| Term | Definition |
|---|
| altruistic | Unselfishly concerned for the welfare of others, generous (Nuns and nurses are usually very ____ people since they seek ways to help people) |
| ambivalent | having contrary feelings or attitudes, uncertain as to course of action (I am ____ about a permanent relationship with him, because I like him one day and don't the next) |
| angular | lean, sharp cornered, gaunt, (the patient has lost so much weight that his face has become quite ____) |
| arrogant | overbearingly assuming; insolently proud (Because the girl was so ____ , she had few friends) |
| aversion | strong disinclination, disliking (I have an ___ to get married) |
| discern | to differentiate between two or more things (Because of the fog, I was barely able to ___ the landing strip) |
| disdain | intense dislike; to treat with scorn or contempt, to reject as unworthy (Never having to do manual labor, he ___ the idea of becoming a cotton picker) |
| disparage | to degrade, to speak of someone or something in a derogatory manner (His ___ remarks about me caused the committee to give the job to another person) |
| disparity | inequality,the condition or fact of being unequal in age, rank, degree (The Couple got married even though there was a great ___ between their ages) |
| embellish | to decorate, to make beautiful with ornamentation (He would ____ his narratives with anecdotes about famous people) |
| engender | to cause, to produce, to create (His angry words ____ strife in his relationship with his wife) |
| innocuous | harmless, producing no injury (Since the drink is ____ it is ok for us to have some) |
| insipid | boring and stupid (I am bored by your ___ talk) |
| lament | to mourn or express sorrow in a demonstrative manner (She ____ the death of her father in a very lachrymose manner) |
| laud | to praise, to extol (Her performance was ____ by all the critics) |
| obscure | difficult to see, vague (Because the meaning of the play was ____ I was unable to enjoy it) |
| ostentatious | showy, pretentious (The ____ socialite wore her mink fur coat even during the warmest days of August) |
| prodigal | wasteful, a person given to extravagance (The ___ son squandered his inheritance) |
| repudiate | to reject, to disown, to disavow (He announced that he would ___ all the debts created by his wife) |
| reticence | restraint in speech, reluctance to speak (A lawyer must have great ____ in discussing matters that can violate his clients' rights) |
| revere | to honor, to regard with respect (Nearly all Catholics ___ the Pope) |
| serene | calm, placid (The mountain on a clear spring moring is a ____ setting) |
| subtle | delicate, elusive, not obvious (To avoid being obtrusive in the elegant restaurant, he used ____ gestures to call the waiter to his table) |
| superfluous | beyond what is needed or required, an overflow (The meeting lasted so log because of many ___ comments by some of the speakers) |
| taciturn | quiet, not verbose (A shy person is usually ____) |
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