Vocab 40

Vocabulary Study 40
Definitions
1. assiduous (uh SIJ you us) Definitions: marked by careful and unremitting attention, constant in application
Synonyms: industrious, sedulous, diligent
Derivatives: assiduously, assiduousness
Through assiduous study, she learned every single symbol in the periodic table of elements.
2. balky (BALL kee) Definitions: refusing to proceed in an expected direction
Synonyms: contrary, perverse, restive, wayward
Derivatives: balkily, balkiness, balkingly
That balky supermarket cart simply refused to roll in a straight line!
3. blighted (BLIE ted) Definitions: destroyed or caused by decline or decay
Synonyms:
Derivatives: blight
In 1845, news of the blighted potato crop raced through the Irish countryside.
4. concert (KON surt) Definitions: agreement in purpose or feeling, consensus
Synonyms:
Derivatives: concerted, concertedly
For once, the argumentative family acted in concert, coming together to save the old farmhouse.
5. confluence (KON floo uns) Definitions: a coming together
Synonyms:
Derivatives: confluent
The concert was an amazing confluence of different musical styles and genres.
6. corpulence (KOR pyuh luns) Definitions: state of being very fat
Synonyms: obesity
Derivatives: corpulent, corpulently
The man suffered notoriously from corpulence and once got stuck in a bathtub.
7. dirge (DURJ) Definitions: funeral hymn, lament
Synonyms:
Derivatives: dirgeful, dirges
Before she is placed in the prison of stone, Antigone sings a dirge mourning her own death.
8. hiatus (high ATE us) Definitions: gap, pause, interruption in time
Synonyms:
Derivatives: hiatuses
During an awkward hiatus, we all looked at the clock and wished the meeting would end.
9. hilarity (heh LAR eh tee) Definitions: boisterous merriment, mirth
Synonyms: glee, jollity
Derivatives: hilarious, hilariously, hilariousness
When the comedian put on his wig and high-heeled shoes, the theater erupted in hilarity.
10. homage (HOM ij) Definitions: a reverential regard; respect shown by external action
Synonyms: honor, reverence, deference, obeisance
Derivatives: homages,homager
In homage to her contributions, a plaque was hung in the front office.
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Vocabulary Study 40
Definitions
11. interred (in TURD) Definitions: buried
Synonyms:
Derivatives: inter, interment
According to Mark Antony, the good deeds we do are often interred with our bones when we die.
12. officious (uh FISH us) Definitions: overly dutiful or obliging, insisting on providing a service not requested
Synonyms: impertinent, intrusive, meddlesome, obtrusive
Derivatives: officiously, officiousness
The officious waiter continually interrupted our conversation asking if he could serve us anything more.
13. pedestrian (adj.) (puh DES tree un) Definitions: ordinary, unimaginative
Synonyms:
Derivatives: pedestrianate, pedestrianize, pedestrianism
The plot in the book is pedestrian, unexciting, and boring.
14. plenitude (PLEN eh tood) Definitions: abundance, a lot
Synonyms:
Derivatives: plenitudinous
When we visited the Louvre, we were overwhelmed by the plenitude of art and sculpture.
15. polarization (poe lur eh ZAY shun) Definitions: division into two opposite positions
Synonyms:
Derivatives: polarize, polarizing, polarizer, polarizable, polarizability
The polarization of the races in the South after the Civil War made integration difficult.
16. redundant (reh DUN dunt) Definitions: repetitious, superfluous
Synonyms:
Derivatives: redundancy, redundance, redundantly
Using redundant phrases in your writing lowers its quality; don’t keep repeating yourself.
17. resplendent (reh SPLEN dunt) Definitions: brilliant, shining
Synonyms: sublime, superb
Derivatives: resplendence, resplendency, resplendently
The woman’s dress was resplendent with thousands of sequins and crystals delicately sewed in patterns.
18. stasis (STAY sis) Definitions: motionlessness, stagnation
Synonyms:
Derivatives: stases
Our decision-making process finally reached stasis, and we couldn't progress any further.
19. vicarious (vie KARE ee us) Definitions: experienced through imagined participation in another's activity
Synonyms:
Derivatives: vicariate, vicarism, vicariously, vicariousness
We couldn't go to Spain with him, but we enjoyed the trip vicariously through his letters.
20. workaday (WUR kuh day) Definitions: ordinary, commonplace
Synonyms:
Derivatives:
Workaday concerns like homework may not be exciting, but they are usually necessary.
Copyright © 2008 by Sharon Serrago, Inc Page 654

Vocabulary Study 40
Matching Test
Directions: Match the vocabulary word to its definition.
Practice 1
_____________1. assiduous a. a coming together
_____________2. balky b. funeral hymn, lament
_____________3. blighted c. boisterous merriment, mirth
_____________4. concert d. destroyed or caused by decline or decay
_____________5. confluence e. gap, pause, interruption in time
_____________6. corpulence f. state of being very fat
_____________7. dirge g. refusing to proceed in an expected direction
_____________8. hiatus h. a reverential regard; respect shown by external action
_____________9. hilarity i. agreement in purpose or feeling, consensus
_____________10. homage
j. marked by careful and unremitting attention
Practice 2
_____________11. interred
_____________12. officious
_____________13. pedestrian
_____________14. plenitude
_____________15. polarization
_____________16. redundant
_____________17. resplendent
_____________18. stasis
_____________19. vicarious
_____________20. workaday
k. repetitious, superfluous
l. unimaginative, commonplace
m. brilliant, shining
n. ordinary, prosaic, suited for working days
o. overly dutiful; insistent on providing a service
p. abundance, a lot
q. buried
r. motionlessness, stagnation
s. division into two opposite positions
t. experienced through imagined participation in
another's activity
Copyright © 2008 by Sharon Serrago, Inc Page 655

Vocabulary Study 40
Sentence Completion Test
Directions: Find the correct word from the box below to complete the sentences that follow.
Exercise A
__________________ 1.
__________________ 2.
__________________ 3.
__________________ 4.
__________________ 5.
__________________ 6.
__________________ 7.
__________________ 8.
__________________ 9.
__________________ 10.
assiduous balky blighted concert confluence
corpulence dirge hiatus hilarity homage
The couple were finally in ________, agreeing on every point of concern.
The man's ill health was a direct result of his __________; being so fat was destroying him.
The ________ student was able to gain the respect of her teachers through her careful and
unrelenting attention to her work.
The miner's shack lay at the _______ of the two rivers, the place where the rivers merged.
That part of the symphony was like a ___________, as slow and mournful as a funeral hymn.
The ________mule refused to follow the lead of his rider, refusing even to move.
The pause in the debate was a welcomed __________, giving us the break we needed.
The comedian displayed such ______ that his entire audience was boisterous with mirth and
merriment.
Destroyed by decay, the ____________ crops caused the ruin of the farmer.
In order to show their respect, the pilgrims made the journey to the shrine to pay_______.
Exercise B interred officious pedestrian plenitude polarization
redundant resplendent stasis vicarious workaday
__________________ 11.
__________________ 12.
__________________ 13.
__________________ 14.
__________________ 15.
__________________ 16.
__________________ 17.
__________________ 18.
_________________ 19.
__________________ 20.
The employee was soon bored with the _______ chores of the job; he had hope for something
not so ordinary and commonplace.
Don’t be so repetitious in the essay; rid it of the _________ references to your source.
The king's' expensive jewels were ___________ with his body, buried in the sealed tomb.
The ______ pendant was breathtaking, brilliant as it captured the light of the sun.
His biggest problem will be overcoming the _______ of his crew who already have fallen
into stagnation.
The son's achievements afforded the father many ________ thrills as he imagined his own
participation.
The _____________ hostess made people uncomfortable with her obliging service.
His unimaginative essay was filled with trite, _____________ phrases.
The welcomed rains resulted in a period of ______________ when crops grew abundantly.
The __________ of the two contestants was obvious as they spoke from two opposite
positions on the issues.
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