Unit 4

The farmland in this area is slowly being swallowed up by the ________ spread of housing developments. (relentless/ unyielding)

Inexorable

Chicken eggs with two yolks are a(n) ________, but although they are unusual, you do find one from time to time. (something abnormal)

aberration

Ron's house is specially built to __________ his wheelchair. It has ramps instead of stairs and extra-wide doors. (make room for/ provided with something needed)

accommodate

Buoys are markers that float in the water to warn of dangerous spots. Their name is related to the word "_______" which means "able to float."

buoyant

The children managed to _______ their parents into letting them stay up long past their usual bedtime. (persuade with flattery)

cajole

Mom resisted getting a cell phone for a long time, but she finally ________(e)d after getting a flat tire and having no way to call a tow truck. (give in)

capitulate

"Don't ask me to order your meal," Liz pleaded with her mother at the restaurant. "I'm not _________; I don't know what you'll like or not like." (seeing beyond the senses)

clairvoyant

Wendy's friends vowed to maintain their _________ at her funeral, no matter how much they might break down and cry later in private. (calmess of mind)

composure

That little boy's good nature is ________; he's been smiling since the day he was born. (existing from birth)

congenital

The army base where Dad was stationed was ________ to the grounds of a mental hospital. The soldiers made a lot of jokes about who belonged where. (adjacent)

contiguous

Even after their divorce, Max and Amy remained _________ to each other. "We were always good friends," Max tells people, "and we still are." (gracious/ warm)

cordial

My brother ran for city council, but his campaign was ________(e)d by lack of funds. In the end, he had to drop out of the race. (weaken)

debilitate

The prisoner's wife said he had been _________(e)d, but she would clear his name. (to slander)

defame

The meal took a lot of work, but the results were _______. Pork and sauerkraut do not go very well with ice cream and cake for dessert. (lacking harmony)

discordant

Renata's first public performance as a pianist was a(n) _________ disaster. The piano bench collapsed under her, much to the amusement of the audience. (obviously bad)

egregious

Jermain was trying to write a song, but the melody remained ________. Bits of it drifted into his mind but proved to be evanescent, fading away before he could write them down. (difficult to capture)

elusive

The automobile accident ________(e)d Carlos for weeks, causing him to languish at home, even though he had not been badly injured. His doctors said this was normal and that his energy would soon return. (rob of strength or energy)

enervate

Heidi adores her new job. She _______s everything about it, from her affable coworkers to the great coffee in the lunchroom. (praise)

extol

Keeping up with housework, raising children, holding a job, and maintaining friendships is a(n) _______ task, yet many people somehow manage to do it all with only brief respites from all their responsibilities. (difficult/ demanding)

formidable

"The movie is excellent, but watching it is a(n) _________ experience," Rafael warned his friends. "The story is so tragic that it drains you emotionally." (stressful/ demanding)

grueling

"You'll have to leave now," the shop owner said to the parents and their badly behaved children. "How dare you let your ________ kids run unsupervised through the store, crashing into customers and breaking merchandise?" (incurable/ uncontrollable)

incorrigible

A grand jury hears evidence and then decides whether the evidence is sufficient to _________ someone for a crime. (accuse)

indict

Members of racist hate groups, such as the Ku Klu Klan, _________ their children with the belief that one racial group is better than another. (instruct/ teach)

indoctrinate

As the great detective peered through his magnifying glass at the fingerprint, his expression was __________. No one could tell what he might be thinking. (mysterious)

inscrutable

Lem's instructor was impressed with his paper, which was a powerful combination of facts and _______ logic. (Indisputable)

irrefutable

Our mayor is a paragon among politicians. Her spotless record has never been _______ by even a hint of wrongdoing. (damaged)

marred

The children sitting on the beach burst into tears when the tide came in and waved _______(e)d their elaborate sand drawing. (destroy)

obliterate

Grandfather's home health aide is too ________. Not content with just doing her job, she bustles in each day full of self-importance and tries to run his life. (offering unwanted advice/ interfering)

officious

Although Uncle Don has spent his whole life in a small county town, he has never been ________; everything in this wide world interests him. (narrow-minded)

parochial

Oliver takes a(n) ________ approach to life. He is intensely committed and seen everything as a struggle between opponents. (Strongly supporting a specific party, cause, or person.)

partisan

When his opponent won the tennis match with a lucky shot, Nicky refused to shake hands. His ________ seeed childish to the spectators. (Anger due to wounded pride)

pique

Reiko decided to get married in the winter, even though the cold weather would __________ an outdoor reception. (rule out)

preclude

One of Mrs. Thompson's first-graders is so _________ that she is reading at a high school level and actually helps teach the other kids. (advanced for one's age)

precocious

I had a(n) _______ that Lisa and Todd would not hit it off, and I was right. They were in a heated argument within five minutes of being introduced. (feeling that something bad would happen.)

premonition

To give himself a better chance of getting the job, the applicant faked letters of recommendation from people with _______ positions in the community. (honored reputation)

prestigious

"Don't wear those torn jeans to the funeral," Maude told her son. "Put on a suit and tie so you will seem properly _______." (expressing respect or awe)

reverent

Shows like Saturday Night Live take a(n) ________ attitude toward the famous and powerful, making fun of celebrities and government officials alike.(attacking through ridicule)

satirical

In the fairy tale "King Thrushbeard," a proud princess ________s a good king's offer of marriage but later learns to love and admire him. (reject with scorn)

spurn

Moving with slow, _______ steps, the hungry leopard approached the unsuspecting antelope. (secretive)

stealthy

________ is one symptom of hypothermia--very low body temperature--in the elderly. Their memory loss and dazed condition may be curable simply by turning up the heat. (a drowsy state/ daze)

stupor

In public, my grandmother was _________ to my grandfather, agreeing with whatever he said. In private, however, she bossed him around a good deal. (obedient, unresisting)

submissive

The employees seemed _________ about having to work late. Hoping to improve their mood, the boss sent out for coffee and sandwiches. (bitter/ resentful)

sullen

"When my uncle is being annoying at family dinners, I wish you would not be so nice to him," Amy told her husband. "He does not need a(n) _______ to make him think he's clever and amusing." (a flatter)

sycophant

If you are naturally _______, don't become a TV sportscaster. Sports announcers have to be garrulous-- they're expected to talk nonstop.

taciturn

Don't let "test anxiety" _________ your efforts to earn good grades. Learn how to avoid it by being well prepared and developing a positive attitude. (obstruct)

thwart

Jian had a terrifying experience during the blackout--he was stuck in an elevator for seven hours. Now he never enters an elevator without _________. (anxiety/ dread)

trepidation

The owner of the restaurant is a gracious, _________ woman, always poised and at ease greeting celebrities. And she is just as courteous and amicable to all her customers. (refined/ elegant)

urbane

After an hour of angry, _________ criticism from the audience, the company president stalked out of the stockholders' meeting. "I quit," he said. "Let someone else take all this abuse." (destructive/ deadly)

virulent

"As flies to ________ boys, are we to the gods; they kill us for their sport." These words from Shakespeare's "King Lear" mean that fate can injure us senselessly. (senseless/ having no purpose or reason)

wanton

Mack comes up with one ________ get-rich-quick scheme after another. He says we may find them silly now, but he'll have the last laugh: one of them will win him fame and fortune. (wildly comical)

zany