Unit 14 Vocabulary Choosing the Right Word

bellicose

Although Americans are not a (bellicose/mandatory) people, they have proven themselves prepared to defend their nation at any cost.

edict

An (edict/antithesis) was issued by the Holy Roman Emperor to ban the writings of Martin Luther because he challenged the absolute authority of the pope.

rescind

Because of the incidents that occurred during hazing week, the school may (whet/rescind) the rules that allow fraternity initiations.

elucidating

By (rescinding/elucidating) the concept of a pyramid scheme in her opening statement, the attorney hoped to clarify why her client was innocent.

magnanimous

Churchill told the British to be resolute in war, defiant in defeat, and (magnanimous/loquacious) in victory.

alleviate

Do you have any remedies that can (disparage/alleviate) an upset stomach?

vivacious

Her manner of speaking is so (vivacious/phlegmatic) that even her most commonplace remarks seem to suggest charm and excitement.

droll

His jokes were actually not too good, but his (nondescript/droll) manner of delivering them made a big hit with the audience.

laud

I see no reason to (laud/disparage) him in such glowing terms for doing no more than his duty.

antithesis

In the eyes of such leaders as Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., violence is the very (edict/antithesis) of a civilized society.

mandatory

In the fight against air pollution, many states have made filtering devices (droll/mandatory) for all cars sold within their borders.

loquacious

It is sometimes said that when women are more (loquacious/bellicose) than men, but all the men I know do their full share of talking.

alacrity

Maya pretended to be indifferent about going to the dance, but I noticed that she accepted Joshua's invitation with (antithesis/alacrity).

dissonant

Observers doubted that any coalition composed of such (magnanimous/dissonant) factions could long refrain from petty infighting.

phlegmatic

Only a truly (phlegmatic/vivacious) person could have remained calm in the face of such provocation.

elucidate

Reporters asked the mayor to (elucidate/alleviate) her ambiguous remarks about her plans to seek higher office.

whet

The cake was delicious, but the serving was so small that it did little more than (elucidate/whet) my appetite.

edict

The expression, "What goes up must come down," might be termed an (alacrity/edict) of nature.

nondescript

The houses in that development are a mixture of (dissonant/nondescript) styles, with no particular architectural character or distinguishing features.

alleviate

The only truly effective way to (appall/alleviate) the poverty of developing nations is to help increase their capacity to produce wealth.

disparage

There must be a serious flaw in the character of those who have a constant need to (laud/disparage) others.

lauded

This young man has been (lauded/lolled) by many colleagues and fans as the most creative game designer in the industry.

appalled

What (appalled/lolled) us even more than their fearful living conditions was that the refugees seemed to have lost all hope.

loll

Would you rather (rescind/loll) in the back seat of a chauffeured limousine or drive your own convertible?

phlegmatic

Your relaxed and lackadaisical attitude reveals a (phlegmatic/loquacious) personality, which means that you would not be happy in a fast-moving, high-pressure job.