cavort
(v) to romp or prance around exuberantly; to make merry
The actors in the musical ________(ed) on stage.
ā
credence
(n) belief, mental acceptance
The government and the public failed to give _________ to the reports of an impending water shortage.
ā disbelief, skepticism, incredulity
decry
(v) to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate
Every arm of government and ever educational institution should ________ bigotry in all its forms.
ā tout, commend, extol, laud, praise
dissemble
(v) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression
The young man was unable to ________ his feelings and admitted to having committed the crime.
ā
distraught
(adj) very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict
The workforce became ___________ in the wake of 1929 stock market crash.
ā calm, collected
eulogy
(n) a formal statement of commendation; high praise
The best friend and longtime law partner of the deceased delivered the _________ at the funeral.
ā philippic, invective
evince
(v) to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke
The crowd did not _______ any sighs of panic but moved in an orderly fashion to the nearest exits
ā
exhume
(v) to remove from a grave; to bring to light
Suspecting foul play, the coroner issued an order to _________ the body immediately.
ā bury, inter
feckless
(adj) lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable
Although a __________ youth, he eventually matured into a hard-working and responsible citizen.
ā competent, capable, effective
murky
(adj) dark and gloomy, obscure; lacking in clarity and precision
Many visitors have claimed to see a mysterious creature in the ______ waters of Loch Ness in Scotland.
ā clear, transparent, lucid, limpid
nefarious
(adj) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards
Brutus and Cassius hatched a ___________ plot to assassinate Julius Caesar on the steps of the Roman Senate.
ā virtuous, honorable, praiseworthy, meritorious
piquant
(adj) stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative
The chef was an expert in making those ________ dishes that are characteristic of South Indian cooking.
ā bland, insipid, tasteless, mild
primordial
(adj) developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest stage; fundamental, basic
The __________ stages of most civilizations are founded on common needs met by common goals.
ā
propinquity
(n) nearness in place or time; kinship
The ___________ of the two cities has created a greater metropolitan area that in effect is one city.
ā remoteness, distance
substantive
(adj) real, having a solid basis; considerable in number or amount; meaningful and on topic
The candidate dismissed the silly questions but took the time to answer the most ___________ ones.
ā imaginary, unreal, meaningless
unwonted
(adj) not usual or expected; not in character
The listless student answered with __________ spirit when the subject of military tactics was raised.
ā usual, customary, typical
utopian
(adj) founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical
A number of American religious groups like the Shakers have built separate communities based on __________ schemes.
ā realistic, pragmatic
verbiage
(n) language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness; a manner of expression
The contract was full of meaningless _________ that seemed designed to confuse the lay person.
ā
verdant
(adj) green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgement
The tourists on safari traveled over the _________ grasslands of Kenya in search of native wildlife.
ā scorched, sere, barren
viscous
(adj) having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity
The varnish left a _________ residue on the wood that was hard to remove.
ā watery, aqueous