Test: 04 - Sunday, May 1996
aesthete someone concerned with art and beauty
anthology collection of poems/ short stories etc.
arid very dry
arrest to stop
ascetic without luxuries/indulgences; harshly simple; Spartan
assiduous eager and thorough
atypical not typical
bewilder confuse
bourgeois middle class
camaraderie friendliness
captivate fascinate
circumscribed limited
condescending arrogant; talking down to someone
congregation gathering (esp. in a church)
contagious can be caught through direct contact (used of diseases)
contemptuous arrogant; showing intolerance
contrite sorry
curtailed cut short
debased degraded
decibel unit of sound measurement
demagogue political leader who plays on the emotions of the crowd
disdain contempt
disingenuous crafty
dispelled removed; made to disappear
distortion twisting out of shape
divination fortune-telling; forecasting
divulge give out; reveal
draftee someone called up into the army etc.
eclectic taking things from different sources; varied
egregious outstandingly bad
elusive difficult to pin down
emissary messenger and representative
enchantment fascination
epilogue something written at the end (esp. of a play)
exasperation frustration; annoyance
exculpate remove blame or guilt
exemplify act as a good example of
expedite hurry something up; hasten
extenuating mitigating; excusing or making something seem less serious
extricate get out of; remove
fission splitting
flippancy joking; levity
glacial icy cold
hackneyed unoriginal; overused
haughty arrogant; too proud
hedonist pleasure seeker
heinous very bad
idolatrous worshipping idols; over-praising
impious irreverent; unholy
incantation magic spell; chant; ritual words
indecorous not in accordance with acceptable behavior
industrious hard working
inflammatory stirring up; arousing discontent
insolence insulting, offensive, or rude behavior
intrepid brave
intuitive working by intuition; ‘gut feeling’
jollity happiness; gaiety
legion numerous
loathing hatred
lobbyist one who tries to persuade
malediction curse
maverick rebel; loner
maxim short saying expressing a rule of conduct
meticulous painstaking; careful about details
narcissistic over-concerned about one’s own appearance
nondescript having no special features
novice beginner
objectivity being unbiased; scientific attitude
opulent lavish; wealthy
oration formal speech
paranoid excessively worried
partisan biased; supporting one particular side
penitent repentant; sorry; contrite
perplexing puzzling
pervasive spreading everywhere; common
ploy trick
polarizing separating into two extremes
potentate powerful ruler
pragmatist practical person
profane unholy; wicked
protégé someone who is under the protection or guidance of a mentor
retention holing something in or back
sanctioned given permission
séance session in which people try to contact the spirit world
spurious fake; false
superficial not in depth
surreptitious sneaky; furtive
symbolizing acting as a symbol of
talisman lucky charm; ritual object
timorous cowardly; fearful
underscored emphasized
utopian someone who believes in an ideal world
vengeful seeking revenge
verified proved right
virtuoso expert; skillful person
wily cunning
Test: 05 - Saturday, November 1996
absolved forgiven; removed from blame
aesthetic concerned with art and beauty
almanac year-book with useful information
amicable friendly
anachronistic in the wrong time period
anthology book containing many items (e.g. poems)
auspicious favorable, indicating good fortune
benign kindly
carouse party’, sing and drink
censured blamed
cerebral concerned with thinking
clandestine secret, furtive
cliché over-used, unoriginal expression
concocted made up, invented
consummate supremely good
corroborating giving supporting evidence
culpable guilty, blameworthy
derided mocked
desolate empty, lonely
discourse lecture
drubbed beaten
egotist selfish person
embezzle to steal money by tampering with accounts
empathy form of sympathy; feeling of closeness
emulated copied
enervated weakened
epilogue end part of book or play
extol praise
facile over simplified
fallacious wrong
felicitous apt, suitable, fortunate
flagrant obvious
florid over-decorated, red-colored, flowery
foolhardy reckless
genial friendly
grandiose on a grand scale, excessive
hedonistic pleasure-seeking
incisive directly to the point
ineffable cannot be expressed in words
inefficacious ineffective
interminable never ending
intrepid brave
kin family, relatives
lummox clumsy person
lurid glaring
maxim proverb; sentence expressing a rule of conduct
mitigated made less severe
mundane boring, dull
nurtured fostered, encouraged
obdurate stubborn
onerous burdensome
ornate highly decorated
parched dried up
preamble introduction to a document
precocious developing very early
prepossessing attractive
pretentious putting on an act, immodest
procrastinate put off and delay
prolific producing a lot
provocative stimulating, provoking something
pseudonym false name
querulous always complaining
reconciliation bringing sides together after a dispute
regale entertain
resolute firm of purpose
revel party; enjoy
revered highly respected
salvage save from destruction
scurry rush, walk in a hurry
serendipity fortunate coincidence
shingle tile
statute law
temerity excessive nerve or daring
therapeutic acting as a cure or medicine
toady sycophant, flatterer
tome big book
utilitarian useful
variegated multicolored
veneer superficial layer
venerated worshipped
verdant green and fertile
vindictive seeking revenge
Test: 06 - Saturday, January 1997
anonymous without a name
audacious very bold
balk hinder, prevent
bard poet
bilked cheated
cajole coax
cherished looked after, valued, held
circuitous indirect
circumlocutions using to many words
condescending arrogant
consensus general agreement
coop chicken-shed
crescendo increase in volume in music
debunkers people who expose faults and get rid of myths
deleterious harmful
dissemblers people who try to hide the truth
dissipated wasted; dispersed
diversion entertainment
divisive causing division
encompassing including
ephemeral short-lived
evanescent short-lived
fathom to measure depth
fortitude strength, bravery
gibberings meaningless noises
impute imply
indomitable cannot be conquered
inviolable cannot be invaded
legend key to a map
lithe flexible
livid very angry
longevity long life
lull reduce fear, soothe
lyricist someone who writes the words for songs
machinations plots and plans
mandated ordered
melodramas unrealistic, overacted plays
misgivings doubts
monopoly an exclusive right to something
morose gloomy
mundane dull, ordinary
nit pickers people who find fault with small details
opulent lavish, wealthy
quaint unusual, picturesque
querulous always complaining
remorseful full of regret or repentance
remuneration payment for work done
renunciations giving things up
rhapsodize praise excessively
sagacious wise
sanctimonious pretending to be holy, hypocritical
sullied made dirty
thicket clump of shrubs
transient short-lived
virtuoso expert (especially musician)