Unit 8 Vocabulary Choosing the Right Word

reprisal

Although our society must punish criminals, I don't think we should do so simply as a (reprisal/quandary) for the wrongs they have committed.

ingenuous

Can you be so (apprehensive/ingenuous) that you don't realize that she is paying us all those phony compliments to get something out of us?

suave

Clark Gable was a(n) (obsolete/suave) leading man who attracted women with his charm and good looks and impressed men with his strength and confidence.

parsimonious

He is so absorbed in himself that he has become (parsimonious/suave) in the normal expression of human sympathy and affection.

apathy

Her moods seem to go from one extreme to the other - from deepest (apathy/animosity) to unlimited enthusiasm.

compatible

I am looking for a printer that is (compatible/ingenuous) with my computer.

obsolete

I must give you the sad news that correct spelling and good grammar are not, and never will be, (obsolete/decrepit).

condolences

I think we should offer congratulations rather than (revels/condolences) for the disappearance of that battered old heap you called a car.

commend

If you can't (deride/commend) me for my efforts to help you, at least don't criticize me for not doing everything you want.

consecrate

In this new century of our nation's life, let us (stultify/consecrate) ourselves anew to the ideals of human freedom.

deride

Many stand-up comedians regularly (revel/deride) popular fads and fashions.

commended

Mary Shelley is often (commended/stultified) for having written one of the earliest examples of science fiction: the classic novel Frankenstein.

decrepit

Our Constitution is more than 200 years old; but far from being (suave/decrepit), it is still a vital, dynamic, and highly practical plan of government.

quandary

So we are faced with that old (quandary/reprisal) - an income that simply can't be stretched to cover the things that we simply must have.

omnivorous

Some people are (omnivorous/parsimonious) readers, with a lively appetite for all types of fiction and nonfiction.

stultify

The address was so dull and long-winded that it seemed to (consecrate/stultify) rather than inspire the audience.

recalcitrant

The handful of (compatible/recalcitrant) students who refuse to obey study hall regulations are violating the rights of the majority.

suave

The headwaiter was so (suave/ingenuous) and self-assured in his manner that we took him for a diplomat.

deride

The owner of the used car dealership showed poor judgment when he decided to publicly (deride/revel) his employees' suggestions for improved customer service.

apprehensive

The woman looked (parsimonious/apprehensive) when her guide announced that the group was going whitewater rafting in the afternoon.

apprehensive

Those students who have been doing their work all term need not feel (apprehensive/recalcitrant) about the final examination.

multifarious

Two of the chief strengths of modern American society are the variety and vitality that arise from its (multifarious/obsolete) cultures.

revel

When my friends appeared with an MP3 player and a docking station with amazing sound, I realized that our crash study session might become an all-day (reprisal/revel).

animosity

Yes, there is some (apathy/animosity) between different racial and ethnic groups, but it can be overcome by education and experience.

compatible

Your unwillingness to study foreign languages is in no way (compatible/omnivorous) with your ambition to get a job in the foreign service.