| Question |
Answer |
| precipitate |
(adj) sudden and unexpected, (v) to throw down from a height, to cause to happen |
| assuage |
to make less severe |
| prodigal |
wasteful, extravagent, lavish |
| enigma |
a puzzle or mystery |
| fervid |
passionate, intense, zealous |
| placate |
to soothe or pacify |
| dessicate |
to dry completely, dehydrate |
| pedant |
one who pays undue attention to book learning and rules; one who displays learning ostentatiously |
| adulterate |
to corrupt or make impure |
| capricious |
impulsive, whimsical, without much thought |
| engender |
to produce, cause, bring about |
| corroborate |
to confirm, verify |
| ephemeral |
momentary, transient, fleeting |
| laconic |
using few words |
| mitigate |
to soften, or make milder |
| propriety |
appropriateness |
| advocate |
to speak in favor of |
| enervate |
to weaken, sap strength from |
| ingenuous |
straightforward, open; naive and unsophisticated |
| misanthrope |
person who hates human beings |
| paradox |
contradiction, incongruity; dilemma, puzzle |
| venerate |
to respect deeply |
| abate |
to reduce in amount, degree, severity |
| abscond |
to leave secretly |
| abstain |
to choose not to do something |
| abyss |
an extremely deep hole |
| aesthetic |
concerning the appreciation of beauty |
| aggrandize |
to increase in power, influence, and reputation |
| alleviate |
to make more bearable |
| amalgamate |
to combine, to mix together |
| ambiguous |
doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways |
| ameliorate |
to make better, to improve |
| anachronism |
something out of place of time |
| analogous |
similar or alike in some way; equivalent to |
| anomaly |
deviation from what is normal |
| antagonize |
to annoy or to provoke to anger |
| antipathy |
extreme dislike |
| apathy |
lack of interest or emotion |
| arbitrate |
to judge a dispute between two opposting parties |
| archaic |
ancient, old fashioned |
| ardor |
intense and passionate feeling |
| articulate |
able to speak clearly and expressively |
| assuage |
to make something unpleasant less severe |
| attenuate |
to reduce in force or degree, to weaken |
| audacious |
fearless and daring |
| austere |
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated |
| banal |
predictable, cliched, boring |
| bolster |
to support; to prop up |
| bombastic |
pompous in speech and manner |
| cacophony |
harsh, jarring noise |
| candid |
impartial and honest in speech |
| capricious |
changing one's mind quickly and often |
| castigate |
to punish or criticize harshly |
| caustic |
biting in wit |
| chaos |
great disorder or confusion |
| chauvinist |
someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs |
| chicanery |
deception by means of craft or guile |
| cogent |
convincing and well reasoned |
| condone |
to overlook, pardon, or disregard |
| convoluted |
intricate and complicated |
| corroborate |
to provide supporting evidence |
| credulous |
too trusting; gullible |
| crescendo |
steadily increasing volume or force |
| decorum |
appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety |
| deference |
respect, courtesy |
| deride |
to speak of or treat with contempt, to mock |
| dessicate |
to dry out thourougly |
| desultory |
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected |
| diatribe |
an abusive, condemnatory speech |
| diffident |
lacking self confidence |
| dilate |
to make larger, to expand |
| dilatory |
intended to delay |
| dilettante |
someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic |
| dirge |
a funeral hymn or mournful speech |
| disabuse |
to set right; to free from error |
| discern |
to perceive; to recognize |
| disparate |
fundamentally different; entirely unlike |
| dissemble |
to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character |
| dissonance |
a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds |
| dogma |
a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief |
| dogmatic |
dictatorial in one's opinions |
| dupe |
to deceive; a person who is easily deceived |
| eclectic |
selecting from or made up from a variety of sources |
| efficacy |
effectiveness |
| elegy |
a sorrowful poem or speech |
| eloquent |
persuasive and moving, especially in speech |
| emulate |
to copy; to try to equal or excel |
| enervate |
to reduce in strength |
| engender |
to produce, cause, or bring about |
| enigma |
a puzzle; a mystery |
| enumerate |
to count, list, or itemize |
| ephemeral |
lasting a short time |
| equivocate |
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead |
| erratic |
wandering and unpredictable |
| erudite |
learned, scholarly, bookish |
| esoteric |
known or understood by only a few |
| estimable |
admirable |
| eulogy |
speech in praise of someone |
| euphemism |
use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one |
| exacerbate |
to make worse |
| exculpate |
to clear from blame; prove innocent |
| exigent |
urgent; requiring immediate action |
| exonerate |
to clear of blame |
| explicit |
clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression |
| fanatical |
acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion |
| fawn |
to grovel |
| fervid |
intensely emotional; feverish |
| florid |
excessively decorated or embellished |
| foment |
to arouse or incite |
| frugality |
a tendency to be thrify or cheap |
| garrulous |
tending to talk a lot |
| gregarious |
outgoing, sociable |
| guile |
deceit or trickery |
| gullible |
easily deceived |
| homogenous |
of a similar kind |
| iconoclast |
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions |
| imperturbable |
not capable of being disturbed |
| impervious |
impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected |
| impetuous |
quick to act without thinking |
| implacable |
unable to be calmed down or made peaceful |
| inchoate |
not fully formed; disorganized |
| ingenuous |
showing innocence or childlike simplicity |
| inimical |
hostile, unfriendly |
| innocuous |
harmless |
| lucid |
clear and easily understood |
| luminous |
bright, brilliant, glowing |
| malinger |
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill |
| malleable |
capable of being shaped |
| metaphor |
a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol |
| meticulous |
extremely careful about details |
| misanthrope |
a person who dislikes others |
| mitigate |
to soften; to lessen |
| mollify |
to calm or make less severe |
| monotony |
lack of variation |
| naive |
lacking sophistication or experience |
| obdurate |
hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion |
| obsequious |
overly submissive and eager to please |
| obstinate |
stubborn, unyielding |
| obviate |
to prevent; to make unncecessary |
| occlude |
to stop up; to prevent the passage of |
| onerous |
troublesome and oppressive; burdensome |
| opaque |
impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light |
| opprobrium |
public disgrace |
| ostentation |
excessive showiness |
Biology Lab Midterm
