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About This Quiz
sIf you're the kind of person who lives to confuse others with a new word, you've found the right quiz! We've scoured the dictionary for some of the trickiest terms in the book. You might think you're a real smartypants because you won the second-grade spelling bee, but how will your word skills hold up to these tough questions?
As you go through our questions, you'll notice that we haven't tried to confuse you at all. Instead, we've asked straightforward questions, given you straightforward answer options, and even used some words in a sentence for you. Still, you'll need to eat some brain food and put on your thinking cap before you can get all of them right. We promise you tricky, and tricky is what you will get! Can you handle yourself like a walking Scrabble master, or will you need to revisit the words on the SAT?
Take your time, and think things through before you decide to respond. If you need to consult Dr. Google, we'll wait. You really should try to answer our questions on your own first, though. Will you make yourself proud, or will you learn a few new words? Either way, it's a win-win! Let's see how much of a word nerd you really are!
Foyer
Breezeway
Facade
If you're standing in front of a building, you are seeing a facade. A facade can include windows, bricks, paint or other distinguishing features. When you step inside the building, you may be in the foyer, if one exists.
Galley
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Genial
The word "genial" appeared in the middle of the 16th century, but back then it related to marriage. The current meaning, "warm, friendly and mild," is used here to describe Katie's hosting skills. You can use "genial" to describe either people or some inanimate objects, but you should save its partner "congenial" for when you're talking about a person's attitude.
Flippant
Contemptuous
Licentious
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Unfriendly
Giving your UPS driver a box of bones to carry on their route is a thoughtful gift. They often encounter pups that are territorial or frightened by the truck's noise. After a treat, many inimical dogs will tend to become friendlier.
Easily excited
Afraid
Huge
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Yes
No
Have you ever been in a conversation where you kept waiting for someone to get to the point, but it felt like you would never hear it? If you have, you know precisely what "circumlocution" is, without us having to explain it.
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Small details
The devil is in the minutia! In other words, dealing with minutia means paying attention to the smallest details. Don't worry — those minute details always add up to a bigger picture.
Gossip
Rain
A traffic jam
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Accede
It might take some convincing, but when you finally give in to someone's wishes or demands, you accede. If you want to make it an even fancier affair, you could always acquiesce.
Secede
Recede
Succeed
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Apprehensive
Have you ever seen someone watch an NBA game when their favorite team is playing? If you have, we don't need to explain "apprehensive" to you. You know what it's like to see someone brimming with anxiety.
Serendipitous
Inert
Composed
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Bowyer
Elymaker
Campaner
Cobbler
Before the days of mass production, shoes were built to last and made to be repaired. Back in your grandparents' day, they would have taken their shoes to a cobbler for repairs. Cobblers were skilled at reheeling and restitching well-loved footwear.
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Posh and upscale
Dull and slow
A total disaster
Merriam Webster defines debacle as "a complete disaster" or a "fiasco." Any party that might be described as a debacle has gone completely down the drain and will certainly end in guestless disarray.
A rager
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Venal
Gluttonous
Munificent
Those who were born with generous hearts can be called munificent souls, using an adjective that means "more generous than expected." Oprah is the perfect person to help define the word for you.
Covetous
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Her old fashioned boots were spurious and fun.
Lisa always made spurious decisions, never thinking them through.
Bart tried to do the right thing, but spurious problems kept popping up.
The lawsuit claims that the paper printed spurious information.
No newspaper worth its salt would dare print spurious information. Although sorting facts from spurious — or false — claims can be difficult, journalists do their best to ensure that all information is correct.
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No, it was aggressive.
Let's just say that Mark was feeling a little hot under the collar after the game. Throughout his truculent speech, he aggressively stated the need for improvement. Judging by his ferociousness, he wasn't messing around!
It was tolerant.
His speech was full of inspirational words.
The speech was gracious and conceding.
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He received harsh criticism.
His score was average.
Jack was met with an outpouring of approval.
When you think of "plaudits," you should think of applause. Just as no one would clap for something that they disagreed with, no one would give plaudits for it either. "Plaudits," usually used in its plural form, means "enthusiastic approval."
Everyone laughed at Jack.
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Jason's rather rude.
He's always bragging.
Jason's very vitriolic.
He's a master of small talk.
According to Merriam Webster, the word "garrulous" means "pointlessly or annoyingly talkative." In this case, someone is most likely warning you to avoid Jason at parties unless you want to hear about his new shoelaces for an hour and a half.
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I've never experienced love at first sight.
I fell in love with the wrong person.
I've been known to be a little callous sometimes.
Everyone's guilty of being greedy sometimes.
Cupid is an adorable little troublemaker in the world of love, but he has little to do with the word "cupidity." Cupidity is another way of saying "greed," which is, in fact, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.
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She was excited and ready.
Julia met her new fur baby with alacrity! She doesn't have allergies, she's not in tears, and she's not afraid of a ball of fluff. Julia is simply brimming with excitement and can't wait to spend time with her new friend.
She was worried about her allergies.
She didn't really want to adopt the cat.
She was afraid that she wouldn't know what to do.
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A 4th of July parade
The mall
A funeral
You would hear the sound of a "dirge" being played at a funeral. Also known as an elegy, a coronach or a lament, a dirge is a hymn or song that accompanies a solemn service or ceremony.
A wedding
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Amicable
Affable
Docile
Fractious
Who doesn't get cranky and argumentative when they need a nap? "Fractious" is an adjective used to describe such a temperament, whether the quarrelsome subject is a toddler, a crowd or a politician.
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They are lacking principles.
When used as an adjective, "reprobate" describes immoral behavior. As a verb, it means "to condemn something as evil or reprehensible." Clearly, then, as a noun, a reprobate is a person who is immoral or evil.
The decisions have been hastily made.
The decisions were made without consulting anyone.
They are making unfair decisions regarding their will or estate.
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Tom threw a surreptitious party for his wife.
Gavin used a surreptitious excuse to leave work early because he had a job interview.
Let's say that you need to get out of something, but you don't want anyone to know the reason why. That's when you make like Gavin and come up with a surreptitious reason why you cannot attend.
Marvin's surreptitious nature made him a lot of friends.
Jerry's surreptitious efforts have earned him a lot of praise.
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Resentful
The longer Mary listened to Jack's speech, the more umbrage she took, even though Jack did not mean to insult her. Her resentment was evident to everyone in the room, other than Jack.
Delighted
Disappointed
Touched
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Phlegmatic
What does it mean to have a "stiff upper lip"? It means to remain unemotional or calm; it also means being "phlegmatic." The British are known for their ability to keep calm and carry on, but we think they should say "keep calm and be phlegmatic." It has a much nicer ring.
Reactive
Ardent
Mushy
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Pontificate
Exonerate
Ignore
Abjure
No matter how old she gets, you'll never stop Caren from believing in Santa Claus. She knows that other people buy her presents, but she still believes in the magic of Christmas. She'll never renounce or abjure her holiday faith.
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To swindle them
You've probably heard it a million times, but what does it really mean to be "bilked"? If you've been defrauded, hustled, denied rightful payment or otherwise evaded, you've been bilked.
To imitate them
To recommend their services
To compliment their appearance
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Loving
Disagreeable
Whether you're overhearing a friendly conversation or a contentious one, you never know what you might learn. Unlike a friendly conversation, however, a contentious conversation is full of disagreement and unpleasantness.
Constructive
Agreeable
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A phone call
A letter
Your best friend has decided to go old-school with their epistolary note. Instead of sending you psychic vibes, they've sent you a handwritten letter. An epistolary novel is one in which letters tell the story.
A psychic message
A text
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Annoyed
When a person needs space, they can seem a little fractious. In fact, it's easier to recognize someone who's annoyed than all of the other options listed here. When someone is feeling fractious, you'll be able to tell by their body language or spoken language.
Depressed
Introspective
Contemplative
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Nimble
Exceptional
Inane
There's nothing worse than being stuck in a conversation that is pointless and meaningless. The next time it happens to you, signal to a friend that you're enduring the inane. With luck, they'll come to your rescue.
Unbiased
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Nell
Nail
Kneal
Knell
You'll rarely see "knell" without the word "death" accompanying it, and there's a good reason for that. Whether it's used as a noun or a verb, the word is associated with the ominous sound of a funeral.
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He's crossed the goal line.
He's hit bottom.
You can't have the highs in life without experiencing a few "nadirs." Whether you call it rock bottom or you call it the lowest point, you're talking about a nadir. A nadir is also the point opposite to a zenith in a celestial sphere.
He's in the planning phase.
Louis is having an epiphany.
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True
False
Instead of calling the new hire a "newbie," now you have a fancier term! They might not take kindly to being called a "neophyte," but they'll warm up to your charms eventually. Soon they'll train a neophyte of their own.
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Irrelevant
As Lamar was refining the text of his report, he needed to stick to the relevant facts. Some information, though interesting, was only loosely related to the subject — it was tangential to his point — so Lamar deleted it.
Controversial
Contentious
Contrary
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She couldn't remain neutral.
Kelly was having trouble expressing herself clearly.
She couldn't be everywhere at once.
Even though she wanted to have a "ubiquitous" presence at work, Kelly faced a common problem. Our lives are busier than ever these days, and it's hard to be in a million places at once. We feel you, Kelly! Whatever you do today is enough.
Kelly couldn't seem to get organized.
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Praising
Criticizing
The teacher finally had to upbraid Sam over his disorderly behavior. "To upbraid" is a verb that means "to criticize." Although it sounds positive enough to be praise, it is quite the opposite.
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Hurricane strength
A little breeze
Grab a mint julep, and head out to the porch. There's a nice little "zephyr" blowing through this afternoon. We wouldn't send you outside in a hurricane, but we do hope you'll enjoy the gentle breeze.
Stiff but not violent
Strong and damaging
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You Got:
/35
