Vocab G Unit 7
The famous sleuth pursued his investigation with all the __________ of a lion stalking its dinner.
pertinacity
A busy administrator in today's high pressure business world just doesn't have the time to deal with such __________ concerns as making coffee.
picayune
The proofreader didn't notice any significant flaws in the writing, but he did find a flaw __________ defects in the typesetting.
picayune
Nothing we could say seemed to __________ her grief over the loss of her dog.
allay
Though I don't consider myself much of a diplomat, I think I handled that delicate situation in a particularly __________ manner.
felicitous
The __________ manner in which he sidled into the room and tried to avoid being noticed actually drew attention to his presence.
furtive
Recent developments in that part of the world have intensified rather than __________ our fears of a renewed conflict.
allayed
The atrocities committed by the __________ commanders of such concentration camps as Auschwitz appalled the civilized world.
bestial
The man's features suddenly contorted into a(n) __________ mask, more reminiscent of a hobgoblin then a human being.
bestial
To anyone as fond of horses as I am, the stable and the tack room provide as __________ an atmosphere as one could wish for.
convivial
Who wouldn't have had fun among such a(n) __________ group of people?
convivial
As the rock star's popularity began to skyrocket, what had been a small __________ of admirers became an unruly mob.
coterie
The "Old 400" was a very small and exclusive __________ of prominent families that dominated East-Coast society for decades.
coterie
Often the antonym of a given English word is not so much its opposite as its __________ - for example, actor and actress.
counterpart
At the Casablanca Conference of 1943, President Roosevelt and his military aides met with their British __________ to map military strategy for the Western Allies.
counterparts
I am flattered that you want me to chair the meeting, but I must __________ on the grounds of my youth and inexperience.
demur
Since we all agreed that the proposal seemed to offer the best solution to our problem, it was accepted without __________.
demur
He had the __________ to come into my own home and tell me what I should do to help him.
effrontery
You mean you had the __________ to ask for a raise when everyone knows you've been goofing off lately? I asked in amazement.
effrontery
When the facts of a matter speak so plainly for themselves, we shouldn't seek to __________ them.
embellish
In the Victorian era, designers ___________ women's dresses with all sorts of elaborate frills and flounces.
embellished
An emotion so fickle and __________ does not deserve to be categorized as "love."
ephemeral
Many a now-forgotten "movie great" has discovered to his or her chagrin that fame may indeed be as __________ as a passing shower.
ephemeral
I can always come up with the crushing rejoinder, the dazzling witticism or the __________ phrase - about an hour after I need it!
felicitous
When I returned to the office earlier than expected, I caught the little snoop __________ going through the papers on my desk.
furtively
The __________ movie places of an earlier era have given way to smaller theaters, decorated in a simpler, more austere style.
garish
The kind of __________ theatrical makeup used by circus clowns is not suitable for an elegant fashion model.
garish
A good deal of sad experience has taught me that my youthful hopes of getting something for nothing were entirely __________.
illusory
If installment buying is not carefully controlled, the benefits that can accrue from it may prove wholly __________.
illusory
The disastrous stock market crash of 1929 left many a wealthy speculator as __________ as the proverbial church mouse.
indigent
Though the Federal government does much to help the __________, private charities play no small part in their welfare.
indigent
He is entitled to reasonable compensation for the damage to his car, but the demands he has made are totally __________.
inordinate
The presidency is the "toughest job in the world" because it makes such __________ demands on a person's time, energy, and ingenuity.
inordinate
Every dynamic and successful society must be able to __________ ideas and institutions that have outlived their usefulness.
jettison
The crew of the freighter __________ most of its cargo in a desperate effort to keep the sinking ship afloat.
jettisoned
Jonathan Swift so came to loathe human folly, vice, and hypocrisy that he died a virtual __________.
misanthrope
She has neither the starry-eyed optimism of the idealist nor the mordant cynicism of the __________.
misanthrope
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" seems to be the motto of that __________ young woman.
pertinacious
Somehow, it depresses me to think that with the approach of winter this magnificent old tree will surrender all its leafy __________.
raiment
When Charles V retired to Spanish monastery, he exchanged the costly __________ of a King for the simple habit of a monk.
raiment