Test: 08 - Sunday, May 1997
Abridge shorten (usually used for books)
Acrimony bitterness and bad feeling
Alleviate make less severe
Anecdote short, amusing story
Ardor enthusiasm
Assiduously eagerly; thoroughly
Astute mentally sharp
Bane troublesome influence
Berate scold; criticize
Bereft deprived of
Cloying sickly sweet; over sentimental
Cognizant aware of
Colloquially locally and informally
Consensus common agreement
Conundrum puzzle
Cordial friendly
Corroborate give evidence in support of something
Decorously done in a way consistent with good, correct behavior
Destitution poverty
Detractor a person who give negative criticism
Diffidently hesitantly
Dingy shabby; dark
Disseminate spread (information)
Efficacious effective
Ensemble troupe (musicians etc.); group; set (of clothes)
Exemplary acting as a good example; excellent
Fortitude bravery; ability to withstand trouble
Frivolity non-seriousness
Garish too bright; gaudy
Hierarchy chain of command
Inexorableness inescapability
Iridescent glowing; giving off light
Irresolute not firm
Jubilation rejoicing
Languidly in a slow and relaxed manner
Linchpin central point of an argument
Mediator someone who tries to bring disputing sides together
Munificence generosity
Nonchalance an appearance of indifference
Nonchalantly in an unconcerned manner
Pantomime play without words
Paramount vital; great
Perfidious treacherous
Perfunctory superficial; not thorough
Philanthropic generous
Pinioned tied down
Pompously arrogantly
Prosaic dull, mundane
Quell suppress
Querulous always complaining
Raucous rough; unpleasant (used for sounds)
Resplendent glowing
Sagacity wisdom
Servile unduly submissive
Sully make dirty
Table to put forward for future discussion
Tenaciously holding on tight to an idea or purpose
Tentatively hesitantly
Terminate end
Tourniquet first aid device to stop bleeding (twisted cloth)
Troubadour medieval musician
Truculent stubborn
Unfetter set free
Unheralded unannounced
Venerability worthy of respect
Test: 09 - Saturday, January 2000
Abhor hate
Abstain refrain from
Accomplice someone who aids a criminal
Adulatory involving strong praise or worship
Affectation pretence; unnatural manner
Agile flexible
Amalgamation joining together
Ambiguous vague
Ambivalent vague
Amorphous having no definite shape
Archetypal acting as a classic example of something
Arid dry
Assiduously thoroughly; eagerly
Barricade barrier
Benefactor giver of gifts
Bicker quarrel about petty matters
Braggart someone who boasts
Buffoonery foolish behaviour intended to amuse
Clique small group with common interests
Cloying sticky sweet; over-sentimental
Collage picture made up of many smaller pictures
Collusion plotting and planning
Colossus huge figure or statue; giant
Condone give silent approval to
Congeal solidify
Consecration dedication
Contemplate think over deeply
Cumulative building up; increasing
Curator person in charge of a museum or its exhibits
Cynicism looking on the black side; pessimistic (esp. about human behaviour)
Cynics pessimists
Debacle disaster
Debilitating weakening
Deliberate v.) think deeply about
Demean degrade
Deride mock
Disavowed disclaimed
Disgruntled annoyed; dissatisfied
Disparaged criticized
Dissembler someone who hides the truth
Dissent disagreement
Ecstasy extreme joy
Eloquent able to speak well and persuasively
Embellish decorate
Enhances improves
Enigmatically in a puzzling manner
Ensemble troupe or group (esp. musicians or dancers)
Epilogue part added at the end
Epistolary though the medium of (postal)letters
Equitable fair; equal
Eradication wiping out; destroying
Eulogy praise
Exalt raise to higher level; worship
Exhortation strong encouragement
Fabrication manufacture; invention
Façade front of building; assumed or false appearance
Felicities suitable or happy things
Forage search for food
Frugal economical
Harangue strong verbal attack
Hypocrite someone who does not practise what he preaches
Illusory not real
Immoderate excessive
Immunize protect against disease
Immutable cannot be changed
Impassive unreacting
Inauspicious not favourable
Inconspicuous not easily seen
Indefatigable cannot be tired
Indefensible cannot be defended; very wrong
Indiscretion unwise act
Indiscriminately randomly
Inexorable cannot be put off
Insidious dangerous; menacing
Insinuate hint slyly
Intemperate not moderate
Larceny theft
Manifest obvious; clear
Mendicant beggar
Milestone important event or stage
Morass mess; tangled mass
Mystify confuse
Nefarious infamous; wicked
Obstreperous noisy and boisterous
Peer an equal
Polarization separating into two extremes
Profundity depth (of ideas etc.)
Prudent wise; cautious
Punctuated interrupted
Rancorously bitterly
Regurgitate bring up food that has been swallowed. (Metaphorically - to recall memorized facts)
Repentance being sorry
Reprehensible very bad; deserving strong criticism
Revoke cancel
Roster list
Scathing strongly attacking
Scrutinize examine carefully
Shear cut (esp. cut wool off a sheep)
Stagnation decay; stoppage of movement
Stomp step down hard
Subsist survive
Substantiated gave supporting evidence
Supple flexible
Surreptitious sneaky; secret; furtive
Sycophant flatterer
Tiff minor quarrel
Travesty mockery; serious wrongdoing
Unintelligible cannot be understood
Utopian believing in an ideal world
Vicariously through someone else; indirect
Vindictiveness seeking revenge
Viscous sticky