Part One: Words from Fiction and History Passages

earnest

serious and intentional

solemn

serious, formal, and grave

deferential

showing respect toward others who are superior to you in any way

deference

repect

revere

to deeply respect and worship; to be in awe of

irreverent

disrespect

benevolent

well-meaning and charitable

endearing

adorable, inspiring love and affection

sinister

bad or evil

Latin root: mal

bad or evil

malice, malignant, malicious, malevolent

having or showing an intention to do evil to others

malign, pernicious, noxious

spiteful

genuine

true, real, or heartfelt

candid

frank, honest, or straightforward

authentic

traditional; undisturbed by novelty; based on facts; pure and honest

virtuous

having or exhibiting morality; morally excellent, righteous

ardent, unfeigned

sincere

hoax

deception of a malicious or humorous manner

disguise

to obscure the truth or appearance

deception

the act of deceiving

fabricate

to make up from thin air

complacent

marked by a fake satisfaction or happiness with the current state of things

counterfeit, fraudulent, phony

fake

reminiscent

tending to remind, suggestive of the past, or absorbed in memories; nostalgic

ambivalent

the state of having conflicting feelings

ambiguous

unclear or obscure

equivocal

unclear; open to more than one interpretation

dubious

arguable, questionable, or debatable

enigmatic

difficult to interpret

obscure, nebulous

vague

denounce

to condemn; complain about publicly

lament

to mourn a person's death or complain about something unsatisfactory

condemn

to express utter and complete disapproval

bemoan, bewail, deplore

complain

muse

to think about deeply

reflect

to think about carefully

reminisce

to indulge in the recollection of past events

nostalgic

feeling warmly sentimental about the past

ponder, ruminate

recollect

apprehensive

fearful that something bad might happen; arrest someone; grasp something (like topic)

restless

perpetually worried about something; unable to mentally relax

agitated

worried and nervous

queasy

worried and nervous to the point of being nauseous; troubled

anxious, flustered

worried