Words I Don’t Know 9

Question 1

Polemical

Answer 1

Adj, relating to/involving strongly critical, controversial, or disputatious writing or speech
Ex: Camille Paglia is a polemical figure, and though I agree with much of her points, her awful fan base made it hard to support her publicly.

Question 2

Disputatious

Answer 2

Adj, fond of or causing heated arguments

Ex: Her smug, disputatious disposition made her nearly impossible to collaborate with.

Question 3

Pyrrhic (pure-ick)

Answer 3

Adj, of a victory, won at too great a cost to have been worth it.
Ex: Breaking my deadlift PR and injuring my lower back left it a Pyrrhic victory.

Question 4

Pogrom (poe-grum)

Answer 4

Noun, an organized massacre of a particular ethnicity, especially against Jewish people in Eastern Europe and Russia
Ex: The comparison of mask mandates to the pogrom against the Jews in the 1930s was offensively obtuse.

Question 5

Belie

Answer 5

Verb, to fail to give a true impression of something, to disguise or contradict
Ex: My confidence in class belied my lack of preparatory reading and research.

Question 6

Restive

Answer 6

Adj, to be restless

Ex: Early morning classes always make me a confusing mix of mentally fatigued but physically restive.

Question 7

Penitential

Answer 7

Adj, relating to or expressing penitence, aka sorrow or regret
Ex: Shelby’s penitential body language told us she had probably pooped somewhere in the house.

Question 8

Bravura

Answer 8

Noun, great technical skill and brilliance shown in a performance or activity
Ex: In a bold display of bravura, she added several notes of original composition to the end of her piano recital of Bach.

Question 9

Euphonic

Answer 9

Adj, resembling or having the effect of music, in a pleasing way
Ex: The euphoric intonation of the morning announcements lady was such a pleasant way to start the day.

Question 10

Purblind

Answer 10

Adj, having impaired of defective vision.

Ex: A purblind species, moles have adapted to their underground homes using the other senses available to them.

Question 11

Phlegmatic

Answer 11

Adj, unemotional, calm
Ex: I did my best to remain phlegmatic while I waited for my doctor to call, but a potential cancer diagnosis is difficult to put out of mind.

Question 12

Providential

Answer 12

Adj, occurring at a very opportune, favorable time, perhaps due to divine intervention or foresight
Ex: The $20 I found outside the liquor store seemed providential; I could afford a bottle of red wine now!

Question 13

Synecdoche (sin-eck-duh-key)

Answer 13

Noun, a figure of speech where a part represents the whole

Ex: “Cleveland won by 6 runs” where Cleveland is meant to mean the whole sports team.

Question 14

Sussuraration

Answer 14

Noun, whispering, murmuring, rustling
Ex: Though I knew I was alone, I couldn’t help but imagine sinister susurrations emanating from distant shelves in the empty library.

Question 15

Circumscribe

Answer 15

Verb, to restrict something within limits

Ex: Before writing a paper, it’s very important i circumscribe my scope or I end up wildly off topic from the prompt.

Question 16

Taciturn

Answer 16

Adj, reserved or uncommunicative

Ex: My taciturn TA was not a very useful discussion section leader; he would barely teach, let alone answer questions.

Question 17

Antinomy

Answer 17

Noun, a contradiction between two reasonable beliefs, creating a paradox
Ex: No one has ever satisfactorily answered the antinomy of HR reps being there to protect both you and the company.

Question 18

Impugn

Answer 18

Verb, to dispute the truth/veracity of something

Ex: The data presented seemed a bit too perfect to be true, and I internally impugned its validity.

Question 19

Aleatory

Answer 19

Adj, “depending on the throw of a dice,” up to chance, random
Ex: New Jersey’s winter weather seems completely aleatory, some days below freezing, others warm enough you don’t need a coat.

Question 20

Automaticity

Answer 20

Adj, the ability to do things without needed to think about the small details.
Ex. As a result of all my repetition and practice, I prepped vegetables for cooking with an automaticity that allowed my mind to wander.