Word list 12
Group 1
| Abysmal |
very deep; very bad |
| Approbation |
approval [opp. disapprobation] |
| Bent (n) |
inclination; aptitude |
| Cadge |
get by begging |
| Debacle |
disaster |
| Extemporize |
speak without preparation or rehearsal [extemporaneous (a)] |
| Incumbents |
occupiers of a job or position |
| Lambaste |
attack verbally |
| Noisome |
disgusting |
| Pastiche |
work (usually artistic) which imitates, or is composed of parts taken from varied sources |
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Group 2
| Arboreal |
living in trees; concerned with trees |
| Centrifuge |
device to separate substances by spinning them at high speed |
| Cloistered |
isolated |
| Disabuse |
make someone aware of an error in thinking |
| Engendering |
causing; bringing into being [engender (v)] |
| Intemperate |
excessive; immoderate [intemperance (n)] |
| Lugubrious |
sad; gloomy |
| Nonplussed |
confused |
| Pedagogy |
science of education; teaching |
| Satiate |
satisfy; fill completely [satiable (a); satiation (n)] |
| Slake |
quench; satisfy |
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Group 3
| Artless |
without effort; without trickery; simple |
| Comeliness |
beauty; prettiness [comely (a)] |
| Doff |
take off (esp. of a hat) |
| Don |
put on (esp. of clothes) |
| Erudition |
learning; scholarly knowledge [erudite (a)] |
| Plaintive |
sad; mournful |
| Suborn |
bribe |
| Tendentious |
dogmatic; biased |
| Tortuous |
indirect; winding |
| Verbiage |
excessive or meaningless wordiness |
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Group 4
| Atonement |
making amends for sin or crime [atone (v)] |
| Complaisance |
flexibility; willingness to please [complaisant (a)] |
| Daguerreotype |
forerunner of the photograph |
| Fawn |
behave in a sycophantic way; grovel [fawning (a)] |
| Gregariousness |
sociability; liking for crowds [gregarious (a)] |
| Nascent |
emerging; newly formed |
| Paean |
praise; tribute (esp. in song) |
| Reproof |
scolding; criticism [reprove (v)] |
| Scurvy |
1. disease due to lack of vitamin C; 2. contemptible; rascally |
| Tutelary |
serving as a guardian [tutelage (n)] |
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Group 5
| Abscission |
cutting; process causing leaves to fall off |
| Contentious |
causing argument [contention (n); contend (v)] |
| Debilitating |
weakening [debilitate (v)] |
| Foible |
quirk; minor weakness |
| Importune |
beg; solicit [importunate (a)] |
| Pertain |
be relevant to [pertinent (a)] |
| Slew |
glut; excess |
| Toady |
sycophant; flatterer |
| Torrid |
hot and steamy |
| Veracious |
true [veracity (n)] |
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Group 6
| Asperity |
using harsh or critical tone |
| Blowhard |
boastful person |
| Disingenuous |
crafty |
| Evanescent |
short-lived [evanescence (n)] |
| Intangible |
cannot be touched; abstract [intangibility (n)] |
| Labile |
changing rapidly; unstable |
| Malapropism |
use of similar sounding but incorrect word |
| Posture (v) |
to put on an act |
| Proximate |
immediate; nearest |
| Pugnacious |
aggressive, ready to fight [pugnacity (n)] |
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Group 7
| Foreshadowed |
indicated a future event [foreshadow (v)] |
| Gaucherie |
awkwardness [gauche (a)] |
| Heterodox |
unorthodox |
| Inscrutability |
quality of being difficult to comprehend [inscrutable (a)] |
| Limerick |
short amusing poem |
| Mannered |
stylized; pretentious |
| Pluck (n) |
courage |
| Sedulous |
persevering; eager and thorough |
| Syllogism |
type of logical reasoning |
| Vicissitude |
unexpected change in fortune or circumstances |
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Group 8
| Acolyte |
disciple; follower or attendant |
| Admonitory |
scolding [admonition (n)] |
| Caprices |
whimsies; fancies |
| Cornucopia |
symbol (horn filled with fruit etc.) denoting natural abundance |
| Deferential |
showing respect [deference (n); defer (v)] |
| Intractability |
stubbornness; resistance [intractable (a)] |
| Luminary |
eminent person |
| Minion |
underling; servant |
| Undergird |
support; strengthen |
| Vitiate |
weaken; sap energy |
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Group 9
| Coterie |
clique; small group with common interests |
| Denigrate |
decry; criticize; belittle |
| Empirical |
found by experiment or practice |
| Gainsay |
contradict |
| Hyperbole |
exaggeration [hyperbolic (a)] |
| Modest |
1. bashful; unpretentious; 2. not excessive |
| Prolixity |
wordiness [prolix (a)] |
| Rebus |
puzzle in which pictures give clues |
| Sere |
withered; old |
| Vulpine |
like a fox [compare with bovine (cow-like); porcine (pig-like), etc.] |
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Group 10
| Corroborate |
give supporting evidence [corroboration (n)] |
| Exacerbated |
made worse [exacerbate (v); exacerbation (n)] |
| Exact (v) |
to demand; extort |
| Faddish |
whimsical; following a fashion |
| Hapless |
unlucky |
| Misconstrue |
put a wrong interpretation on something |
| Perennial |
long-lasting |
| Rent |
torn (past participle of the verb to rend) |
| Shard |
fragment of pottery |
| Xenophobe |
person afraid of foreigners |
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