Choosing the Right Word, Vocabulary Level G Unit 13

efficacy

"Do we have sufficient evidence at hand," I asked, "to judge the (efficacy, cognizance) of the new method of teaching reading?"

engenders

A government that fails to create reform (engenders, deigns) the social unrest that makes violent revolution inevitable.

cynosure

For any actor, it is a unique thrill to know that when you are alone on stage, you are the (facade, cynosure) of hundreds of pairs of eyes.

decorus

Guests at the formal reception exhibited (putative, decorous) behavior.

desiccated

He acts like someone whose vital juices have long since dried up, leaving only a drab and (desiccated, contrite) shell behind.

abstruse

He tried to conceal his lack of scholarship and intellectual depth by using unnecessarily (efficacious, abstruse) language.

decorous

Her quiet speech, subdued clothes, and (decorous, desiccated) manner made it hard to believe that she was a famous rock star.

ghoul

His unmistakable interest in the gruesome details of the tragedy revealed that he possessed the sensibilities of a (canard, ghoul).

deign

I resent your nasty question about whether or not I will (deign, affront) to speak to ordinary students" after I'm elected president.

contrite

If you had listened to my warnings in the first place, there would be no need for you to feel (contrite, desiccated) now.

affronted

In my youth folly, I inadvertently (affronted, engendered) the very people whose aid I was attempting to enlist.

incongruous

It has been said that humor is essentially the yoking of (incongruous, ethereal) elements within a familiar or recognizable framework.

facade

It wasn't at all hard to recognize signs of extreme uneasiness beneath her (canard, facade) of buoyant optimism.

cognizant

Like many people who are completely wrapped up in themselves, she simply isn't (cognizant, decorous) of the larger world around her.

putative

Philologists believe that many Western languages can be traced back to (putative, decorous) parent tongue known as Indo-European

ethereal

Sitting in the back of the cathedral, I strained to hear the lovely (ethereal, desiccated) voices of the children wafting down from the choir loft.

opprobrium

The (efficacy, opprobrium) of history forever attached itself to the name of Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of President Kennedy.

canards

The 1939 radio broadcast by Orson Welles that described a Martian invasion is on many lists of the greatest (canards, efficacies) of the twentieth century.

captious

The President must always be on his toes because a careless answer to a (contrite, captious) question could land him in political hot water.

mesmerized

The audience was so quiet after the curtain fell that I couldn't tell whether they were bored or (deigned, mesmerized) by her artistry.

machinations

The book describes in great detail the odious (machinations, facades) involved in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Germany.

canard

The candidate's "shocking revelation" about his opponent was later shown to be nothing more than a malicious (canard, cynosure)

mesmerized

The daring feats of the acrobats on the high wire completely (engendered, mesmerized) everyone in the crowd.

ethereal

The play is so peopled with spirits and other incorporeal beings that it has the (ethereal, captious) quality of a dream.

facade

Workers dismantled and cleaned parts of the Parthenon's exterior (affront, facade) during recent restoration work on the temple.

machination

a crafty, scheming, or underhanded action designed to accomplish some (usually evil) end syn: plot, maneuver

canard

a false rumor, fabricated story syn: hoax

affront

an open or intentional insult; a slight; to insult to one's face; to face in defiance, confront syn: offense; offend ant: compliment, praise

cognizant

aware, knowledgeable, informed; having jurisdiction syn: acquainted amt: unaware, unconscious, oblivious

opprobrium

disgrace arising from shameful conduct; contempt, reproach syn; infamy, dishonor, odium ant: acclaim, honor, glory, renown

captious

excessively ready to find fault; given to petty criticism; intended to trap, confuse, or show up syn: faultfinding, carping ant: uncritical

abstruse

extremely difficult to understand syn: arcane, recondite, occult ant: simple, straightforward

putative

generally regarded as such; reputed; hypothesized; inferred syn: supposed, presumed ant: corroborated, confirmed

ethereal

light, airy, delicate; highly refined; suggesting what is heavenly (rather than earthbound) syn: heavenly, celestial, gossamer ant: infernal, hellish, thick, heavy

incongruous

not in keeping, unsuitable, incompatible syn: discordant ant: compatible, harmonious, consistent

contrite

regretful for some misdeed or sin; plagued by a sense of guilt; thoroughly penitent syn: remorseful, rueful ant: unapologetic, impenitent

ghoulish

revolting in an unnatural or morbid way; suggestive of someone who robs graves or otherwise preys on the dead syn: barbarous, monstrous

cynosure

the center of attraction, attention, or interest; something that serves to guide or direct syn: focus

facade

the front face of a building; a surface appearance (as opposed to what may lie behind) syn: exterior, surface, mask ant: interior

efficacy

the power to produce a desired result syn: effectiveness, potency, reliability ant: impotence

desiccated

thoroughly dried out; divested of spirit or vitality; arid and uninteresting syn: dehydrated, shriveled ant: sodden, waterlogged, drenched

engender

to bring into existence, give rise to, produce; to come into existence, assume form syn: generate, cause, form ant: stop, deter

mesmerize

to hypnotize, entrance; to fascinate, enthrall, bewitch

deign

to think it appropriate or suitable to one's dignity to do something; to condescend syn: deem

decorous

well-behaved, dignified, socially proper syn: seemly, becoming, tasteful ant: unbecoming, improper, tasteless