

e.g. contrive ways of handling the situation
contrive household utensils from stone
He contrived a meeting with the president.

Question 17

contrived

Answer 17

having an unnatural or false appearance or quality; artificial, labored

e.g. The movie’s contrived ending was a big disappointment.

Question 18

controvert

Answer 18

to dispute or oppose by reasoning

e.g. The attorney offered evidence that controverted the plaintiff’s allegations.
Ever since the poem was first published, critics and scholars have controverted over the meaning of its concluding line.

Question 19

substantiate

Answer 19

to give substance or form to; embody
to establish by proof or competent evidence; verify

e.g. substantiate a charge

Question 20

contumacious

Answer 20

stubbornly disobedient; rebellious

e.g. The judge threatened to charge the contumacious witness with contempt of the court.

Question 21

conundrum

Answer 21

a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun
a question or problem having only a conjectural answer; an intricate and difficult problem

e.g. the conundrum of how an ancient people were able to build such massive structures without the benefit of today’s knowledge and technology

Question 22

convalesce

Answer 22

to recover health and strength gradually after sickness or weakness

e.g. the long months that the soldier spent in the hospital slowly convalescing from his leg injuries

Question 23

convalescent

Answer 23

• convalesce

Question 24

offbeat

Answer 24

an unaccented beat or portion of a beat inn a musical measure
eccentric, unconventional

e.g. an offbeat sense of humor
an offbeat approach to teaching

Question 25

conversant

Answer 25

having knowledge or experience (used with with)

e.g. conversant in several languages
conversant with the customs of foreign cultures

Question 26

converse

Answer 26

to exchange thoughts and opinions in speech; talk

something reversed in order, relation, or action

Question 27

convey

Answer 27

to bear from one place to another, especially to move in a continuous stream or mass
to impart or communicate by statement, suggestion, gesture, or appearance

e.g. The singer was conveyed from her hotel to the airport by limousine.
struggling to convey his feelings

Question 28

convict

Answer 28

to find or prove to be guilty
to convince of error or sinfulness
the person convicted of and under sentence of a crime

e.g. The jury convicted them on three counts of fraud.
a warning that the three escaped convicts were armed and dangerous

Question 29

conviction

Answer 29

the act or process of convicting

a strong persuasion or belief

Question 30

purvey

Answer 30

to supply (as provisions) usually as a matter of business

e.g. a shop purveying handmade merchandise

Question 31

conveyance

Answer 31

the action of conveying
an instrument by which title to property is conveyed
a means of transport; vehicle

e.g. The covered wagon was the major conveyance that transported settlers and their belongings across the frontier.

Question 32

convivial

Answer 32

relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking, and good company

e.g. a convivial gathering
The hiking club attracts a wide range of convivial people who share a love of the outdoors.

Question 33

convoke

Answer 33

to call together to a meeting

e.g. The assembly was convoked for a special session.

Question 34

invoke

Answer 34

to petition for help or support
to call forth by incantation; conjure
to make an earnest request for; solicit
to put into effect or operation; implement
bring about; cause

e.g. He invoked the memory of his predecessor.
She invoked history to prove her point.
He invoked his Fifth Amendment privileges.

Question 35

convoluted

Answer 35

having convolutions; twisted and curved
involved, intricate

e.g. a convoluted explanation that left the listeners even more confused than they were before

Question 36

convulse

Answer 36

to shake or agitate violently, especially to shake with or as if with irregular spasms

e.g. The patient reacted to the medication and began convulsing.
The country was convulsed by war.

Question 37

convulsion

Answer 37

• convulse

e. g. The Russian Revolution was of the major convulsions of the 20th century.

Question 38

coop

Answer 38

a cage or small enclosure (as for poultry); also a small building for housing poultry
a confined area; jail

e.g. Like many of the city’s hookers, she was back in the coop within a week of her release.

Question 39

stonewall

Answer 39

to be uncooperative, obstructive, or evasive

e.g, They stonewalled until they could come up with a response.
They’re trying to stonewall the media.

Question 40

copious

Answer 40

yielding something abundantly; plentiful in number
full of thought, information, or matter; profuse or exuberant in words, expression, or style

e.g. copious references to other writers
a copious talker

Question 41

opulent

Answer 41

having a large estate or property; wealthy
amply or plentifully provided or fashioned often to the point of ostentation

e.g. an opulent upper crust that liked to show off its possessions
living in opulent comfort

Question 42

cord

Answer 42

a unit of wood cut for fuel equal to s tack of 4x4x8 feet or 128 cubic feet

Question 43

cordon

Answer 43

an ornamental cord or ribbon; stringcourse
a line of troops or of military posts enclosing an area to prevent passage
a line of persons or objects around a person or place

e.g. A cordon of police kept protesters away from the building.

Question 44

cornucopia

Answer 44

a curved goat’s horn overflowing with fruit and ears of grain that is used as a decorative motif emblematic of abundance
an inexhaustible store; abundance

e.g. a cornucopia of wonderful stories

Question 45

coronation

Answer 45

the act of ceremony of crowning a sovereign or the sovereign’s consort

Question 46

corporate

Answer 46

formed into an association and endowed by law with the rights and liabilities of an individual; incorporated
of or relating to a corporation
having qualities (as commercialism or lack of originality) associated with large corporations or attributed to their influence or control
of, relating to, or formed into a unified body of individuals

e.g. reorganize the corporate structures
corporate rock music/art
Human law arises by the corporate action of a people.

Question 47

corporeal

Answer 47

having, consisting of, or relating to a physical material body
not spiritual; not immaterial or intangible, substantial

e.g. the corporeal nature of matter
corporeal cravings such as hunger and thirst

Question 48

corpuscle

Answer 48

a minute particle
a living cell, especially one (as a red or white blood cell or a cell in cartilage or bone) or aggregated into continuous tissues

Question 49

corral

Answer 49

a pen or enclosure for confining or capturing livestock
an enclosure made with wagons for defense of an encampment
to enclose in a corral
collect, gather

e.g. corralling votes for the upcoming election
corralled a scaterring of stray pens and quickly stuffed them in the drawer to tidy the desk

Question 50

coral

Answer 50

a hard material formed on the bottom of the sea by the skeletons or small creatures

Question 51

correspondent

Answer 51

corresponding
fitting, conforming (used with with or to)
one who communicates with another by letter; one who has regular commercial relations with another
one who contributes news or commentary to a publication or a radio or television network

e.g. The outcome was entirely correspondent with my wishes.
a war correspondent

Question 52

corroborate

Answer 52

to support with evidence or authority; make more certain

e.g. The witness corroborated the policeman’s testimony.

Question 53

corroborant

Answer 53

having an invigorating effect (used of a medicine)

Question 54

corrugate

Answer 54

to form or shape into wrinkles or folds into alternating ridges and grooves; furrow

Question 55

ruga

Answer 55

an anatomical fold or wrinkle

Question 56

rugose

Answer 56

full of wrinkles

e.g. rugose cheeks

Question 57

corrupt

Answer 57

adulterated or debased by change from an original or correction condition

e.g. a corrupt version of the text

Question 58

pristine

Answer 58

belonging to the earliest period or state; original
not spoiled, corrupted, or polluted (as by civilization); pure

e.g. the hypothetical pristine lunar atmosphere
a pristine forest
used books in pristine condition

Question 59

cosmopolitan

Answer 59

a cosmopolitan person or organism; cosmopolite
having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope or bearing; having wide international sophistication
composed of persons, constituents, or elements from all or many parts of the world
found in most parts of the world and under varied ecological conditions

e.g. As someone who had lived in Paris for a year as an exchange student, she seemed very much the cosmopolitan to her old classmates.
Greater cultural diversity has led to a more cosmopolitan attitude among the town’s younger generations.
the cosmopolitan taste of the store’s customers
a cosmopolitan herb

Question 60

cosmopolis

Answer 60

a cosmopolitan city

e.g. a sprawling cosmopolitan where ambitious people from all over come to make their fortune

Question 61

cosset

Answer 61

to treat as a pet; to give (someone) a lot of (often too much of) care and attention

e.g. The hotel cossets its guests with friendly service.
a cosseted childhood

Question 62

coterie

Answer 62

an intimate and often exclusive group of persons with a unifying common interest or purpose

e.g. her coterie of fellow musicians

Question 63

coterminous

Answer 63

having the same or coincident boundaries
coextensive in scope or duration

e.g. a voting district coterminous with the city
Her partnership was more or less coterminous with Broadway’s golden age.
an experience of life coterminous with the years of his father

Question 64

countenance

Answer 64

calm expression; mental composure; look, expression
bearing or expression that offers approval or sanction; moral support

e.g. a pleasant countenance that puts visitors at ease

Question 65

continence

Answer 65

self-restraint

e.g. Experiencing a moment of unusual continence, I refrained from returning her gratuitous insult.

Question 66

counterbalance

Answer 66

a weight that balances another
a force or influence that offsets or checks an opposing force

e.g. Charitable giving is usually a good counterbalance to self-indulgence.

Question 67

counterfeit

Answer 67

made in imitation of something else with intent to deceive; forged
insincere, feigned; imitation
also and

e.g. counterfeit money
counterfeit sympathy
The will as well as the other documents turned out to be counterfeits.
an expert at counterfeiting money

Question 68

countermand

Answer 68

to revoke (a command) by a contrary order
to recall or order back by a superceding contrary order

e.g. Orders to blow up the bridge were countermanded.
countermand reinforcements

Question 69

counterpart

Answer 69

one of the two corresponding copies of a legal instrument; duplicate
something that completes or fits perfectly
one having the same function or characteristics as another

e.g. The secretary of defense met with his counterparts in Asia to discuss the nuclear crisis.

Question 70

coup

Answer 70

a brilliant, sudden, and usually highly successful stroke or act
coup d’etat

e.g. Winning that big contract was a real coup.

Question 71

court

Answer 71

to seek to gain or achieve
allure, tempt; to act so as to invite or provoke
to seek the affections of, especially to seek to win a pledge or marriage from

e.g. court power
court disaster
college teams courting high school basketball stars
The couple courted for two years before marrying.

Question 72

covenant

Answer 72

a usually formal, solemn, and binding agreement; contract
to promise by a covenant; pledge
to enter into a covenant; contract

e.g. an international covenant on human rights
The home buyers had to covenant that they would restore and keep the house for at least 10 years in exchange for a low mortgage rate.

Question 73

covert

Answer 73

not openly shown, engaged in, or avowed; veiled

e.g. a covert military operation

Question 74

covet

Answer 74

to wish for earnestly
to desire

e.g. His religion warns against coveting material goods.

Question 75

cow

Answer 75

to destroy the resolve or courage of; also to bring to a state or an action by intimidation (used with into)

e.g. a sharp glare that cowed the child into being quiet

Question 76

cower

Answer 76

to shrink away or crouch, especially for shelter from something that menaces, domineers, or dismays

e.g. They cowered at the sight of the gun.

Question 77

coy

Answer 77

shrinking from contact or familiarity; marked by cute, coquettish, or artful playfulness
showing reluctance to make a definite commitment

e.g. using coy tricks to attract attention
a coy response

Question 78

cozen

Answer 78

to deceive, win over, or induce to do something by artful coaxing and wheedling or shrewd trickery
to gain by cozening someone

e.g. cozened scores of people into believing by persuading them to hand over funds
cozened his supper out of the old couple

Question 79

crab

Answer 79

to make sullen; sour
to complain about peevishly
spoil, ruin

e.g. Old age has crabbed his nature.
He always crabs about the weather.

Question 80

crabbed

Answer 80

marked by a forbidding moroseness
difficult to read or understand

e.g. a crabbed view of human nature
crabbed handwriting

Question 81

cranky

Answer 81

given to fretful fussiness; readily angered when opposed; crotchety
marked by eccentricity
full of twists and turns
working erratically; unpredictable

e.g. his bizarre and cranky mix of ideas and beliefs
a cranky road
a cranky old tractor

Question 82

crass

Answer 82

gross, having or indicating such grossness of mind as precludes delicacy and discrimination
being beneath one’s dignity
used as a pejorative intensifier
guided by or indicative of base or materialistic values

e.g. crass concerns of daily life
crass flattery/propaganda
crass measures of success
a loudmouthed jerk given to rude jokes and crass comments

Question 83

crater

Answer 83

a bowl-shaped cavity at the mouth of a volcano

a pit made by an exploding bomb

Question 84

cravat

Answer 84

a band or scarf worn around the neck

necktie

Question 85

craven

Answer 85

lacking the least bit of courage; contemptibly fainthearted

e.g. a craven refusal to deliver the unwelcome news personally

Question 86

crease

Answer 86

a line, mark, or ridge made by or as if by folding a pliable substance
to make a crease in or on; wrinkle
to wound slightly especially by grazing

e.g. tiny creases at the corners of his eyes
She looked up, her face creasing into a smile.

Question 87

credence

Answer 87

a mental acceptance as true or real; credibility
credentials

e.g. The theory is gaining credence among scientists.
I’m afraid I don’t put much credence in common gossip.

Question 88

credulous

Answer 88

ready to believe especially on slight or uncertain evidence
proceeding from credulity

e.g. accused of swindling credulous investors
credulous superstitions

Question 89

creel

Answer 89

a basket that is used for carrying fish that have just been caught

Question 90

crescendo

Answer 90

a gradual increase
the peak of a gradual increase; climax

e.g. Complaints about stifling smog conditions reach a crescendo.
Their divorce was merely the formal crescendo of marital stress and estrangement.

Question 91

crestfallen

Answer 91

having a dropping crest or hanging head

feeling ashamed or humiliation; dejected

Question 92

cringe

Answer 92

to draw in or contract one’s muscles involuntarily (as from cold or pain)
to shrink in fear or servility
to behave in an excessively humble or servile way
to recoil in distaste

e.g. Americans cringed at the use of the term now.

Question 93

apologist

Answer 93

one who speaks or write in defense of someone or something

Question 94

croak

Answer 94

to make a deep harsh sound; to speak in a hoarse throaty voice
to mutter in discontent; grumble

Question 95

crockery

Answer 95

earthenware

Question 96

cronyism

Answer 96

partiality to cronies especially as evidenced in the appointment of political hangers-on to office without regard to their qualifications

Question 97

crook

Answer 97

bend; curve, wind
also

e.g. The road suddenly crooked to the left.
the crook of his arm

Question 98

crudity

Answer 98

the quality or state of being crude
something that is crude

e.g. the crudity of the drawing
The movie’s crudities were supposed to be funny, but they didn’t make me laugh.

Question 99

crumple

Answer 99

to press, bend, or crush out of shape; rumple
to cause to collapse
to contract into wrinkles

e.g. She crumpled the piece of paper into a ball.
At the sight of blood, he crumpled to the floor.

Question 100

crusade

Answer 100

a remedial enterprise undertaken with zeal and enthusiasm

e.g. a grassroots crusade for spending more money on our public schools

Question 101

crutch

Answer 101

to support on crutches; pop up
also

e.g. He used liquor as a psychological crutch.

Question 102

crux

Answer 102

a puzzling or difficult problem; an unsolved question
an essential point requiring resolution or resolving an outcome
a main or central feature (as of an argument)

e.g. The crux of the problem is that the school’s current budget is totally inadequate.

Question 103

cub

Answer 103

a young carnivorous mammal; a young shark
a young person; apprentice

e.g. the kind of big story that can propel a cub reporter into the stratosphere of the newspaper world

Question 104

culmination

Answer 104

the action of culminating
culminating position; climax

e.g. an acting performance that was seen as the culmination of a brilliant career on the stage

Question 105

culpable

Answer 105

meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or harmful

e.g. culpable for the accident
culpable negligence

Question 106

exculpate

Answer 106

to clear from alleged fault or guilt

Question 107

cult

Answer 107

formal religious veneration; worship

e.g. Long after it had gone off the air, the TV series continued to have a huge cult.

Question 108

cultivate

Answer 108

to improve by labor, care, or study
further, encourage
to seek the society of; make friends with

e.g. cultivate the mind
cultivate the arts

Question 109

cultivated

Answer 109

raised or grown on a farm or under other controlled conditions
prepared and used for growing
refined; educated

e.g. The museum’s annual gala for charity attracts not only a very wealthy, but also a very cultivated crowd.