Chapter 1: Verbal

Evil in nature;malevolent

"By spreading the cruel rumor, my sister hoped to malign her ex-boyfriend"

Annoyed or Angry

"I was getting indignant at being asked what I thought were stupid questions by him."

Very generous

"When you give $1,000 for a birthday gift when everyone else only gives $20, this is an example of a time when you would be described as munificent."

Not telling the truth;untruthful

"Instead of giving me another mendacious story, just be honest for once."

of no value or important;useless

"Jim's nugatory comments contributed nothing to the class discussion"

not real or genuine;substitute

"The dishonest store owner tried to sell ersatz products but claimed that they were designer."

Secret; hidden

"Frank's wife filed for divorce after learning about his clandestine affair with their neighbor."

Clever;innovative, inventive

"She showed amazing ingenuity in finding ways to cut costs."

repetition of a process or utterance; version

"Sony's most recent iteration of the PlayStation is catering to the most hardcore of gamers and media junkies"

Philosophical idea that only the self exists

"a baby is solipsistic because he/she is only aware of their own existence"

Juvenile

"After drinking too much alcohol, the celebrity made sophomoric comments that turned his fans against him"

Unrealistic;impractical

"Although Jack's plan for killing the giant was quixotic, it was the village's only hope."

go through an unpleasant experience in which a lot of people criticize or attack you

"the pledge ran the gaunlet of fraternity members as they hazed him"

Extend over an entire range of something

"His music ran the gamut from rock to classical"

An inferior imitator or mimic

Slow and clumsy

"The students grew silent when they realized they would have to sit through a ponderous three-hour lecture"

in poor condition through long use or lack of care

"She wore shabby old jeans and a T-shirt"

Clear;logical;convincing(of an argument or case)

"Because the child was so young, I worked hard to give her cogent answers to her questions. "

A secret political clique or faction

"Hundreds of workers formed a cabal to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the firm's healthcare plan"

Well-educated people who are interested in literature

"Her novels are popular with university literati, but they have failed to attract a wider audience"

Employing great care and thoroughness;careful

"Painstaking attention to detail"

The masses; the common people

"Rich people say avoid mixing with the hoi pol loi"

Relating to a church parish

or 

Having limited or narrow outlook

Sweet and soothing (sound)

"The dulcet tones of the cello"

Easy

Sophisticated, polite, mannered

"They seem modern and urbane but underneath they are all animals."

Harmful or destructive

"If not cooked properly, the fish can be baneful to humans"

Harmful, poisonous, very unpleasant

"We must trace the source of these noxious gases"

Treat with an apparent kindness that betrays a feeling of superiority

Open and responsive to suggestion; willing to agree

"The employees were not amenable to the control measures which were suggested."

Dealing with things realistically; practical; doing what works best

" The scientist had a pragmatic approach to dealing with the water crisis."

Calm, dependable, showing little emotion

"He was a stolid man who did not even show his emotions at his mother's funeral."

open to more than one interpretation; not having one obvious meaning; not clear or decided

"Instead of being ambiguous with your words, be more clear and specific"

Unusual and playful

"Scarlett likes to dress up fancily and have whimsical tea parties with her bear family."

An example of whimsical is a little girl pretending to be flying around the house like a butterfly.

Having mixed or contradictory feelings about something or someone; if you cant decide how you feel about something

Most students really liked the principal, but Gina had ambivalent feelings toward him.

open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous.

"The teacher’s equivocal answer did not provide me with a clear response to my question."

too eager to tell people what to do and having too high an opinion of your own importance

"Johnny was an officious, little man who was always telling people how to do their job since he did not have one of his own"

Take the place of a person or thing previously in power or use

"The older models of car have now been superseded"

A soft, moist mass of material consisting of herbs, applied to the body to relieve soreness and inflammation

"He poulticed the wound"

a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone's character

"Smoking is the foible that prevents Jenna from being healthy."

"In the book, the hero’s greed was the foible that caused his downfall."

The essential or characteristic customs and conventions of a society or community

"an offense against social mores"

a minor fault or sin

"The sexual peccadilloes of celebrities aren't necessarily news"