As the hurrican's force ______, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.
B. abated - to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
the patron _______ form the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door.
E. absconded - to leave secretely
the restauranteur made his ketchup last longer by _______ it with water.
B. adulterated - to make impure
followers of the ________ movement regared the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art.
A. aesthetic - concerning the appreciation of beauty
the supervisor sought to __________ himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own.
D. aggrandize - to increase in power, influence, and repuation
taking aspririn helps to _____ a headache.
D. alleviate - to make more bearable
gaint industries ________ with mega products to form giant mega products incorporated
C. amalgamated - to combine, to mix together
the directions he gave were so _______ that we disagreed on which way to turn.
C. ambiguous - doubtful or uncertain, able to be interpreted several ways
the doctor was able to ________ the patient's suffereing using painkillers.
C. ameliorate - to make better, to improve
the aged hippie used ______ phrases like groovy and far out that had not been popular for years.
B. anachromism - something out of place in time
in a famous arguement for the existence of god, the universe is _________ to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent "clockmaker."
E. analogous - similar or alike in some way, equivalent to
the _____ between the french and the english regularly eruped into open warfare.
B. antipathy - extreme dislike
the _____ of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so.
A. apathy - lack of interest or emotion
serena used aspirin to ______ her pounding headache.
E. assuage - to make something unpleasant less severe
the bill of rights _____ the traditional power of government to change laws at will.
D. attenuate - to reduce in force or degree, to weaken
her _____ nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving.
D. audacious - fearless and daring
the lack of decoration makes zen temples seem ___ to the untrained eye.
A. austere - severe or stern in appearance, undecorated
he used ____ phrases like have a nice day, or another day, another dollar.
A. banal - predictable, cliched, borning
the presense of giant footprints ________ the arguement that sasquatch was in the area.
C. bolstered - to support, to prop up
the dicator's speeches were mostly _____, his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact.
E. bombastic - pompous in speech and manner
the junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable ______ as they tried to tune their instruments.
B. cacophony - harsh, jarring noise
queen elizabeth I was quite _____, her courtiers could never be sure which of their number would catch her fancy.
A. capricious - changing one's mind quickly and often
americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in singapore ______ perpetrators of what would be considered minor crimes in the united states.
A. castigate - to punish or criticize harshly
the impostion of harsh taxes was the _______ that finally brought on the revoluation.
E. catalyst - something that brings about a change in something else
dorothy parker gained her reputation for ______ with from her cutting yet clever insults.
A. caustic - biting in wit
dishonest used care salesmen often use _______ to sell their beat up old cars.
B. chicanery - deception by means of craft or guile
swayed by the _____ argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to aquit the defendent.
D. cogent - convincing and well reasoned
some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as ________ an air of lawlessness.
E. condoning - to overlook, pardon, or disregard
although many people brought a brief history of time, few could follow the ________ ideas and theories.
E. convoluted - intricate and complicated
the countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the _____ appropriate for the visit to the palace.
A. decorum - appropriateness of behavior or conduct, propriety
the respectful young law clerk treated the supreme court justice with the upmost ________.
D. deference - respect, courtesy
the awkward child was often ____ by his cooler peers.
D. derided - to speak or treat with contempt, to mock
after a few weeks of lying on the desert's baking sands, the cow's carcass became completely _____.
A. dessicated - to try out thoroughly
diane had a ______ academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in 3 years.
D. desulatory - jumping from one thing to another, disconnected
the trucker bellowed a _______ at the driver who had cut him off.
E. diatribe - an abusive, condemnatory speech
steve's ______ manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field.
B. diffident - lacking self confidence
melville wrote the poem a ________ for james mcpherson for the funeral of a union general who was killed in 1864.
D. dirage - a funeral hymn or mournful speech
galileo's observations _______ scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the sun.
B. disabused - to set right, to free from error
it is easy to _______ the difference between butter and butter flavored topping.
C. discern - to percieve, to recognize
although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are _____.
A. disparate - fundamentally different, entirely unlike
the villain could _____ to the police no longer - he admited the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the body of the old man.
D. dissemble - to present a false appearance, to disguise one's real intentions or character
cognitive _______ is the inner conflict produced when long stanind beliefs are contradicted by new evidence.
A. dissonance - a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
the dictator was _____ - he and only he was right.
B. dogmatic - dictorial in one's opinions
bugs bunny was able to _____ elmer fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit.
C. dupe - to deceive, a person who is easily deceived
budapest's architecture is an ______ mix of eastern and western styles.
D. eclectic - selecting form or made up from a variety of sources
the ______ of penicillian was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely eliminated alsmost all bacterial infections for which it was administered.
D. efficacy - effectiveness
the graduate student sought to ______ his professor in every way, copying not only how she taught, but also how she conducted herself outside of class.
A. emulate - to copy, to try to equal or excel
the guerrillas hoped that a series of suprise attacks would ______ the regular army.
E. enervate - to reduce in strength
his fear and hatred of clowns was ______ when he witness the death of his father at the hands of a clown.
E. engendered - to produce, cause, or bring about
the lives of mayflies seem _________ to us, since the flies' average life sapn is a matter of hours.
D. ephemeral - lasting a short time
when faced with criticism of his policies, the politician ________ and left all parties thinking he agreed with them.
C. equivocated - to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
the annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most ______, well-published individuals in the field.
A. erudite - learned, scholarly, bookish
only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the ______ world of particle physics.
D. esoteric - known or understood by a few
his best friend gave the _____, outlining his many achievements and talents.
C. eulogy - speech in praise of someone
the funeral director preferred to use the ______ sleeping instead of dead.
D. euphemism - use of an inoffensive word or phrase in placed of a more distasteful one
it was unwise to take aspriin to try and relieve heartburn; instead of providing relief, the drug will only _______ the problem.
D. exacerbate - to make worse
the patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was ______ to stop the source of the bleeding.
C. exigent - urgent, requiring immediate action
the understudy _______ over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis.
E. fawned - to grovel
the protesters tried to _______ feeling against the war through their speeches and demonstrations.
C. foment - to arouse or incite
scrooge mcduck's ______ was so great that he accumlated enough wealth to fill a giant storehouse with money.
D. frugality - a tendency to be thrifty or cheap
the ______ parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking.
C. garrulout - tending to talk a lot
she was so _______ that when she found herself along she felt quite sad.
A. gregarious - outgoing, sociable
since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to ______ in an effort to trap his enemy.
B. guile - deceit or trickery
the con man pretended to be a bank officer so as to fool _______ bank customers into giving him their account information.
C. gullible - easily deceived
the class was fairly ________, since almost all of the students were senior journalism majors.
E. homogenuous - of similar kind
his lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an _________.
A. iconoclast - one who opposes established beliefs, customs and institutions
the counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed _______, even when faced with the wildest tantrums.
E. imperturbale - not capable of being distrubed
a good raincoat will be ______ to moisture.
C. impervious - ipossible to penetrate, incapable of being affected
his rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained ______ for weeks.
C. implacable - unable to be calmed down or make peaceful
the ideas expressed in nietzsche's mature work also appear in an _______ form in his earliest writing.
D. inchoate - not fully formed, disorganized
she was so ______ that her friends feared that her innocence and trustfulness would be exploited when she visited the big city.
C. ingenuous - showing innocence or childlike simplicity
some snakes are poisonous, but most speciare are _______ and pose no danger to humans.
D. innocuous - harmless
the critic claimed that the painting was _____, containing no interesting qualities at all.
A. insipid - lakcing interest of flavor
the professor was ________ on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the assignment in at the same time.
D. intransigent - uncompromising, refusing to be reconciled
the tidal wave _____ atlantis, which was lost beneath the water.
C. inundated - to overwhelm, to cover with water
attila the hun's ________ and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives.
B. irascible - easily made angry
she was a _______ poet who built her preputation on using words as sparinly as possible.
D. laconic - using few words
the clerk was so ______ that, even when the store was slow, he always had a long line in front of him.
C. lethargic - acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
she was naturally _____, which was a problem in situations in which listening was more importatnt than talking.
B. loquacious - talkative
the explainations were written in a simple and _____ manner so that students were immediately able to apply what they learned.
A. lucid - clear and easily understood
the park was bathed in ________ sunshine which warmed the bodies and the souls of the visitors.
A. luminous - bright, brilliant, glowing
a common way to avoid the draft was by ________ - pretending to be mentally or physically ill so as to avoid being taken by the army.
C. malingering - to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
gold is the most ______ of precious metals; it can easily be formed into almost any shape.
D. malleable - capable of being shaped
to find all the clues at the crime scene, the investigators________ examined every inch of the area.
A. meticulously - extremely carefuly about details
the character scrooge in a christmas carol is such a _________ that even the sight of children singing makes him angry.
E. misanthrope - person who dislikes others
a judge may _______ a sentence if she decides that a person committed a crime out of need.
A. mitigate - to soften, to lessen
their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would ________ them.
C. mollify - to clam or make less severe
the president was completely _______ on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind.
E. obdurate - hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
the ________ new associate made sure to compliement her supervisor's tie and agree with him on every issue.
B. obsequious - overly submissive and eager to please
the river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which _______ the need for a bridge.
E. obviated - to prevent; to make unncessary
a shadow is thrown across the earth's surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is _______ by the moon.
D. occluded - to stop up; to prevent the passage of
the assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved _________ to the team in charge of it.
B. onerous - troublesome and oppressive, burdensome
after the scheme to embezzle the eldery was made public, the treasurer regisned in utter _______.
A. opprobrium - public disgrace
the _______ of the sun king's court is evident in the lavish decoration and luxuriousness of his palace in versailles.
E. ostentation - excessive showiness
she is the _________ of what a judge should be: honest, intelligent, hardworking and just.
C. paragon - model of excellence or perfection
the graduate instructor's tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a _______.
B. pedant - someone who shows off learning
the actress's ______ companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip columnist.
B. perfidious - willing to betray one's trust
the machinelike bank teller processed the transaction and gave the waiting customer a ________ smile.
B. perfunctory - done in a routine way, indifferent
this miraculous new cleaning fluid is able to _______ stains and dissolve them in minutes.
B. permeate - to penetrate
the burglar tried to _____ the snarling dog by saying nice doggy and offering it a treat.
A. placate - to soothe or pacify
the new material was very ______ and could be formed into products of vastly different shapes.
C. plastic - able to me molded, altered or bent
assuming that more was better, the defendant offered the judge a _______ of excuses.
A. plethora - excess
while daydreaming gamblers think they can get rich by frequenting casinos, ________ gamblers realize that the odds are heavily stacked against them.
E. pragmatic - practical as opposed to idealistic
upon learning that the couple married after knowing each other only 2 months, friends and family members expected such as ______ marriage to end in divorce.
B. precipitate - to throw violently or bring about abruptly, lacking deliberation
rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee ________ and claimed that heavy traffic had prevented him from arriving at work on time.
C. prevaricate - to lie or deviate from the truth
since concerted measures had been taken to prevent looting, the archeological site was still _______ when researchers arrived.
B. pristine - fresh and clean, uncorrupted
the ________ son quickly wasted all of his inheritance on a lavish liftestyle devoted to pleasure.
C. prodigal - lavish, wasteful
the management maintained a high level of _____, adhering to even the most minor social rules.
C. prepriety - correct behavior, obedience to rules and customs
the smoke from the burning tires was extremely ______.
E. pungent - sharp and irritating to the senses
many animals are ______ over the winter months, minimizing activity in order to conserve energy.
D. quiescent - motionless
since the atmosphere _______ as altitudes increase, the air at the top of very tall mountains is too think to breathe.
B. rarefies - to make thinner or sparser
the old woman's claim that she was russian royalty was _________ when dna results showed she was of no relation to them.
E. repudiated - to reject the validity of
physically small and ________ in her speech, joan didion often went unnoticed by those upon whom she was reporting.
C. reticent - silent, reserved
his desire for power was so great that nothing less than complete control of the country could ________ it.
A. satiate - to satisfy fully or overindulge
the movie proved to be so ______ that soon loud snored were heard throughout the theater.
B. soporific - cuasing sleep or lethargy
the student's _________ excuse for being late sounded legitimate, but was proved otherwise when his teacher called his home.
A. specious - deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious
in the scarlet letter, hester prynne was required to wear the letter a on her clothes as a public ______ for her adultery.
E. stigma - a mark of shame or discredit
the prisoner appeared ______ and unaffeced by the judge's harsh sentence.
A. stolid - unemotional; lacking sensitivity
although not a word had been said, everyone in the room knew that a ______ agreement had been made about which course of action to take.
E. tacit - done without using words
observers were shocked at the manager's ______ over such a minor mistake.
E. tirade - long, harshe speech or verbal attack
the customer held up the line as he _________ between ordering chocolate chip or rocky road ice cream.
D. vacillated - to sway physically; to be indecisive
in a traditional confucian society, the young _______ their elders, deferring to the elders' wisdon and experience.
E. venerate - to respect deeply
she had a reputation for _______, so everyone trusted her description of events.
D. veracity - filled with truth and accuracy
the professor's answer was so _______ that his student forgot what the original question had been.
B. verbose - wordy
his ________ personality made it difficult to predict his reaction to anything.
E. volatile - easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
the ballet was _______, delighting the children with its imagintive characters and unpredictable sets.
C. whimsical - acting a fanciful or capricious manner, unpredictable
she brought her typical _______ to the project, sparking enthusiasm in the other team members.
